Darrell Roberts, 58, was arrested late Monday night after deputies discovered him under the influence after making an emergency landing for his aircraft. As Roberts had attempted to fly his 1973 Piper PA – 28- 140 airplane from Temecula to San Diego he ended up going in the wrong direction and somehow ended up in the LA county area of Whittier. Roberts made a hard landing at the distribution center near the fashion company Michael Kors, located in the 3700 block of Workman Mill road Monday night around 10pm. After landing his aircraft from experiencing engine failure he was later transferred to a nearby hospital for precautionary measures, with no injuries sustained.

Tuesday morning the Sheriff’s department confirmed that Roberts was arrested on suspicion of a misdemeanor DUI. Officer Alex Villanueva said a DUI involving an airplane doesn’t happen very often. Villanueva further stated, “The incident should serve as a lesson to all pilots who drink and fly. It shows that the responsibility falls on the pilots to make sure they are capable of operating the aircraft, the aircraft is well maintained and can go from point A to point B safely.”

As of around midday Tuesday, Roberts plane was still parked outside of the distribution center. The landing gear appeared to be intact, and the only visible damage on the aircraft was a dent on the left wing. As for the plane itself,  “It was expected to be retrieved by a crew hired by an insurance company,” Officer Villanueva said.

El Paisano reached out to Michael Kor’s security officials for comments but they declined to answer.  Pico Rivera police station was unable to get ahold of for a comment. From the time of his arrest, Roberts was being held in lieu of $1,000 bail. After being released he was ordered to appear in court this upcoming July 5th.