CPD To Hold Sobriety Checkpost This Week

A grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation will pay overtime to Carthage Police officers to help them crack down on drunk driving in the next few days.

The Carthage Police Department received a grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Division for participation in the “Arrive Alive.”campaign to stop people from driving impaired.A sobriety checkpoint will be conducted within the city of Carthage during the first week of April,and will focus on reducing deaths and serious injuries caused by impaired drivers.

The department will work with the Southwest Missouri DWI Task Force to hold the crackdown.
“It's never worth the risk to drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” said Carthage Police Chief Greg Dagnan. “Whether it is your license, your money or your life, you drink and drive, you lose.”
Dagnan said people should consider the consequences if someone is caught driving while intoxicated.


• For the first conviction (or first conviction in over five years), your license will be suspended for 30 days followed by a 60-day suspension if a hardship license is not obtained.

• A second conviction results in a $1,000 fine, a year-long revocation of your license and up to a year in jail. You will also be required to install an ignition interlock system on your vehicle, preventing your car from starting when you have alcohol on your breath.

• Third and subsequent convictions can result in a maximum $5,000 fine, a 10-year license denial, and/or up to seven years in jail.

• If you cause a fatal crash while intoxicated, you could be charged with involuntary manslaughter, a felony resulting in up to seven years of jail time, a $5,000 fine or both.

• Insurance coverage will be difficult to find and if you do, the rates will be significantly higher.