Man arrested for drunk driving sneaks unopened beer cans into patrol car

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. -- After striking several parked cars on Sunday, 22-year-old Giovanni Flores Franco was arrested with a Blood Alcohol level of .245. 

According to reports, South Bend Police Department officers went to the intersection of High and Bowman Streets in St. Joseph County for a reported car crash. They found the owner of one of the vehicles who told officers she heard a loud crash, went outside, and saw her parked car had new, heavy front-end damage with white paint transfer.

Two blocks down the road, a white Dodge had crashed into two other parked cars.

"Officers approached and found that Giovanni Flores Franco in the driver's seat," the report states. "Speaking with Mr. Flores, officers noticed he had trouble with his balance, smelled strongly of alcohol, and had reddened eyes. Officers interviewed Mr. Flores with the assistance of an interpreter. He told them that he had been out at a party and drinking about an hour before the crash."

Flores agreed to a certified chemical test and gave a breath sample about an hour after the crash. The test showed ".245 grams of alcohol per 210 liters of his breath, authorities said.

"While transporting Flores to the hospital given his high blood-alcohol content, officers discovered he secreted four unopened cans of beer into the patrol car," the report states.