Jessie Thornton was arrested in Surprise, Arizona for driving sober. The gentleman was charged with a DUI for apparently looking drunk.
The 67-year-old Surprise resident was following all automotive rules, prior to being pulled over by officers. Yet, they were insistent he was drunk.
Officers forced Mr. Thornton to undergo a roadside DUI test, which he passed with flying colors. The breathalyzer revealed a blood alcohol level of 0.000.
Mr. Thornton describes the event in his own words:
"'An officer walked up and he said 'I can tell you're driving DUI by looking in your eyes.' I take my glasses off and he says, 'You've got bloodshot eyes.' I do the breathalyzer and it comes back zero, zero, zero."
Even after he passed the breathalyzer, the officers insisted on arresting Mr. Thornton. Jessie was in a state of disbelief, knowing that he had never taken a sip of alcohol.
Below is his interview with ABC.
When he was booked at the station, they transferred him over to the onsite Drug Recognition Expert. The DRE confirmed what the breathalyzer results had already established.
"After [the DRE] did all the tests, he says, 'I would never have arrested you, you show no signs of impairment,'" Mr. Thornton commented.
Mr. Thornton was released, but not after finding out that his car had been impounded. The final nail in the coffin came when authorities informed Jessie that his license had been suspended.
A furious Jessie Thornton immediately went to his attorney's office. He is being represented by Marc Victor, who plans on taking the City of Surprise to court.
They are asking that $50,000 be awarded to Mr. Thornton. The charges have since been dropped due to lack of evidence.
Thornton's colorful attorney closed with this classic line:
"This is a case of D-W-B, driving while black! This is not the way American citizens ought to be treated by officers or treated by anybody for that matter."
Surprise, indeed.
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