Former state House speaker, CMU alumnus arrested on possible drunk driving

A 1991 Central Michigan University alumnus who once rose to the highest rank in the state House was recently arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.

Craig DeRoche, former Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives and 2006 CMU Homecoming Grand Marshal, was spotted highly intoxicated Feb. 9 by residents in the Ann Arbor area. He was slipping and falling in the snow, said Saline Police Chief Paul Bunten.

When police arrived, a breath test revealed his blood-alcohol content was at 0.249 percent — three times the legal limit of 0.08.

“The investigation is not completed,” said Saline City Attorney Allan Grossman.

Legal repercussions for the incident are still in question, police said, because blood test results are not complete.

However, DeRoche’s largest trial may be how the public views his response, said Chris Owens, assistant political science professor.

Once a person enters the public sphere, his information and behavior are open to public scrutiny, Owens said. There are many people, he said, who do not enter politics because of the required transparency.

“With so many news outlets out there it is harder to keep things secret,” he said. “Once you step into the public arena … the things you do get scrutinized more than people that don’t (become public figures).”

Owens does not think the incident will have a notable impact on CMU.

According to published reports, police said DeRoche was intoxicated to such an extent he was unable to stand on his own.

Once the blood test comes back — a process Bunten expects to take about two weeks — police will be able to file for a warrant.

A warrant could be filed for the breath test, he said, but the blood test is what could detect whether substances besides alcohol were involved.

“The officers felt that they wanted some clarification,” Bunten said.