Drunk Driving Arrests Spike in Ferndale

FERNDALE, Mich. (WJBK) -- Dash cam video shows the alphabet and numbers were a challenge for a driver stopped on Woodward and Oakridge. 50-year-old William Rhodes of Detroit was arrested for drunk driving. He already has three prior convictions. Police said he was four times over the legal limit.

Another dash cam video shows Kevin Spates also had trouble with numbers. He was stooped at Eight Mile and St. Louis. The 31-year-old Detroit resident has two prior drunk driving conviction. He also allegedly measured four times about the legal limit.

Rhodes and Spates were among eight people arrested in Ferndale for drunk driving since early Saturday morning.

"To have this many drunk driving arrests over such a short period of time, let alone with three of them having people with blood alcohol levels above a 0.30 and two of which are felony arrests, which means they've got at least two prior convictions, that's rather unusual," said Ferndale Police Lieutenant Bill Wilson.

Police have no explanation for the spike in arrests. Rhodes and Spates now face felony charges.

"One has two and one his three prior convictions. They've got suspended driver's licenses. They've been convicted for that before. They just don't seem to care one way or the other about the danger they're posing to themselves or the other ones out there," Wilson told us.

William Rhodes has 16 driver's license suspensions. Kevin Spates currently has 33.

"The suspension does very little good for individuals like this. They just seem to ignore it and go about their business as they desire to. They don't care about the dangers they're creating to society," Wilson explained.

Police also allegedly found open containers in the cars of the two men charged with felonies. Both of their bonds were set at $25,000 cash, and they face up to five years in prison, if convicted.