Search for mangled and erratically driven vehicle leads to DUI charge

A motorist arrested after allegedly driving erratically along U.S. Highway 2 while dragging behind vehicle parts earlier this month faces his fifth driving under the influence conviction.

Dale Leeroy Ginger, 49, pleaded not guilty to felony driving under the influence, fifth or subsequent offense, and misdemeanor driving while revoked, second or subsequent offense, during his Sept. 20 arraignment in Lincoln County District Court.

Montana Highway Patrol troopers arrested Ginger on Sept. 8 after local dispatchers put out an advisory on a damaged gold vehicle headed eastbound on U.S. Highway 2. According to court documents, authorities suspected the motorist was impaired.

Trooper Bryce Ford, then stopped at the intersection of the highway and Louisiana Avenue, spotted the Buick Regal across the way, court documents said. Ford saw that the other vehicle had suffered front-end damage and its bumper was hanging off, according to an affidavit summarizing the trooper’s report.

After turning behind the Buick, Ford waited for it to cross the fog line of the highway several times before initiating a traffic stop. Ginger, sitting in the driver’s seat, suffered from bloodshot eyes and extremely slurred speech, “to the point it was almost unintelligible,” court documents said. Ford also reported smelling the odor of alcohol wafting out of the Buick.

During the subsequent field sobriety test, Ford reported that Ginger struggled to follow instructions and had trouble standing. Pressed on how much he had to drink, Ginger allegedly replied, “a lot.”

Ford reported that he could not finish the field sobriety test as “the defendant could barely stand on two feet,” court documents said. Instead, he took Ginger to the Lincoln County Detention Center. A breath analysis returned a breath alcohol concentration of .235, according to the affidavit.

Investigators later concluded that Ginger had struck a fire hydrant after going off the road while trying to turn onto Spring Street, court documents said. They also determined that Ginger’s license was revoked at the time of his arrest. His four prior driving under the influence convictions occurred in Montana and Washington state.

Ginger is due back in court Dec. 6 for an omnibus hearing with a pretrial conference scheduled for Jan. 10. Were the case to go to trial, it likely would begin Feb. 15.

Driving under the influence of alcohol, fifth or subsequent offense, carries a punishment of between 13 months and five years with the state Department of Corrections, and a fine of between $5,000 and $10,000. Misdemeanor driving while revoked, second of subsequent offense, is punishable by between two days and six months in the county jail and a $500 fine. A conviction extends the aforementioned revocation by another year.