Police officer Cameron Hess began making an inventory of items found in a vehicle driven by a Pittsfield man arrested Friday night for allegedly operating under the influence, third offense.
Hess, a Russell-Montgomery police officer, opened the door of the 2021 Dodge pickup, reported the odor of alcohol, and saw multiple nip bottles Fireball cinnamon-flavored whiskey and Smirnoff vodka in plain sight, according to court records.
Then he started looking more closely.
On the front passenger seat was a brown paper bag with two bottles of Smirnoff and Fireball, both open, according to the officer. On the floor was an empty bottle of Smirnoff. In the center console, two Fireball bottles, one empty, one full. Inside the storage area of the center console was a black bag with more empty Fireball bottles, Hess wrote.
In all, 62 small bottles were found in the cab of the pickup truck allegedly driven by David P. Slater, according to the police report filed in Westfield District Court and a Facebook posting by the Russell-Montgomery department.
The discovery of the cache of bottles was made in Russell around 7:30 p.m. Friday after a driver called 911 to report a pickup truck driving erratically on Route 20. Police wrote that the driver had narrowly avoided crashing into a guardrail and had fallen to the ground when he climbed out of the truck in a rest area.
“Responding officers arrived in the area and found the vehicle in question. The operator appeared to be heavily impaired and told officers he was trying to get back to Pittsfield,” police wrote in the Facebook posting. “Upon interacting further with the operator, he challenged officers to fight.”
Slater was taken into custody without further incident, although he refused to provide police with his name. Asked by police how much alcohol he had consumed that night, Slater was allegedly more informative.
“I drank tonight, all of it,” he allegedly said, according to the report by Hess.
Slater was held over the weekend and arraigned Monday on charges of reckless operation of a motor vehicle and operating under the influence, third offense. Not guilty pleas were entered on his behalf, records show.
Slater was not charged with driving without a license, and it was not immediately know how a person with two prior drunk driving convictions was able to obtain a valid Massachusetts driver’s license.
At the scene, Slater refused to take a chemical breath test, and was told his license was going to be suspended as a result, Hess wrote.
In court, bail was set at $1,500 cash, an amount Slater apparently was not immediately able to post.
Court records show he was ordered to receive substance abuse treatment under what is known as a Section 35 commitment. He was transported to the Stonybrook Stabilization & Treatment Center in Ludlow, which operated by the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Department. If released, Slater must avoid alcohol and be tested daily for the presence of alcohol in his system, records show.
“We would like to thank the witnesses that reported this and undoubtedly saved someone from getting hurt that night,” Russell Montgomery police wrote in the Facebook posting.
John R. Ellement can be reached at john.ellement@globe.com. Follow him @JREbosglobe. Talia Lissauer can be reached at talia.lissauer@globe.com. Follow her on Instgram @_ttphotos.