LOCAL HEADLINE STORY

Northwest Pilot on Cocaine
from CNN

An off-duty Northwest Airlines pilot was suspected of driving under the influence of cocaine when he headed the wrong way on an interstate to avoid the U.S.-Canada border and led deputies on a chase. Walter L. Dinalko, a veteran pilot of 20 years, had flown to Detroit Metropolitan Airport Saturday afternoon and then rented a Hummer that he drove about 70 miles to Port Huron.

Dinalko turned around three times on the Blue Water Bridge, apparently changing his mind about heading into Sarnia, Ontario. He then drove on the wrong side of the bridge and Interstate 94. U.S. Customs agents alerted sheriff's deputies, who closed down the expressway and gave chase.

Deputies laid down stop sticks, which flattened the Hummer's tires. Dinalko stopped but refused to surrender to deputies.

Dinalko, 50, of St. Paul, Minnesota, was taken to a hospital for a drug test before he was taken to jail. A user's quantity of a substance suspected to be cocaine was found in the vehicle, including one opened package and one sealed package. Toxicology tests on a sample of the pilot's blood were pending.

Dinalko was arraigned Sunday on charges of cocaine possession, eluding police, resisting officers and operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs. He was released Sunday after posting $10,000 bond.