Nation IN BRIEF : ALASKA : Trial Told Hazelwood Smelled of Alcohol

Mark Delozier, the first Coast Guard officer to board the Exxon Valdez after its grounding, testified that skipper Joseph Hazelwood’s breath had “a very intense and very obvious” smell of alcohol. Delozier, now retired, also said that Hazelwood, who is on trial in Anchorage for felony criminal mischief and other crimes in the nation’s worst oil spill, appeared to be trying to hide the alcohol smell by covering his mouth and drinking coffee. Before Delozier took the stand, a forensic toxicologist testified that blood samples taken from Hazelwood 10 1/2 hours after the accident showed the alcohol level was 0.061% in his blood, a level above the federal limit of 0.04% for operating a commercial vessel.