Booze It and Lose It nets plenty of charges in Rowan and Cabarrus

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, December 1, 2009

RALEIGH ó Gov. Bev Perdue announced Thursday that state and local law enforcement officers cited 3,514 motorists for driving while impaired during the Labor Day “Booze It & Lose It” campaign, which ran Aug. 21-Sept 7. A total of 105,370 traffic and criminal citations were issued statewide.
Rowan County had 24 checkpoints; one under 21 DWI charge and 15 other DWI charges; 39 seatbelt violations; 12 child seat violations; eight drug violations; two fugitives arrested; two felony arrests; four other criminal violations; 242 speeding violations; 65 charges of driving while license revoked; 237 other traffic violations; seven uninsured motorists; six charges of reckless driving; and 642 total traffic and criminal violations.
Cabarrus County had 14 checkpoints; six under 21 DWI charges; 42 other DWI charges; 90 seatbelt violations; 12 child safety seat violations; 32 drug violations; one stolen vehicle; 30 fugitives arrested; 17 felony arrests; 82 other criminal violations; 275 speeding tickets; 88 charges of driving while license revoked; 574 other traffic violations; 20 uninsured motorists; six reckless driving charges; and a total of 1,276 traffic and criminal violations.
“Law enforcement officers statewide are the key reason this initiative has been so successful over the past 15 years and I commend their continued dedication,” Perdue said. “Their efforts during this campaign allowed for more families to enjoy the end of summer.”
During the Governor’s Highway Safety Program campaign, officers statewide conducted more than 10,500 sobriety checkpoints and dedicated patrols. Counties with the highest number of DWI citations include: Wake (254), Mecklenburg (229) and Guilford (149).
Officers also issued 10,416 safety belt and 1,533 child passenger safety violations, 30,830 speeding violations and 1,819 drug charges. In addition, they apprehended 829 fugitives from justice and recovered 120 stolen vehicles.
For more county-by-county citation totals, visit the GHSP Web site at: ww.ncdot.org/programs/ghsp.