***  WATCH ***  POLICE USE TELEPONE TRANSLATOR TO OVERCOME LANGUAGE BARRIER DURING DRUNK DRIVING ARREST

HYANNIS, MASSACHUSETTS –  [HN PHOTO & VIDEO NOTES]  –  [DEVELOPING]  –  Barnstable Police patrol officers needed to use a special telephone translator service in order to investigate a suspected drunk driver last evening. As you will see and hear in the following HN Video, a patrolman attempted to stop a Jeep Liberty traveling in the area of the Airport Rotary for alleged erratic driving and failure to stay within marked lanes.  The driver was apparently not pulling over for the officer’s lights and sirens.  A shift commander ordered the patrolman to terminate the brief pursuit as the Jeep turned onto Bearse Road.  The Jeep finally stopped in the parking lot of the Audi dealership at the corner of Route 28 and Bearse Road… … and that’s when officers made contact.  The unlicensed driver reportedly did not speak or understand English.  At some point the stop turned into a drunk driving investigation and officers needed to use the telephone translator in an effort to attempt field sobriety testing.  The 28-year-old male was arrested for Operating Under the Influence, Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle,  Operating while Unlicensed, and Marked Lanes Violation.  He was transported to Barnstable Police Headquarters for booking.  The bail commissioner reportedly took the man’s passport before releasing him on bail.  The police report was still being written and no further details were available at the time of this report.  HN has reached out to a police information officer to fill in some blanks and learn more…  check back for updates… The following HN Video highlights the investigation and arrest… [HN VIDEO –  PRESS PLAY]   P.S. – Today’s Hytown Vignette is brought to you by the Joe Jackson…  [CLICK IT/CRANK IT!  HEADPHONES ABSOLUTELY OBLIGATORY!]  * The initial details contained in the above report are based on police radio transmissions and information on scene. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.