GAITHERSBURG, MD — The Montgomery County Police Holiday Alcohol Task Force has arrested 73 impaired drivers since launching its seasonal enforcement campaign on November 20, 2024, officials announced Friday.
The task force, dedicated to reducing impaired driving during the holiday season, reported three significant incidents over the weekend of November 30 and December 1, resulting in three arrests for driving under the influence.
Early Saturday, at approximately 12:09 a.m., officers stopped a 34-year-old woman near South Summit Avenue and East Diamond Avenue in Gaithersburg. After failing field sobriety tests, she was arrested, and a search of her bag revealed a loaded Smith and Wesson Equalizer M&P handgun. Despite her valid Maryland concealed carry permit, the firearm was seized due to her impaired driving, and she faces both DUI and firearm-related charges.
Minutes later, at 12:32 a.m. on Sunday, officers approached a vehicle stopped at a flashing yellow light on Cherry Hill Road at Prosperity Drive in Calverton. The car drifted backward into a police cruiser, leading to the arrest of a 48-year-old man determined to be under the influence of alcohol. He faces DUI and traffic charges.
Later Sunday evening, at approximately 8:28 p.m., officers responded to a crash at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and Randolph Road in Wheaton. A 17-year-old male driver, who ran a red light and collided with another vehicle, was found to be under the influence of alcohol. Passengers in the struck vehicle sustained minor injuries. The teen was charged with DUI and released to his parents.