Douglas Thompson

A Butler man's latest arrest for driving under the influence of a controlled substance — his fourth one in the past five months — landed him behind bars on $50,000 bail.

City police at 63-year-old Douglas E. Thompson's weekend arraignment asked for the relatively high bail given the offense because they believe he posed a danger to the public and himself.

District Judge Sue Haggerty, who arraigned Thompson late Saturday night, apparently agreed. He remains in Butler County Prison while awaiting his next court date.

Sgt. Jeremy Walters came upon the defendant shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday at the PNC Bank drive-through automated teller machine on West New Castle, close to the police station, according to court documents.

At least two people moments earlier had flagged down Walters to inform him of a man sitting in a car at the ATM for an extended period of time.

The officer immediately recognized Thompson from recent prior incidents. Police said the suspect appeared to be passed out in his car, which was running.

He awakened and told police that he was “running various errands,” documents said, and was headed home.

He denied drinking alcohol but acknowledged taking two Suboxone tablets earlier in the day, according to a police affidavit.

Suboxone is a narcotic medication approved for the treatment of opiate dependence.

Police arrested Thompson after field sobriety testing indicated a “high level” of impairment. He was taken to Butler Memorial Hospital for a blood test. Toxicology results are pending.

His preliminary hearing is set for Monday. Online court documents did not indicate if he has an attorney in the case.

The drugged driving arrest, court records showed, was the defendant's fourth one this year. He was previously stopped for the same crime on June 2 and May 2 in Butler and on Feb. 8 in Franklin Township.

Additionally, Thompson was convicted of driving on drugs in 2009 in Connoquenessing Township.