BEDFORD – A Bedford man was arrested for driving drunk after a Bedford Police officer spotted a false or fictitious license plate on a vehicle.
Jonah Kirkman, 31, Bedford, is facing charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a blood alcohol content of 0.15 or greater with a prior conviction and OWI.
Bedford Police Department Officer J. Landon Jones was on patrol on Wednesday, May 15 at 7:38 p.m. when he observed a white Ford F-150 with a license plate registered to a blue 2005 Ford Explorer.
He initiated a traffic stop at 16th and B Streets.
Kirkman told police he had recently purchased the vehicle from a friend, and the license plate was on it when he purchased it.
Kirkman provided the police with the expired vehicle registration and the title for the truck.
While speaking with Kirkman, Officer Jones detected Kirkman had been drinking. Kirkman admitted he had drunk a shot of Vodka 20 minutes prior to the traffic stop.
Kirkman failed several field sobriety tests. A preliminary breath test showed Kirkman had a blood-alcohol level of 0.145%. He was detained and transported to the Bedford Police Department to submit to a certified test. There Kirkman had a blood-alcohol level of 0.152%. He was then transported to jail
Police found an open bottle of Dark Eye Vodka on the floorboard.
Stone City Service and Collision Center towed the vehicle.
This is not Kirkman’s first OWI arrest. He was arrested on November 17, 2022, in Greene County.
