DURHAM, N.C. - A man smelled of alcohol and stumbled when he appeared in traffic court to answer allegations that he didn't comply with penalties arising from a drunken driving case, court officials said.
So court officials performed a blood alcohol test on Johnnie Patt Ndogo, 55, who registered a concentration of 0.23 percent, nearly three times the state's impairment standard of 0.08 percent and more than double the 0.10 he registered at the time of his driving-while-impaired arrest.
Durham County District Court Judge Marcia Morey promptly found Ndogo in contempt of court Friday and jailed him for three days.
Assistant District Attorney Jim Dornfried said he saw Ndogo stumble in the courtroom.
"He clearly was appreciably impaired, although he did not appear to be what I would call falling-down drunk," Dornfried added.
Ndogo told court officials he had consumed the alcohol a day earlier, and that a friend drove him to court Friday morning.
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