Man Accused of Drunken Driving Over the Lunch Hour

A 38-year-old Greenfield man with four prior drunken-driving convictions is accused of the same crime after he was arrested at approximately 12:35 p.m. Thursday.

He also threw a wrinkle in the department chief’s planned day off.

According to the police department, while the man performed and failed field sobriety tests, Chief Brad Wentlandt, who was on vacation, arrived and assisted in the man’s arrest.

Coincidently, Wentlandt had just been the first one on the scene of a multi-car crash at 76th Street and Edgerton (see attached photo) before responding to the drunken-driving incident.

In the latter incident, according to the Greenfield Police Department, a witness told police the man was swerving, drove over the curb and onto a grassy area and almost struck a store sign after he left Coldspring Liquor at the intersection of 60th Street and Cold Spring Road.

The officer located the driver at the intersection of 68th Street and Cold Spring Road, where he, and the driver of another car were out of their vehicles. When the officer approached, one of the men drove away.

The 38-year-old told police that he had come close to the rear of the vehicle in front of him and that he and the other driver were looking for damage. The man also told police that he drank a few beers that morning and had just purchased a bottle of whiskey from Coldspring Liquor.

The man was arrested and transported to the Criminal Justice Facility.