Cops bust man for DUI after he drives to police station
UPPER DARBY » Seemingly guided by the adage that it’s better safe than sorry, an allegedly intoxicated Havertown man purposely drove into the police parking lot and parked his vehicle there early Wednesday.
“Normally, they are driving away. The last thing they want is the cops,” Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said as he announced the arrest of Sean McCullough, 44, of Clamar Avenue, on charges of DUI and careless driving.
According to Chitwood, Officer Jonathan Resinski was working security and watching the monitor when he saw a vehicle enter the gated area of the parking lot about 3:45 a.m. Wednesday.
“He jumped over the curb and drove onto the grassy plot to avoid the gate,” Chitwood said of the driver, whose actions were captured on video.
For the officer watching the monitor, Chitwood said, “He had no idea what was going on, what to expect.”
Resinski and another officer went outside and found a black 2008 Ford station wagon parked with the police vehicles. When they confronted the driver, identified as McCullough, they could smell alcohol and immediately knew he was intoxicated, according to Chitwood.
“The first thing they asked the guy, ‘Do you know you are at the police station? He says, ‘I was looking for a safe place,’” Chitwood said.
Officers then tried to give McCullough a standard sobriety test.
“He couldn’t do it. He was too drunk. He couldn’t stand up,” Chitwood said, noting that McCullough was taken to Delaware County Memorial Hospital to have his blood drawn.
Chitwood said McCullough told the officers, “I’m hammered,” at least three or four times. McCullough reportedly said he had consumed 12 to 14 beers at establishments in Philadelphia and Trenton prior to arriving in Upper Darby.
According to Chitwood, McCullough has two prior DUI arrests – one in Brookhaven in 1994 and the other in Springfield in 1996. The current DUI charge is listed as a first offense because of the time lapsed since the prior offenses.
According to online court records, McCullough is free on $10,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is listed for Aug. 28 before Magisterial District Judge Harry J. Karapalides.