A Suttons Bay man who drove his vehicle into the Lake Leelanau Narrows has been arraigned on felony drunk driving charges.
Joseph L. Raphael, 37, of 2074 N. W. Bay Shore Dr., Suttons Bay, appeared in 86th District Court before Probate Judge Joseph E. Deegan on Wednesday, Jan. 23. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 1 at 11:15 a.m. He is free after posting bond last week.

According to court documents, on Jan. 21 county Sheriff’s deputy Terrance Cadieux and Sgt. James Kiessel responded to a one-vehicle accident in Lake Leelanau. Raphael was traveling east on M-204 when he allegedly drove the vehicle off the road, onto the guardrail, down an embankment and into the water of the Lake Leelanau Narrows. Cadieux spoke with the defendant, who allegedly admitted to driving the vehicle into the Narrows, and waking up intoxicated a few hours before the accident and continuing to drink alcohol. According to the court documents, Raphael failed three sobriety tests and his two breathalyzer results were both measured at .12, well above the .08 legal limit.

If found guilty of the drunk driving charge, he faces a maximum penalty of up to 93 days in jail, $100 to $500 in fines and other rehabilitative or punitive measures.

Raphael has prior drunk driving convictions from Feb. 15, 1996 in 86th District Court in Leland, and March 15, 2006 in the Grand Traverse Band Tribal Court in Peshawbestown. If the third-offense notice is sought, Raphael could face more significant penalties. The maximum includes one to five years in prison along with $500 to $5,000 in fines; or up to one year in jail along with two to six months of community service, the same fines, undergoing rehabilitative programs, cost reimbursement for prosecution of the case and local government expenses for responding to the scene, and mandatory vehicle immobilization.