A western Pennsylvania man with nine prior DUI convictions is facing his 10th drunk driving charge after police say he parked his SUV outside the police department and appeared heavily intoxicated.
Investigators say an officer found 55-year-old Brian Ballantine sitting in his vehicle in the municipal building parking lot Tuesday evening. Police reported finding open beer cans inside the SUV and said Ballantine showed signs of intoxication, including slurred speech, confusion and difficulty standing. Surveillance video allegedly showed Ballantine arriving alone, nearly hitting another vehicle, then stumbling from the SUV and urinating in the parking lot before drinking from a beer can. Police say he refused field sobriety and blood tests.
Because three of his previous DUI convictions occurred within the past decade, the latest DUI charge is being filed as a felony. Ballantine also faces charges of driving with a suspended license and open lewdness. He was arraigned and is being held in jail on $1,000 bail pending a court hearing later this week. (Tribune-Review)