Genetski fights drunk driving at trial

EAST LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) - Eight months after he was arrested following the State of the State address, State Rep. Bob Genetski had his day in court for a drunk driving case.

Genetski (R-Saugatuck) was arrested Jan. 19 after speeding near the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing and having an expired license tab on his vehicle.

He was arrested after taking field sobriety tests and refusing to take a Breathalyzer test at the scene. Later at the jail, Genetski's blood-alcohol content level was above the legal limit of .08, but police never released the exact number.

At East Lansing District Court on Monday, it was unveiled that Genetski's BAC was .088.

The police dashcam video of the arrest was released after the incident, but MSU police originally cut out about six minutes of the video, citing "an unwarranted invasion of an individual's privacy." The full version was later released.

That same video was shown in the courtroom on Monday.

The jury heard hours of highly technical testimony about how Genetski's blood alcohol test was done. Prosecutors are trying to show the procedures and equipment are reliable and that Genetski was legally drunk when he was pulled over by an MSU patrolman.

After he refused to take the Breathalyzer, he was taken to a hospital where blood was drawn for the test.

Genetski's defense is working to exploit the narrow margin by raising questions about the accuracy of the blood test.

But the MSU officer arrested Genetski not on the basis of a test but on how he presented himself.

"Based on the fact that he advised me he had been drinking, staggering to the right, just before he leaves the frame," said Officer Jason Christeman.

Late Monday afternoon, the defense called expert witnesses to try and create doubt in jurors minds about the blood test evidence.

Testimony continued into the early evening. Closing arguments and jury deliberations are expected on Tuesday.