Franklin County DUI checkpoint nets one DUI arrest, but leads to fentanyl and more arrests

A four-and-a-half-hour impaired driver checkpoint overnight in Prairie Township by the Franklin County DUI Task Force resulted in only one DUI arrest, although officers did arrest one person for fentanyl possession, one for a felony warrant, and removed 20 people for driver's license violations.

A total of of 830 vehicles entered the checkpoint, which was conducted along Norton Road, south of West Broad Street, between 8 p.m. Friday and 12:30 a.m. Saturday, according to the task force, which is run through the Franklin County Sheriff's Office but includes all 26 law enforcement agencies in the county and six support groups, such as the county Municipal Court and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

Task force officers checked 249 vehicles and diverted 52 for closer examination. That resulted in one person each arrested for operating a motor vehicle while impaired, possession of the deadly drug fentanyl, and an outstanding felony arrest warrant. Six others wanted on misdemeanor warrants also were arrested, according to Franklin County Sheriff's Sgt. David Pennington, coordinator of the task force.

In addition, the task force issued 42 citations out of the 52 people stopped for closer examination. Twenty people behind the wheel were removed for driver's license violations, and 18 vehicles were impounded. Five people were given traffic warnings and released, Pennington reported.

The Franklin County DUI Task Force was originally established in 1993 to reduce the risks posed by drunk driving. Although only one impaired driver was arrested at the Prairie Township checkpoint this weekend, Franklin County Sheriff's spokesperson Maureen Kocot said the checkpoints are a deterrent that may lead some people to stay off the roads rather than driving impaired and can also lead to other types of arrests like this one did.

The task force announces its intention to operate a checkpoint early in the week, but by law does not have to give the location until the morning of the event.

pgill@gannett.com

@pitaarji