A college football player who called police to report hitting a parked car ended up in jail on DUI charges despite blowing 0.0 on a breathalyzer and having no drugs in his system.
McClain Fineran, 19, contacted Rome Police Department on Oct. 2 after accidentally hitting a parked vehicle in an empty Shorter University parking lot following a late-night study session, WSB-TV reported. The kicker for the university’s football team wanted to file an accident report.
“I did what I was taught,” Fineran said.
Officers administered a breathalyzer test that showed zero alcohol in his system, according to WSB-TV. They then conducted field sobriety tests. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Illegal Migrant Walked Free From Multiple DUIs Before Alleged Killing)
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“Based off the accident that you had and the field sobriety test that we did, I’ve got enough probable cause to believe that you were under the influence of something other than alcohol,” an officer told Fineran during the arrest.
Fineran spent the night in jail. Blood and urine tests later conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation found no illegal or prescription drugs in his system.
The incident follows similar cases raising questions about field sobriety test reliability. A Journal of American Medicine Association study found officers classified 49% of sober participants as impaired during marijuana field sobriety tests.
“If we’re seeing people getting arrested when they’re sober and they’re not under the influence, there’s a problem,” said Christine Fineran, McClain’s mother.
Prosecutors dropped the DUI charge after receiving the test results. Fineran has since entered the transfer portal to leave Shorter University.
Rome Police Department stated the officer had “sufficient probable cause to make the initial arrest” but issued a reprimand for “deficiencies in report documentation.”
