Watchdog On Wheels Nabs Drunk Driver

Marathas (pictured) didn’t know he was chasing a politician. He did know the driver posed a public danger.

It wasn’t Marathas’s first chase. Don’t count on it being his last.

After 15 minutes of pursuit, and a few daring moves in his 1996 Ford Explorer, Marathas pulled over the drunken driver and turned him over to the cops.

The driver was Joey Rodriguez, the 22-year-old alderman in Fair Haven’s Ward 15. Rodriguez issued a public apology for the incident Tuesday — click here to read about it.

Reached Wednesday, Rodriguez said he’s thankful for the citizen watchdog’s effort.

“I am grateful that no one was hurt and that the police and Mr. Marathas stopped me,” he said. He declined to comment further, except to say “It was a foolish and irresponsible judgment on my part.”

Police spokesman Officer Joe Avery applauded Marathas’ work.

“The guy definitely did a great thing,” Avery said. However, he cautioned others against putting themselves at risk, especially with a guy who wasn’t as nice as Rodriguez.

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