SUMMIT COUNTY — A man pulled over for apparently weaving on Interstate 70 early one Sunday morning made it easy for a local deputy to detect his alcohol-fueled impairment.

Shortly after the deputy arrived at the side of his Subaru, the driver was asked to turn off his engine, “as it was idling very fast as though (the driver) had his food on the gas while his car was in park,” according to a report from Summit County Sheriff's Office.

The driver had difficulty turning off the ignition and dropped his keys in his lap when trying to hand them to the deputy.

The deputy asked for the man's driver's license.

“He picked up a DVD case from the passenger seat, opened it and spilled about four to five disks from the box. (The driver) later told me he did not have a valid driver's license,” according to the report.

Asked to provide his registration and proof of insurance, the man “opened his glove box and a large stack of documents fell to the floor of the passenger seat,” according to the report.

The driver said he had no proof of insurance for the vehicle, and the deputy later found the registration in the pile of documents on the floor.

The deputy next asked the man to step out of his car, but “he had trouble locating the interior door handle until I illuminated the interior of the door with a flashlight (for about 10-15 seconds),” according to the report.

The man got out of the car and stepped into a traffic lane before the deputy stopped him. The deputy led the stumbling man to the back of his vehicle.

“He had to sit on the bumper of his car due to imbalance. (The man) denied having anything to drink,” according to the report.

Asked to perform voluntary roadside maneuvers, the man replied that he did not speak English, even though he had spoken broken English with the deputy prior to that point.

After being read the directions in Spanish, the man replied, “Can no do,” according to the report.

The man was arrested and later provided a breath sample that read 0.16 breath-alcohol content. He was booked at Summit County Jail on drunken driving, driving without a valid driver's license, weaving from the traffic lane, no insurance in possession and failure to use a seatbelt, according to the report.

A few burps over the limit

Another Subaru driver was pulled over early one Friday morning and asked how much he had to drink.

“A few beers, but I am the designated driver,” the man replied, according to the SCSO report.

After performing roadside maneuvers unsatisfactorily, the man was taken to Summit County Jail, where he was asked for a breath sample. A 20 minute observation period is required before a breath sample may be taken.

The deputy “had to restart the observation due to (the man) burping,” according to the report.

The deputy tried to take another breath sample, but again had to restart the process because of burping. Eventually the man was ready for the breath test, but the machine stated: “Weekly calibration fail, disable,” according to the report.

The man was taken from the jail in Breckenridge to the Silverthorne Police Department, where he was observed and gave a successful breath sample of 0.083 breath-alcohol content.

Colorado's legal limit for drunken driving is 0.08.

The man was booked back at the jail on failure to use a turn signal, no proof of insurance and drunken driving, according to the report.

SDN reporter Robert Allen can be contacted at (970) 668-4628 or rallen@summitdaily.com.