If you pass out in a McDonald's drive-thru at 1:30 a.m. on a Thursday, things probably aren't going to end well.
William Howard Jr., 35, recently found that out, after pulling into the drive-thru of a McD's at 43rd Avenue and Thunderbird Road in Glendale, then passing out for a while.
According to court documents obtained by New Times, a police officer responding to the call didn't see anyone passed out in the drive-thru, but the woman who reported him said the driver woke up and drove away.
Although the officer spotted Howard already driving through the intersection of 43rd Avenue and Thunderbird, he was able to catch up to Howard's Nissan, as he was driving "at a very slow speed," court documents state.
The officer notes in a probable-cause statement that Howard was swerving into the lanes both to his left and right, one time even crossing over left into the center lane, and into oncoming traffic.
Howard was pulled over after a short distance, and he pulled into a parking spot at a nearby apartment complex, although the officer notes that he pulled in "really crooked," and really parked in two spots.
"I contacted William and asked him if he was all right, and he looked up at me with a dazed, droopy face and advised he was fine in a slow, slurred speech," the officer's probable-cause statement says. "I advised William it did not appear that he was all right."
Howard "staggered" out of the car "in a slow and methodical manner," and did not do so well on the tests for impairment, according to the documents.
Howard claimed he'd only taken his prescription Percocet that night.
On a breathalyzer test, his blood-alcohol level was about .01, well short of the legal limit of .08.
However, after that test, Howard admitted to having a beer, as well as and taking some oxycodone and smoking a bit of marijuana, according to the documents -- which perhaps helps explain why he was passed out at McDonald's.
Howard was arrested at that point, and his blood was drawn.
Court records show this certainly wasn't Howard's first run-in with law enforcement. He was convicted earlier this year of shoplifting, and has arrests for marijuana-related incidents, as well as a dangerous-drug violation -- which does not include marijuana.
In this case, Howard was booked into jail on a charge of aggravated DUI, since his license was already suspended for DUI.
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