2 Drivers Get 8th OWI Tickets in Back-to-Back Stops

LAKE ORION, MI — A suburban Metro Detroit police department arrested two seven-time drunken drivers in back-to-back incidents Friday and Saturday, one of them involving a man on a motorized bicycle who was nearly broadsided by an oncoming vehicle, authorities said.

Lake Orion Police Chief Jerry Narsh said each of the men — Douglas Bowman, 54, and Gary Osborn, 57, both of Orion Township — has been convicted of drunken driving seven times.

In the first incident, which occurred about 11:30 p.m. Friday in the area of South Broadway/M-24 near Heights Road, authorities responded to reports of a white pickup that witnesses described as ‘all over the road.”

According to a news release, the responding officer saw Bowman pull out of a McDonald’s parking lot and onto northbound S. Broadway, where he was allegedly driving erratically and struck a curb near Atwater Street.

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The officer stopped the vehicle and immediately suspected Bowman, who didn’t have a valid driver’s license, was drunk, Narsh wrote in the news release. Bowman failed sobriety tests and “the officer saw that (Bowman) had urinated in his pants,” according to the release.

Besides the seven previous drunken driving convictions, he had 31 open driver’s license suspensions at the time of his arrest, and “numerous previous convictions for driving on a suspended license,” according to the release.

Bowman was arraigned Monday in 52-3 District Court on charges of third offense drunken driving, a five-year felony also punishable by a fine of up to $5,000; and operating with a suspended or revoked license, a one-year misdemeanor also punishable by a $1,000 fine.

Magistrate Marie Soma set his bond at $25,000 and required that he wear an alcohol tether if he is able to make bond. His next court appearance, also in 52-3 District Court, is a probable cause hearing before District Judge Julie A. Nicholson at 10 a.m. on Sept. 27.

In the second incident, which occurred about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, an officer on patrol observed Osborn allegedly pull from a convenience store parking lot on S. Broadway/M-24 into the path of a southbound vehicle. He was riding a motorized bicycle without headlights or illumination, Narsh said.

The officer began pursuing Osborn, who allegedly left the roadway and began riding on sidewalks about 30 mph “passing driveways of several businesses again narrowly avoiding being hit by vehicles entering and exiting the parking lots,” Narsh wrote.

Osborn, who reportedly admitted that he doesn’t have a valid driver’s license due to his past drunken driving convictions, failed field sobriety tests and was taken to the Lake Orion Police Department where testing indicated his blood alcohol content was 0.18, Narsh said.

Osborn’s seven previous drunken driving convictions include four convictions for felony third-offense drunken driving. Additionally, he had 12 open driver license suspensions at the time of his arrest and has not possessed a valid driver’s license since 1980, police said.

The arresting officer also noted that the Huffy bicycle Osborn was riding had been modified with an engine and fuel tank.

Osborn was also arraigned Monday in 52-3 District Court on third offense drunken driving a five year felony also punishable by up to $5,000 bond, and operating with a suspended or revoked license, second offense, a one-year misdemeanor also punishable by a fine of $1,000.

Soma set Osborn’s bond at $25,000 cash, and required an alcohol tether if he able to makke bond. His probable cause conference is set for 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 29 before 53-2 District Court Judge Lisa L. Asadoorian.

Featured image: Douglas Bowman, left, and Gary Osborn, both via Lake Orion Police Department