DENTON, TX — Denton police arrested a 36-year-old man after a crash Thursday evening at Airport Road and South Bonnie Brae Street. Officers responded at about 5:10 p.m. and later booked him on DWI and open container charges.
According to a police report, one of the drivers involved told officers the man appeared intoxicated. Officers said the suspect was falling over, repeating himself and having trouble standing still.
Police also said they smelled alcohol on his breath and saw that he was speaking incoherently and swaying. Neither driver was reported injured in the collision.
Driver said the man seemed intoxicated after the collision
Police wrote that the other driver first alerted them to the suspect’s condition. That driver said the man appeared drunk after the wreck and described him as unstable and repetitive while officers were still gathering details at the scene.
Officers then noted several signs they say matched intoxication. In addition to the smell of alcohol, they described the man as incoherent and unsteady on his feet, which led them to continue investigating him for impairment.
The police report says the crash happened when the suspect’s vehicle struck the other vehicle on the rear driver’s side. That detail helped officers piece together how the collision occurred before the arrest was made.
Officers said his account of the crash did not add up
Police said the man told them he was on his way to pick up the other driver. Officers, however, said he did not know that driver and that his explanation of what happened did not make sense.
That inconsistency became part of the DWI investigation. Officers said he had trouble completing field sobriety tests and showed enough clues to indicate he was intoxicated.
The report does not say whether any additional witnesses were present or whether traffic control at the intersection was affected. It does say officers relied on their observations and the field tests in deciding how to proceed.
Open container found inside the suspect’s vehicle
During the investigation, police said they found an open container in the man’s vehicle with some alcoholic beverage inside. That discovery led to the open container charge in addition to the DWI allegation.
Open container violations can become an important part of intoxication cases because they provide another sign that alcohol may have been involved before or during a drive. In this case, police tied the container to the same traffic stop and crash response.
The report does not specify the type of beverage or how much was left in the container. It also does not say whether officers collected the container as evidence, only that they found it during the encounter.
Hospital blood draw came before jail booking
After the arrest decision, police took the man to a hospital for a blood draw before transporting him to jail. That step is common in DWI investigations when officers want chemical testing in addition to roadside observations.
The report does not list any blood-test result. It also does not say whether the man posted bond or appeared before a judge after being booked.
Police said the crash left neither driver injured, which meant the case focused on alleged impairment and the circumstances of the collision rather than emergency medical treatment for anyone at the scene.
Thursday police activity included 421 calls and nine arrests
The arrest came during a busy day for Denton police. From 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Thursday, the department handled 421 service and officer-initiated calls and made nine arrests.
That roundup gives a snapshot of the department’s overall workload for the day, even as officers also investigated the Airport Road crash. The police report places the arrest within that broader daily activity.
For residents driving through the area, the case is another reminder that a single collision can quickly lead to multiple charges when officers see signs of alcohol impairment. In this case, the investigation moved from a traffic crash to a DWI arrest in a matter of minutes.
