Troopers from the Indiana State Police-Versailles Post arrested a South Carolina truck driver Friday afternoon for operating a commercial motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content of nearly three times the legal limit.

The investigation by troopers Andrew Garrett and Gavin Ludwig began around noon when a motorist reported observing a 2016 Freightliner pulling a trailer that was driving erratically on Interstate 65 southbound in Bartholomew and Jackson counties. The vehicle was located and stopped near the 54 mile marker, just north of Seymour, in Jackson County, according to a news release from Sgt. Stephen Wheeles with the Indiana State Police Post at Versailles.

During the traffic stop, troopers observed that the driver, Mikhail Popov, 62, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina showed signs of being intoxicated, said Wheeles who is the post’s public information officer.

Popov was transported to the Seymour Police Department where he submitted to a breath test for intoxication. The test determined that Popov’s BAC was .225%, Wheeles reported.

He was arrested and transported to the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown on preliminary charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a prior conviction within five years, which is a Level 6 felony, and misdemeanor charges of operating while intoxicated-endangerment and operating with a blood alcohol content 0f 0.15% or greater. He was incarcerated pending his initial appearance in Jackson Circuit Court.

Troopers Garrett and Ludwig were assisted by other troopers from the ISP-Versailles Post and Master Motor Carrier Inspector Mary Eglen. 31 Wrecker responded and removed the vehicle from the scene.

The state police encourages those who witness unsafe and dangerous driving to call 911 to report the driving behavior. Troopers continue to target those who are driving recklessly on our roadways in an attempt to make the roads safer for all motorists.