Police in Gloucester, Va., are invoking a rare charge against a man convicted of at least 10 alcohol-related misdemeanors, The Associated Press reported Sunday.
Prosecutors could dust off the "habitual drunkard" charge to "alleviate some of the aggravation on the arresting officer who gets called out three times in a week for the same drunken gentleman," Brian Decker, an assistant commonwealth attorney in Virginia, told the AP.
Michael S. Roberts, the 41-year-old man prosecutors have considered labeling as a "habitual drunkard," could face a $2,500 fine or a year in jail if he's caught buying, possessing or drinking alcohol, according to the AP.
A prosecutor said that although the law also makes it illegal to sell alcohol to a habitual drunk, police rarely enforce it, the AP reported.
"We use [the law] more as a tool: 'Stop being such a nuisance, and wait to get home to get drunk,'" Gloucester Commonwealth Attorney Robert D. Hicks told the AP.
-CHRISTOPHER COTTRELL
