A routine traffic stop in Cedar on Saturday, December 6 led to an arrest and a felony operating-while-intoxicated (OWI) charge, according to the Leelanau County Sheriff’s Office.

On Monday, the Sheriff’s Office reported via its Facebook page that one of its sergeants, while “conducting routine patrol in the Cedar area” on Saturday evening, “observed a vehicle fail to stop at a posted stop sign.” After noticing “additional signs of erratic driving” from the motorist, the sergeant initiated a traffic stop.

“During the initial contact, the Sergeant observed the driver struggling to lower the vehicle’s window while revving the engine,” the post noted. “When the driver finally opened the door, the Sergeant detected a strong odor of intoxicants.”

After administering “standardized field sobriety tests” on the driver – who was identified in the report as a 62-year-old Cedar woman – the sergeant placed the suspect under arrest for an OWI. In Michigan, an OWI is considered a misdemeanor in the case of first and second offenses. But a third offense – which this particular incident was – is a felony under Michigan law, regardless of how much time has elapsed since the first and second offenses. The Leelanau County Prosecutor’s Office has therefore “authorized a felony OWI charge arising from this incident,” per the Sheriff’s Office.

In Michigan, a felony third OWI offense carries a potentially hefty sentence, including a fine of up to $5,000 and a prison sentence of up to five years – though, perpetrators can receive as little as 30 days in county jail and as little as a $500 fine.