A man in Tennessee has been charged with driving under the influence after he was reportedly involved in an accident with a parked car. The accident took place at about 9:30 a.m. on a recent Sunday. This is the man’s third time being arrested on a drunk driving charge in the past two years.

Police said a passerby contacted police saying that a man had gone to sleep while driving and ended up colliding with a parked vehicle. The accident happened on a highway outside of a gym. According to police, the 30-year-old man who was behind the wheel did not pass a field sobriety test because he took too many steps and did not turn properly. He also is said to have struggled with following police instructions during his one-leg test.

Additionally, police said the man had tremors, and a beer bottle was inside his vehicle. Authorities also reported that the man was driving with a revoked license. His car did have an ignition interlock device, which prevents a vehicle from starting if a driver is drunk. However, police said the man had figured out how to avoid using the device. The man was arrested not only for driving under the influence but also driving with a license that had been revoked, violating an ignition interlock device and vandalism.

When individuals in Tennessee are accused of drunk driving, they have the right to go to trial to aggressively fight the charges. Alternatively, they might decide to pursue plea deals with the prosecution, if available. The terms of a plea agreement that prosecutors offer usually depend on the strength of the prosecutors’ evidence. When the evidence is strong, a plea deal might offer the advantage of leading to a more lenient sentence than what would result from a guilty finding at trial.

Source: timesfreepress.com, “Ooltewah man charged with 3rd DUI after crashing into parked car“, Shelly Bradbury, Sept. 20, 2016