Moped Driver Salutes Police During 'Finger To Nose' Portion of Sobriety Test

Not that there’s ever anything suave about drunk driving. But if you just failed a sobriety test, and know you’re about to fail a second one, take a cue from Somerville’s Jose Zelaya and do it with style.

Zelaya, 26, of Somerville, was arrested on June 10 at around 4:30 p.m., charged with operating under the influence of alcohol.

According to Somerville Police, they arrived at the intersection of Cross Street and Pearl Street on a report of a minor motor vehicle accident.

In front of 72 Cross St., they observed a black Cadillac Escalade that had supposedly been sideswiped by a white moped while waiting at an intersection.

A smudge of white paint on the car appeared to confirm this account.

At some point earlier, a concerned passenger in the Cadillac had removed Zelaya’s keys from his moped’s ignition, as she suspected he had had one-too-many.

Somerville Police say Zelaya wasn’t making a whole lot of sense when they asked him for his side of the story, so they called his wife, who arrived shortly thereafter.

Noting that a white smudge on his car wasn’t anything to get worked up about, the Cadillac driver said he’d let the matter go if Zelaya promised to compensate him for the touch up.

Zelaya’s wife tried to convey this information to Zelaya. He proceeded to accuse the Cadillac driver of stealing his wallet.

At this point, officers threw up their hands. Zelaya failed his first sobriety test of the evening, and was arrested, according to Somerville Police.

During the “finger to nose” portion of a follow-up sobriety test at the station, police say Zelaya first simulated smoking a cigarette by placing and removing two fingers from his lips. Then, he saluted the officer conducting the test.

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