By Melanie Davis Marshall

Appalachian State University police held a driving while impaired checkpoint Thursday night.

With assistance and officers from Boone Police Department, Watauga County Sheriff’s Office and Blowing Rock Police Department, all drivers on Rivers Street were stopped between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m.

The checkpoint originated from a request from ASU senior Charles Wilkes.

As a resident advisor in Gardner Hall, Wilkes is required to complete a number of programs within the dormitory. Most deal with campus life, making better choices and safety concerns.

Wilkes’ mother is dating Ken Rhodes, a BAT mobile coordinator for the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services

The Breath Alcohol Testing mobile unit is a bus which has three breath-testing machines and place for a magistrate to set-up. The BAT speeds up the process for law enforcement on the scene of a checkpoint. There are six BAT mobiles in the state.

Wilkes requested Rhodes come to ASU for a presentation on the consequences of impaired driving.

Checkpoints are the main purpose of the BAT, leading Wilkes to contact the ASU police department about the possibility of having a checkpoint.

Senior police officer Eric Miller organized Thursday’s event and gathered the local agencies together.

Rhodes was on campus most of the day, giving tours of the bus and demonstrating impairment with fatal-vision goggles.

The goggles give the wearer a sense of impairment and then Rhodes performs the field sobriety tests to show students how effected their coordination is.

Just prior to the checkpoint, Rhodes gave a presentation to the residents of Gardener Hall, which included photos of drunk driving victims and statistics.

At 10 p.m., just as the snow began falling, officers blocked off Rivers Street.

Vehicles were stopped and license checks performed. Watauga County magistrate David Gales was present at the checkpoint to speed up the arrest process for the officers.

Members of the Watauga County chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving brought coffee and snacks for the officers and assisted by counting the vehicles passing through.

Four members of the Watauga High School Students Against Destructive Decisions were present at the checkpoint. Seniors Savannah Parris, Caitlin Delanis, Katelyn Turley and Akeesha Greene were handing out “thank you” messages to sober drivers, with the possible consequences of a DWI charge printed on the back.

During the three-hour, snowy stretch two individuals were charged with DWI, blood-alcohol levels of .12 and .08; two with underage drinking; two with driving without an operator’s license; one registration violation; one vehicle equipment violation and one misdemeanor drug possession.

Article reprinted courtesy of The Watauga Democrat

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