Drunk driver flips SUV on Athens street

Jose Miguel Marroquin Lopez

By Joe Johnson

Jose Lopez, 33, of Grove Street was arrested Tsuesday night for driving under the influence of alcohol after his Jeep crashed and overturned.

The incident happened at about 9:30 p.m. on Grove Street Extension when Lopez’s Jeep Grand Cherokee crashed into a parked vehicle and then flipped over.

Responding police officers reported that Lopez had an odor of alcoholic beverage on his breath and his eyes were bloodshot, his speech slurred.

He told police that he hadn’t seen the parked vehicle because it was dark, despite his Jeep having functioning headlights.

Lopez refused to undergo roadside sobriety testing, but his breath was tested by an Intoxilyzer 9000 which indicated that his blood-alcohol concentration was.137 percent.

Lopez was charged with DUI and is being detained at the county jail, where the U.S. Marshals Service has placed a hold on his release in connection with a federal drug charge,