BRODHEAD — Police arrested two drivers last week in Brodhead on charges of driving while under the influence of a drug, with child passengers in both instances.

The arrests happened within a span of four hours and on the eve of the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” traffic safety mobilization, according to Brodhead Chief of Police Chris Hughes.

The first arrest occurred at about 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13, Hughes reported. Police stopped a vehicle for speeding in the 300 block of 1st Street and noted a strong odor of burnt marijuana emanating from inside the vehicle.

The driver, Joel Squire, 32, Janesville, admitted to smoking marijuana prior to operating his car, according to Hughes. Squire’s 8-year-old child was in the car.

Squire was booked into the Green County Jail on a second-offense charge of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of a drug with a child under the age of 16 in the vehicle. 

The next arrest occurred just before 1 a.m. Friday, Dec. 14. An officer approached a car in the parking lot of Stop ‘n’ Go, 2413 1st Center Ave., on suspicion that the occupants were violating Brodhead’s curfew ordinance.

The driver, a 16-year-old from Beloit, was arrested on a first-offense charge of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of a drug with a child under the age of 16 in the vehicle.

During the investigation, Hughes reported the officer detected the smell of burnt marijuana emanating from inside the car. The driver admitted to smoking marijuana as he and his friends were driving around. 

He was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia. He and his friends in the vehicle, ages 17, 16 and 14, were released to the driver’s grandparent.