LAKE ORION, Mich. – A 42-year-old Lake Orion man is expected to face an operating while intoxicated charge after someone spotted him slumped over the wheel of a boat Thursday afternoon on Lake Orion.
A 911 caller said the boater appeared to be in distress and unconscious as the watercraft went around in circles on the lake.
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A marine officer found the man behind the wheel of a 2005 Crownline -- a 20-foot fiberglass boat. He was conscious but appeared to be highly intoxicated, police said.
A breath test showed he had a blood alcohol level of .24, which is three time the legal boater intoxication limit of .08. That law went into effect on March 1, 2015. He was arrested and taken to the Oakland County Jail.
Police say the man has an extensive criminal record including four previous convictions for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
"Even though this individual had four previous convictions for operating while intoxicated under the Michigan motor vehicle code, he can only charged with a 1st offence under the watercraft operating while intoxicated statute," said Lake Orion police Chief Jerry Narsh.