News

June 25, 2007

Man blames whiskey-flavored tobacco in DUI arrest

Nanticoke man says Red Man Select caused alcohol odor on breath.

By Ed Lewis elewis@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer
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NANTICOKE – A man charged by police on evidence of drunken driving blamed a brand of chewing tobacco for leaving an alcohol odor on his breath.

Police said John Daniel Drury Sr., 42, of Pine Street, was involved in a two-car crash at Bliss and Pine streets in the city’s Hanover section on Feb. 22.

Drury, driving a Dodge Ram pickup, turned onto Bliss Street and struck the front of a Chevrolet Cavalier that was stopped at a stop sign, police said.

According to the criminal complaint filed by officers Brian Kivler and Brian Williams:

Police said Drury was visibly intoxicated and had an alcohol odor on his breath.

“Drury insisted that he did not consume any alcoholic beverages and that the Red Man Select chewing tobacco that he was chewing contained an unspecified amount of Tennessee whiskey,” police said in the criminal complaint.

Police said Drury failed several field sobriety tests at the crash scene. He was given a preliminary breath test that showed a level of 0.130 percent, police said.

Drury was arrested on evidence of drunken driving, and was taken to the Nanticoke Police Department, where another breath test showed a level of 0.144 percent, police said.

An adult driver in Pennsylvania is considered legally intoxicated with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent.

Drury told police he would challenge his DUI arrest and wanted police to determine his chewing tobacco’s alcohol content.

Drury could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

A message to Swedish Match, the Stockholm, Sweden-based manufacturer of Red Man Select, was not returned.

But, an e-mail from the company referred questions about its ingredients in its products to its Web site.

According to the Swedish Match’s Web site, the 14 different types of ingredients in Red Man Select do not contain Tennessee whiskey or any other alcohol-based substance.

Edward Lewis, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7196.

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