Drunk Driving Articles: DUI News and Information

A law enforcement campaign conducted over the holidays netted 876 arrests for driving under the influence in King County. The initiative called ‘Drive Hammered, Get Nailed’ was held between November 25, 2010 and January 2, 2011. It involved 25 local police departments supported by the Washington State Patrol and the King County Target Zero Traffic Safety Task Forces. Additional WA DUI patrols were funded by a grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

Across the state, 3,577 motorists were arrested for DUI in Washington over the holidays.

Have you been arrested for a WA DUI and are needing help with your case from a Washington DUI Lawyer?

The first round draft pick of the Houston Astros was arrested early Sunday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence by Athens-Clarke County, Georgia police. Delino DeShields, Jr., 18, was charged with three misdemeanor offenses: GA DUI, underage possession of alcohol and driving the wrong way on a one way street. He was booked into jail and released two hours later after posting $2500 bail.

The Astros organization has said it is a police matter and they will address the issue when appropriate. DeShields was the eighth player selected during the 2010 major league baseball draft. He received a $2.15 million signing bonus. DeShields was an outfielder for his high school in south suburban Atlanta, though the Astros project using his speed and glove skills at second base.

Have you been arrested for a GA DUI and are needing help with your case from a Georgia DUI Lawyer?

A Polk County Florida Sheriff’s deputy was arrested for drunk driving in Winter Haven. Chad Jackson was stopped around 2:00 Saturday morning after a traffic deputy sheriff observed erratic driving. Jackson was off-duty in his personal GMC pick-up truck at the time of the traffic stop. Jackson admitted to having been drinking and he failed a field sobriety test.

Jackson was booked on charges of driving under the influence in Florida at the Polk County Jail. He posted bond and was released Saturday afternoon.

Jackson, 22, has been with the sheriff’s office since 2008. His latest assignment had been Central District Patrol, which covered the Winter Haven area. He has been suspended pending completion of an internal investigation.

Have you been arrested for a FL DUI and are needing help with your case from a Florida DUI Lawyer?

A 32-year old man from Indiana County has been charged with multiple offenses following an arrest Pennsylvania State Police. Steven Joseph Perez wrecked his vehicle early Saturday morning after allegedly leaving a domestic disturbance scene. As police initiated a PA DUI arrest, Perez kicked one officer in the chest and tried several times to headbutt other troopers.

While being booked on charges of driving under the influence in Pennsylvania, Perez asked to use the restroom and then tried to flee the police barracks. He was taken to the Indiana County Jail where he is awaiting arraignment.

Have you been arrested for a PA DUI and are needing help with your case from a Pennsylvania DUI Lawyer?

Former WWE RAW general manager and announcer Mike Adamle was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence in suburban Chicago early Thursday morning. Adamle was stopped in Evanston, Illinois around 1:00 am after failing to obey a red flashing traffic signal. The officer suspected intoxication and had Adamle perform a field sobriety test, which he reportedly failed. He also exhibited ‘erractic behavior’.

Adamle was taken to a hospital to conduct a drug test and then was booked at the police station for suspicion of Illinois DUI and two other charges. He is scheduled to appear in court on February 14. The police commander has ordered Adamle’s arrest mug shot to not be released.

Adamle is currently the sports director for the NBC affiliate in Chicago. He played football for the Chicago Bears and was an All-American at Northwestern University.

Have you been arrested for a IL DUI and are needing help with your case from a Illinois DUI Lawyer?

Officers and paramedics in the Baldwin Hills area of Los Angeles were dispatched around 1:30 am after reports of a bicycle/vehicle accident. While investigating the scene, the officers observed a group of 15 bike riders using both the north and southbound lanes. None of the cyclists were wearing safety helmets and dim lighting made them vulnerable to passing motorists.

The California Highway Patrol officers decided to stop the group and conduct field sobriety tests to check for intoxication. Five riders, including the one involved in the accident, were cited for ‘operating a bicycle while under the influence’ and released. Under California DUI law, drunk bicycle riders are subject to a fine of up to $250 and incarceration until the suspect sobers up. The arrest is noted on a criminal record but does not impact one’s insurance or driving record.

The suspects ranged in age from 18 to 22.

Have you been arrested for a CA DUI and are needing help with your case from a California DUI Lawyer?

A California Highway Patrol officer stopped a truck in Riverside County on suspicion of DUI. The vehicle was occupied by two men, and a brown and white female goat in the front passenger seat. The man in the back seat attempted to run away but “fell flat on his face.” Neither man claimed ownership of the goat, leading officers to suspect that the animal had been stolen.

The Department of Animal Services took custody of the goat, and it is reportedly resting comfortably at a county animal shelter.

Neither the identities or the criminal status of the men are known.

Have you been charged with a CA DUI and are needing help with your case from a California DUI Attorney?

The waitress from Central Florida who claimed to have had an affair with golfer Tiger Woods has been sentenced to one year in jail for drunk driving. Mindy Lawton entered a no contest plea in Orange County court last Friday to charges of driving under the influence in Florida. In addition to the jail sentence, she was placed on five years of probation, had her license revoked for 180 days and ordered to perform 50 hours of community service.

Lawton’s FL DUI arrest occurred in early 2009 after she crashed into another car. Her blood alcohol content was reportedly .18%. The driver of the other vehicle suffered broken ribs, back and facial injuries, and cited memory loss.

Lawton, 34, said she met Tiger Woods in 2006 while working as a manager at Perkins Restaurant. Graphic details of their affair were revealed after Woods crashed his SUV on Thanksgiving Day in 2009 following an argument with his wife, Elin.

Have you been charged with a FL DUI and are needing help with your case from a Florida DUI Attorney?

Law enforcement efforts across the state netted a total of 1556 charges of suspicion of driving under the influence in Colorado. The arrests were made between November 23 and January 3 as part of a special ‘Heat Is On’ campaign against drunk or impaired drivers. There were 1630 Colorado DUI arrests made during the same time period last year.

During the holidays, 41 people died in vehicular accidents, with one third of them being attributable to alcohol impairment. There were 5 alcohol related deaths around Thanksgiving, 9 during the entire month of December and zero during New Year’s celebrations.

A spokesperson for the Colorado State Patrol said that law enforcement will remain vigilant in keeping the highways safe during the coming year. This year 668 people took a ‘Plan Ahead Pledge’ organized by the Colorado Department of Transportation that encouraged safe driving alternatives, such a using public transit, taking a cab or designating a sober driver.

Have you been charged with a CO DUI and are needing help with your case from a Colorado DUI Attorney?

A 50-year old man arrived in the Washington County courthouse Tuesday to be arraigned on charges of driving under the influence in Oklahoma. The judge detected alcohol on him and added charges of public intoxication.

Tommy Joe Thomison had been arrested for Oklahoma DUI on Saturday after being stopped for having a loud muffler. When the judge suspected alcohol in court on Tuesday, she asked Thomison if he had driven himself to court. When he said he had, the judge asked him to sit down while a deputy was called. Thomison was given a field sobriety test, which he reportedly failed, leading to the extra charge.

Thomison has at least two OK DUI convictions on his driving record and he was arrested for public intoxication in 2007.

Have you been charged with an OK DUI and are needing help with your case from an Oklahoma DUI Lawyer?

The California Highway Patrol announced that it made 499 arrests for driving under the influence across the state on New Years Eve. That is a drop from 527 CA DUI arrests made in 2009. The arrests were made during a 12-hour window between 6:00 pm Friday and 6:00 am Saturday.

In the Bay Area, 64 motorists were charged with DUI in California, down from 92 last year. 108 were charged with drunk driving in Los Angeles and 60 were charged with DUI in San Diego.

Have you been arrested for a CA DUI and are needing legal help from a qualified California DUI lawyer?

Last December 12, an 18-year old driver of a Ford Focus ran a stop sign, hit a curb, crashed through a fence and ended up stuck between two houses, five feet off the ground. Police in San Pedro speculate that the driver never hit the brakes.

Neither the driver or a passenger in the Ford were seriously injured. The driver was charged with driving under the influence in California.

Both houses were significantly damaged. One had recently been sold and the owners had planned to move the following week.

Have you been arrested for a CA DUI and are needing legal help from a qualified California DUI lawyer?

A 77-year old grandmother was arrested for driving under the influence in Tennessee after leading cops on a brief chase. Syble Dickens ignored the flashing emergency lights and siren of Henry County deputies and dodged spike strips. When finally stopped she said she was still having a “good time”.

Dickens was charged with drunken driving in Tennessee, speeding, failure to stop and several additional offenses. Her 20-year grandson reportedly slept through the entire incident. He was charged with public intoxication.

Have you been arrested for a TN DUI and are needing legal help from a qualified Tennessee DUI lawyer?

Actress Jaime Pressly was stopped in Santa Monica around 11:00 Wednesday night on a traffic violation and charged with driving under the influence in California after failing a field sobriety test.

Pressly was taken to the Santa Monica jail where bail was set at $15,000. That is significantly higher than the average bail for a CA DUI offense.

Pressly, 33, co-starred in the NBC hit ‘My Name is Earl’ between 2005 and 2009, earning an Emmy for her role in 2007.

UPDATE: Actress had blood alcohol content nearly three times the legal limit

The result of a breath test conducting during Jaime Pressly’s arrest for drunk driving in Santa Monica showed that she had a BAC of .22%. The legal limit for intoxication in California is .08%.

Pressly was stopped for a traffic violation around 11:00 pm on January 5. After being booked for California DUI, the star of ‘My Name Is Earl’ television series spent the night in jail before posting $15,000 bail.

Have you been arrested for a NY DWI and are needing legal help from a qualified California DWI lawyer?

The head of the NYC Ballet was arrested for suspicion of driving while intoxicated in New York early January 1. Peter Martins was stopped at a sobriety checkpoint in Yonkers just before 2:00 am Saturday.

A spokesperson with the Westchester County Department of Public Safety says that Martins was one of 14 motorists arrested for New York DWI at different checkpoints that evening. Martins was charged with a misdemeanor as it is his first offense.

Martins, 64, was the principal dancer for the city ballet company before becoming balletmaster in 1981. Since then he has also assumed creative direction and choreographed more than 80 ballets. The company declined to talk about the incident.

UPDATE: Ballet Director New York DWI

Accused of NY DWI, Ballet Director Pleads Guilty to Lesser Offense
Peter Martins admits to DWAI in New York

The director of the New York City Ballet has entered a guilty plea to driving while ability impaired, and was fined $300. Peter Martins was arrested on January 1 at a sobriety checkpoint in Westchester County. He was originally charged with the more serious offense of driving while intoxicated in New York. DWAI involving alcohol is considered a traffic offense rather than a criminal act. It is typically charged when an officer suspects impairment and the motorist has a BAC below 0.08%.

Police say that Martin