OCONEE COUNTY — Thursday’s countywide booking report indicates the highly visible and widely publicized crackdown on drunk driving during the New Year holiday was successful.
Check points and law enforcement saturation of specific high-risk areas by Seneca, Walhalla and Westminster police departments, along with South Carolina Highway Patrol checkpoints and patrols led to only four DUI (driving under the influence) arrests on New Year’s Eve across the county.
Austin Knecht of West Union was arrested for first offense DUI, as was Karen Bryant of Westminster, who also faces hit and run and property damage charges. Travis Romero of Seneca also received a DUI charge, and Brent Dawud was charged for his second offense.
Those arrested for DUI will face more rigid penalties after the implementation of a new set of drunk driving laws passed last year. Those pulled over are categorized into tiers; a blood-alcohol content of .08 percent, but less than .10 percent; a concentration that is at least .10 percent, but less than .16 percent; and a level of .16 percent or more. All the categories have ascending degrees of punishment up to a fourth and subsequent offense.
Under South Carolina law, all drivers with a blood-alcohol content (BAC) of .08 are legally intoxicated, as well as those under the age of 21 with a BAC of .02 and commercial drivers with a BAC of .04.
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