How Can I Find Out If Someone Has Been Charged With Something?

[AuntieMimi]

My partners nephew has gone off the rails. We are convinced he has an addiction to prescription drugs (he is a very poorly chap and in a lot of pain, so over the years he has become addicted to these tablets. He also has mental health issues). There was a big argument at home and nephew stormed out saying he was leaving. A few hours later his car was found by a river so the family paniked, as we would, and rang the police to report him missing and where his car had been found. It tuns out the police had him in a police station. They would not tell the mum what he was there for or even if he had been chanrged. The dad picked him up from the station where nephew said he was pulled over in a random check (3pm on a Tuesday afternoon) and when the police went to do a breath test they discovered they didnt have a machine in the car. Another police car was sent to the location and, oh dear, their machine wasnt working (something to do with the batteries) so the police took him to the station to do the test. He was at the station for about 3 hours and they called the mum to say he could go. The dad picked him up and this was the story nephew has told. Nephew is 32 btw. Nephew has been caught out in so many lies during his adiction and we really dont know if we belive him this time around. Does anyone know if it is likely for a police car to not have a breath machine, or even one that isnt working? Does anyone know if they must have thought he wasnt 'straight' for them to have taken him to the station to have the test done - this was a so say random pull so if he didnt appear under the influence or anything then would they have just said 'on your way son' when they realised they didnt have a breath machine? Is 3 hours enough time for a charge to be made and then release someone? We know nephew was there for around 3 hours as this information came from a police officer. Ive tried to google it but nothing comes up (nephews name, location of police station). Can anyone help with this please, we want to belive him but with his past record, sadly we think he is covering something up