Latest DWI crackdown nets 729 arrests

The state's latest crackdown on drunken driving has netted 729 arrests, state officials said Thursday.

The "Booze It & Lose It" Halloween campaign, which ran Oct. 26-31, also resulted in 24,363 traffic and criminal citations statewide.

"Scary costumes were not the only thing out over the Halloween as impaired drivers also made an appearance," Gene Conti, state secretary of transportation, said in a statement. "Thanks to law enforcement officers from across the state enforcing our laws during this campaign, countless lives were saved."

The campaign included more than 3,100 sobriety checkpoints and dedicated patrols. Wake and Mecklenburg counties had the highest number of arrests for driving while intoxicated, with 47 each. Brunswick County followed with 35 arrests, and there were 32 arrests in Guilford County.

Officers also issued 1,377 safety belt and 272 child passenger safety violations, 6,465 speeding tickets and 758 drug charges.

A total of 641 fugitives were also arrested in the campaign, and 44 stolen vehicles were recovered.