Enjoying and Sharing Life in Rural Tennessee
Woodbury Police Setup Sobriety Road Blocks
Millie Webb was burned over 70 percent of her body and her 4-year-old daughter was killed, all at the hands of a drunken driver 37 years ago.
Her 19-month-old nephew also died that day when the driver slammed into the rear of the family's car.
"I want other families to be spared our pain," said Webb, former national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
To deter drunken driving, Woodbury police plan to beef up their presence for the Labor Day holiday weekend.
Cannon County Constable Jim Gibbs attended the roadblock that was set up around 8 pm Friday as you enter Woodbury from John Bragg Hwy. Gibbs videoed the event to further educate the community by posting the video on various web site throughout the County.
There will be extra duty and reserve officers working, said Woodbury Chief of Police Toney Burnett. His tone rang the same message of Webb, “I want to keep the streets safe for you and me”, he said.
"They will be looking for impaired drivers, and we'll be moving our sobriety checks around the community," Burnett said during an interview at a sobriety check point at the entry to Woodbury Friday night.
Kendell Poole, director of the Governor's Highway Safety Office, called the Labor Day crackdown important and symbolic of an effort to save lives.
"As the governor says, we want people to have a great time, we just don't want it to be the last time," Poole said.
Poole said Tennessee has seen a 6 percent reduction in alcohol-related fatalities since last year.
Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas said the drunken-driving unit had tripled its total arrests from last year and promised a strong crackdown this weekend.
"If you drink and drive, we will find you,'' Serpas said. "We will hunt you out and remove you from the streets. Because we know that a drunk driver that has been taken off the road cannot kill anyone."
MADD Tennessee Executive Director Laura Dial said drunken drivers in Tennessee killed 439 people in 2006. Dial also said more than 54,000 Tennessee drivers have three or more DUI arrests on their record.
"The holidays are often a very dangerous time on the roadways," she said.
The Woodbury Police cited several people for a variety of vehicle and minor traffic violations during the roadblock Friday night. One MTSU student returning home to Woodbury for the holidays was cited for possession of a controlled substance.
In the meanwhile, A Chattanooga man was charged with DUI following a wreck where he lost control of his vehicle and hit two telephone poles in Chattanooga completely knocking them down as a result of the wreck. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor cuts and abrasions sustained in the accident before being transported to the Hamilton County Jail.
He was charged with DUI and evading arrest.
Her 19-month-old nephew also died that day when the driver slammed into the rear of the family's car.
"I want other families to be spared our pain," said Webb, former national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
To deter drunken driving, Woodbury police plan to beef up their presence for the Labor Day holiday weekend.
Cannon County Constable Jim Gibbs attended the roadblock that was set up around 8 pm Friday as you enter Woodbury from John Bragg Hwy. Gibbs videoed the event to further educate the community by posting the video on various web site throughout the County.
There will be extra duty and reserve officers working, said Woodbury Chief of Police Toney Burnett. His tone rang the same message of Webb, “I want to keep the streets safe for you and me”, he said.
"They will be looking for impaired drivers, and we'll be moving our sobriety checks around the community," Burnett said during an interview at a sobriety check point at the entry to Woodbury Friday night.
Kendell Poole, director of the Governor's Highway Safety Office, called the Labor Day crackdown important and symbolic of an effort to save lives.
"As the governor says, we want people to have a great time, we just don't want it to be the last time," Poole said.
Poole said Tennessee has seen a 6 percent reduction in alcohol-related fatalities since last year.
Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas said the drunken-driving unit had tripled its total arrests from last year and promised a strong crackdown this weekend.
"If you drink and drive, we will find you,'' Serpas said. "We will hunt you out and remove you from the streets. Because we know that a drunk driver that has been taken off the road cannot kill anyone."
MADD Tennessee Executive Director Laura Dial said drunken drivers in Tennessee killed 439 people in 2006. Dial also said more than 54,000 Tennessee drivers have three or more DUI arrests on their record.
"The holidays are often a very dangerous time on the roadways," she said.
The Woodbury Police cited several people for a variety of vehicle and minor traffic violations during the roadblock Friday night. One MTSU student returning home to Woodbury for the holidays was cited for possession of a controlled substance.
In the meanwhile, A Chattanooga man was charged with DUI following a wreck where he lost control of his vehicle and hit two telephone poles in Chattanooga completely knocking them down as a result of the wreck. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor cuts and abrasions sustained in the accident before being transported to the Hamilton County Jail.
He was charged with DUI and evading arrest.
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