The Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Department has reported an increase in the number of drinking and drug-related driving arrests this year.
During the first six months of 2022, county police made 18 drunk driving arrests. In the same period this year they’ve made 25. The number of drug-related driving arrests also tripled during the same time frame, going from three last year, to nine this year.
Tim Cook, the Cheboygan County Sheriff said while the numbers may not seem large, they have a big impact on Cheboygan’s smaller population.
“It may seem like not a lot to people in a bigger area, but you put that into perspective, and we are arresting a drugged or drunk driver every week and the same goes with traffic crashes that involve drug or drunk driving,” Cook said. “For a rural county with 26,000 residents and more is the summertime for tourists, it’s just too many.”
To help combat the rising issue, Cook said the department has applied for a $12,000 highway grant. If awarded, the department will be able to increase overtime patrols in the region.
“We wanna make sure that we do our due diligence and protect our roadways out there. We apply for these grants so we can get patrols out there and make sure these roads stay safe,” he said.
Cook urges people to be responsible when driving and to be respectful to other motorists on the road.
