College president waives arraignment in drunk driving case

Dr. Charles Dillon

By Rob Alway. Editor-in-Chief.

MANISTEE — West Shore Community College President Charles Dillon waived his arraignment on a drunken driving charge and is scheduled for a pretrial conference at 10 a.m., Sept. 17. Dillon was listed on the docket for arraignment this morning in 85th District Court.

Dillon, 64, has been charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, high blood alcohol content. He was pulled over and arrested by Manistee Police Department in the Oleson grocery store parking lot in the evening of Aug. 6. He had been driving from Elberta, over 30 miles away.

See related story here; related video here. 

He refused a breathalyzer test and was mandated to take a blood draw. That resulted in a blood alcohol level of .186 grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters. The legal limit is .08 and “super drunk” is .17 and over.

In a drunk driving case with a BAC below .17, the maximum penalty is 93 days in jail. With super drunk, the max moves up to 180 days. Driver’s license suspension is increased from 30 days without driving and 150 days of restricted to 45 days without driving and 320 days restricted. A person with a super drunk charge must have an ignition device installed for the entire period of restricted driving. Fines are also increased, from $100 to $500 for traditional to $200 to $700 for super drunk. The defendant must also receive alcohol treatment for at least one year.

However, MCP spoke with Ludington based attorney Ryan Glanville who said most charges in a first offense super drunk case are dropped down during plea agreement.

When arrested, Dillon’s bond was set at $5,000, 10 percent. He was released the morning after the arrest.

Dillon, who has been president of WSCC for 18 years, has been placed on leave with pay and ordered to rehabilitation by the board of trustees.