An oily trail led German police in Amberg from the scene of an accident Saturday morning to a U.S. soldier’s home, where a 35-year-old man was cited for driving drunk. It was the soldier’s second DUI this month.

Police say the soldier lost control of his car at the corner of Hockermühlstrasse and Kochkellerstrasse around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, running over a traffic island and hitting a traffic light pole.

The soldier fled the scene, but damaged his car in the process. Amberg police said they were able to track him down by following the trail of oil his car left behind. The man’s blood-alcohol level was 0.166, according to a police news release, or more than three times the legal limit. At the time of the accident, the man was driving illegally, having lost his license April 2 for driving under the influence, the police said.

Police estimated the damage to the man’s car to be more than $11,000 and more than $5,500 to the traffic light.

A second soldier was also cited for DUI on Saturday in Amberg after being stopped at a traffic check, the police said. His BAC was 0.074, and police confiscated his driver’s license.

In Germany, police confiscate a driver’s license if the motorist’s BAC level is 0.05. If the motorist is involved in an accident or traffic violation, a BAC of 0.03 is enough to lose your license.

news@stripes.com

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