Wed, Mar 05, 2014
Officials Say His Blood Alcohol Level Was .132
A very intoxicated man is probably lucky to be alive after taking a Cessna Caravan for a joyride with a blood alcohol level measured at .132 after he landed.
The person arrested was Paul Weddle, and police say they watched him take off twice a Boulder City Municipal Airport (KBVU) in Nevada, make two 360 degree turns, nearly hit another aircraft, and finally land before being arrested, according to a report in the Las Vegas Sun.
The official police report indicated that officials responded to a report of an airplane stolen from Scenic Airlines about 11:25 pm local time. The director of the airline said Weddle had taken off and landed three times.
When they arrived, officers watched Weddle struggle to control the airplane, and demanded that he stop and show his hands when he landed. Weddle did not show his hands, so the officers put him on the ground and arrested him, according to the report.
The report says that his preliminary breath test put his blood alcohol level at .132. He reportedly submitted to a blood test at the hospital.
Weddle, who said he made the flight to "complete the takeoff and landing portion of his pilot's license," was charged with unlawful taking of an airplane, obstructing a police officer, and driving an aircraft under the influence.
He likely won't be completing that pilot's license any time soon.
(Cessna Caravan pictured in file photo. Not incident airplane)
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