BGPD makes 3 drunk driving arrests in less than 2 hours

An police officer stops a car in downtown Bowling Green in 2021.

Bowling Green Police Division had three calls in a row Friday morning for drivers operating vehicles under the influence. 

Around 1 a.m., police made a traffic stop in the 400 block of Grant Street after the driver reportedly made an improper left turn. The officer reported a strong odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle, and the driver having extremely watery and bloodshot eyes, and slurred speech.

When asked for his car insurance, the driver reportedly gave police his health insurance card.

During sobriety tests, the driver, Peyton Williamson, 23, of Bowling Green, reportedly could not keep his balance as he was being given instructions. He reportedly refused to complete the testing, and refused a breath test.

Williamson was cited for driving under the influence of alcohol, and failure to obey traffic control devices. His license was confiscated.

Then at 2:02 a.m., a police officer observed a vehicle make a U-turn in the 100 block of  North Main Street. The driver, Andrew Tillman, 22, of Holland, told the officer he was the designated driver for the night and that he had not had any alcohol. 

When asked for his vehicle insurance, Tillman reportedly pulled out a folder full of papers, then told the officer his insurance was on his phone. That, however, was a photo of his health insurance card.

Because it was so cold, Tillman was taken to the police station for the field sobriety tests. After reportedly failing those tests, Tillman did a breath test, which showed his blood alcohol content at 0.194.

Tillman was charged with OVI and failure to follow traffic control devices. His license was confiscated.

A bit later at 2:43 a.m., police made a traffic stop in the area of East Napoleon Road and Campbell Hill Road, after the vehicle was reportedly seen crossing the marked lanes three times.

The driver, Deven Girdham, 21, Bowling Green, reportedly stated he had not consumed any alcohol. However, police recorded that he smelled of alcohol, had trouble understanding instructions, had bloodshot watery eyes, and showed several indicators of impairment.

During field sobriety tests, Girdham almost fell multiple times, according to the police report. He reportedly refused to take a breath test.

Girdham was cited for OVI, not driving in marked lanes, and expired registration. His license was confiscated.