A man from Japan, who faced a wrongful drunken driving accusation in Michigan, has secured a hefty $320,000 settlement from the village of Fowlerville. This agreement is in response to a 2020 incident where Ryohei Akima was erroneously charged based on a gross misinterpretation of a breathalyzer test by a police officer, court records confirmed.
Akima, 37, who was in the U.S. on a work visa during the time of the incident, had actually recorded a blood-alcohol level of 0.02, but Fowlerville Police Officer Caitlyn Peca misread the result as 0.22 – nearly three times over Michigan’s legal limit. In a statement obtained by CBS News Detroit, Peca admitted over the radio to a colleague, "I have no idea what I'm doing."
Facing charges for driving while intoxicated, which were later dropped following a blood test that confirmed his sobriety, Akima proceeded to file a lawsuit in federal court. He alleged that Peca's blunder of misreading the breath test violated the U.S. Constitution. The legal dispute gained traction when a federal appeals court ruled that the case could proceed, eventually leading to January's settlement. According to Livingston Daily, Peca is no longer employed by village.
While Fowlerville will be coughing up through insurance for the financial settlement, this case has shed light on the potential perils of inexperience within law enforcement. Judge Jane Stranch, in a 3-0 opinion, had pointed out, "It would be evident to a reasonable officer that (Akima) was, quite apparently, sober," underscoring the critical error made by Officer Peca. Akima's attorney did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment, as reported by WLNS.
The attorney representing Peca, T. Joseph Seward, pointed to the roadside sobriety test performance as sufficient grounds for an arrest, which would have ostensibly shielded the officer from civil liability. Seward expressed disappointment in the court's findings by saying, "We're disappointed the courts didn't see it that way," in an interview with CBS News Detroit. His client's mistake, however, turned out to be a costly one for the city of Fowlerville.
