A driver caught going 86 mph in a 70 mph zone on I-75 near Sashabaw Road wound up under arrest for drunk driving after Michigan State Police say they found two loaded handguns and an open bottle of vodka inside the vehicle. The stop happened on Thursday, and troopers say the driver showed signs of impairment and had made drastic lane changes before being pulled over.
According to MLive, the driver was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and now faces a lengthy list of charges: a third offense of operating while intoxicated, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a firearm while intoxicated, and open intoxicants. Michigan State Police say the driver had no concealed pistol license for either handgun found in the vehicle. The driver also had three prior operating while intoxicated convictions on record, according to the outlet's report.
Michigan State Police say the case will be submitted to prosecutors for review before formal charges are filed. Because the driver had three prior OWI convictions, the current charge is automatically elevated to a felony under Michigan's Heidi's Law, which eliminated the state's old 10-year lookback limit on prior drunk-driving offenses, according to the Barone Defense Firm. That means the driver faces one to five years in state prison or 30 days to a year in jail with probation, along with mandatory license revocation and vehicle immobilization.
Stacked Weapons and Alcohol Charges
The gun charges carry their own weight. Under Michigan Penal Code § 750.227, carrying a concealed pistol inside a vehicle without a valid Concealed Pistol License is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, a $2,500 fine, and permanent forfeiture of the weapon, per FindLaw. Michigan law treats any handgun found inside a car's passenger compartment as concealed unless the person holding it has a valid CPL.
Separately, possessing a firearm with a blood alcohol concentration at or above 0.08% or while visibly impaired is a misdemeanor under Michigan Compiled Laws § 750.237, carrying up to 93 days in jail and a $100 fine, according to the Davis Law Group. The open vodka bottle adds another misdemeanor count under Michigan Compiled Laws § 257.624a, which bars unsealed liquor containers from the passenger compartment and calls for up to 93 days in jail, a $500 fine, and mandatory substance abuse screening, per Shelton Legal Services.
Part of a Targeted Enforcement Push
The arrest happened during what Michigan State Police Second District social media accounts described as a targeted, proactive OWI enforcement detail, according to Scanner of Warren — not a routine patrol. The Second District has run similar high-visibility details on this same stretch of I-75 in recent weeks, including motor unit troopers targeting speed and aggressive driving in northern Oakland County last month, the outlet reported.
This is not the only weapons case to come out of a routine stop along this corridor recently. Hoodline reported that a Flint man was found passed out behind the wheel on I-75 near Clintonville Road, just south of Sashabaw Road, on August 9, facing high-BAC OWI and weapons charges. Back in April, a speeding stop by Second District troopers on I-75 in Groveland Township turned up a loaded 9mm handgun and led to felony weapons charges for an occupant, Hoodline previously reported.
Statewide, the scale of impaired-driving enforcement is significant. Michigan law enforcement agencies recorded 24,570 drunk driving arrests across the state in 2025, according to the Michigan State Police's annual drunk driving audit shared on Facebook. The Sashabaw Road corridor itself has drawn scrutiny before: a stretch of northbound I-75 there was closed in January 2024 after a vehicle collided with a state police cruiser while a trooper was arresting an impaired driver, according to ClickOnDetroit, underscoring the risks troopers face during roadside OWI stops on high-speed freeways.
The driver's identity, the results of chemical BAC testing, and whether prosecutors will add a separate felony firearm count remain open questions as the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office reviews the case.
