Leesville Police release checkpoint numbers

Published 5:43 pm Friday, September 9, 2022

The Leesville Police Department, in a joint campaign with the DeRidder Police Department, conducted a DWI checkpoint last month as part of the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over national campaign targeting impaired drivers ahead of the Labor Day holiday weekend. 
According to Leesville Police Chief Beth Westlake, the checkpoint conducted on Sept. 2 saw 319 vehicles pass through. 
Officers performed 12 traffic stops and conducted six field sobriety tests. Of those, 15 traffic citations were issued with a total of 19 violations that included three speeding violations, one careless operation, two other moving violations, one child restraint violation, ten non-moving violations. 
Westlake said two drivers were cited for driving under suspension violations and officers made one arrest for Operating While Intoxicated. 
The checkpoint also resulted in three felony drug arrests, three misdemeanor criminal summons for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and one warrant arrest for contempt of court. 
Leesville PD officers also conducted “saturation patrols” throughout the Drive Sober campaign that yielded 32 traffic stops and 20 traffic citations for speeding violations and one non-moving violation.