Records show state Rep. Melerine refused sobriety test during July traffic incident
By: -----
Shreveport, LA - State Representative Michael Melerine of Shreveport got involved in a single vehicle accident on Overton Brooks Road, and he was placed in handcuffs for suspicion of driving under the influence.
On this video from the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Officer from the incident on July 22, Melerine is clearly incoherent and not clear on what he is talking about. Was this a medical issue or something else? Melerine's SUV got stuck in a ditch and when deputies arrived, Melerine was questioned about what happened. He claimed he was not driving. He told deputies there were five other people in the SUV, but there was no one else in the vehicle.
He was asked repeatedly what happened in this incident, and he could not explain what caused this wreck. Twice Melerine did not comply with commands to place his hands behind his back. He was ultimately handcuffed and placed in the back of a patrol car.
When the deputy realized she was dealing with a State Representative, she said "No, Bro." She told the other deputy "Don't run that. You'll have to run that on your computer, damn."
Melerine was also told "do not fight" by the deputy who handcuffed him. The deputy said "he didn't want me looking at his eyes, he didn't want to answer my questions."
Another deputy drove to the Melerine home where he talked with Stacey Melerine, Michael's wife. She told them he was supposed to pick the children up from day care, but did not. She called someone else to get the kids. She then told deputies he might be having medical issues that might cause him to act erratic. She also called Minden Attorney Eric Johnson who met Melerine at the hospital.
Johnson tells us Melerine was not charged with a crime. Blood was not drawn at the hospital and deputies allowed him to be released from the hospital after he was fully checked out. Johnson says "I went to the hospital at his wife's request. I allowed the deputies to finish their investigation, and they made the decision to release him from custody and not charge him with any offense. They did their jobs."