You would think that getting arrested for a DUI and being booked in jail would be a sobering experience. But for one man in New Hampshire, getting released was just another opportunity to get himself into more trouble. After slamming into a parked police vehicle, the man was released without having to post a bail bond. But that only led him to get into yet another DUI a few hours later.
Drunk 25-year-old hits parked police vehicle
On October 13 at around 10:15 p.m., 25-year-old Michael Stiles was arrested after he struck a police patrol cruiser that was parked and occupied by an officer near the intersection of Vine and Islington Streets, according to a report by the Portsmouth NH Police Department on its official Facebook page.
An image of the impacted patrol cruiser shows it having sustained a heavy amount of front-end damage. The vehicle had to be towed from the scene, but at the very least the officer was not injured in the collision.
Stiles was arrested and charged for three misdemeanors — reckless driving, reckless conduct, and driving while intoxicated. But he was let go soon afterward and released on personal recognizance bail.
However, he would run into the cops only three hours later. At around 1:34 a.m., officers responded to a separate incident involving Stiles at a National Wrecker towing company on West Road in Portsmouth. Officers investigated the incident and found probable cause that Stiles had operated another vehicle to reach the location. So he was arrested yet again, this time for breach of bail and driving while intoxicated.
Law enforcement decided not to make the same mistake twice and decided to hold Stiles without bail until his scheduled arraignment at 11:30 a.m.
One commenter on Facebook was confused as to why Stiles was released after his first DUI that evening: “So you let an intoxicated person back on the streets. Only 3 hrs later already new was a danger to public and himself but released him on PR??? Then arrest him on same charges.”
In response, the police department replied that it does not determine bail amounts: “The Police Department does not establish bail for individuals charged with crimes. Bail determinations are made by an independent, court-appointed bail commissioner, not the arresting agency. I hope this helps clarify the process and addresses your concerns.”
