How do you spell DUI?
A motorist charged with drunken driving challenged a South Carolina police officer who was taking him to jail to participate in an impromptu spelling bee as part of a series of “aggressive” antics last Saturday, authorities said.
Richard Anthony Dimato suggested a verbal contest after calling a Mount Pleasant police officer an “idiot,” according to a police report cited by local media.
The 41-year-old suspect was initially arrested after authorities found him in a Walgreens parking lot near a red Grand Jeep Cherokee with a damaged right tire. He allegedly drove his car into the parking lot after crashing into two cars, authorities said.
When the police approached him, Dimato rushed to the side of the Jeep and put his hands behind his back. He appeared unsteady and slurred his speech during the interaction, WCIV reported, citing the police report.
After he refused field sobriety tests, police arrested Dimato, who smelled of alcohol, the report alleges.
While being placed under arrest, Dimato made obscene remarks toward officers and was acting in a “brutal and aggressive manner,” according to a police report, according to WCSC.
He also allegedly threatened to harm an officer while he was waiting to be taken to a hospital where he could be medically released from jail. Once there, he shouted at employees while kicking doors and equipment, authorities alleged.
On his way from the hospital to a jail cell, Dimato tried to play a game when he challenged an officer to a spelling bee and spelled the word “Britain,” according to the police report.
According to reports, Dimato, who was also accused of kicking an officer in the arm, faces charges of first-degree drunken driving, hit and run with property damage, and assaulting or resisting a police officer.
He was reportedly released from jail on about $16,000 bail on Monday.
