2008

Peculiar drunk driving articles for the week of November 21

Really odd drunk driving news and stories.

Woman without pants charged with Florida DUI – A Bay County Sheriff’s deputy responded to reports of a vehicle driving the wrong direction and found a Bonifay woman asleep in her car with the motor running. She had a strong odor of alcohol, glassy eyes, flush face and no pants. When asked why she was not wearing pants, she replied that she was hot. When asked for her license she initially handed the trooper a cigarette, then produced her license while explaining that got had just gotten her license back from a prior DUI. After failing a field sobriety test she was charged with driving under the influence in Florida.

Showing up drunk at Pennsylvania DUI hearing earns jail time – Travis Hudson, 23, appeared at his court hearing for drunk driving in Pennsylvania disheveled and intoxicated. After a breath test showed his blood alcohol content was well above the legal limit, the judge promptly revoked bail and tossed Hatboro in jail. In addition to PA DUI charges he has now been cited for public drunkenness.

Man earns New Hampshire DWI for driving friend to DWI hearing – Edward Cooper, 50, drove his friend to the Candia courthouse for a NH drunk driving hearing. Cooper proceeded to ram the curb outside the courthouse, drawing the attention of law enforcement. Cooper now has his own hearing coming up for drunk driving.

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Peculiar Drunk Driving Articles for the Week of November 14, 2008

Really odd drunk driving news and articles.

Bobby Dodge was driving a semi-truck loaded with beer when he overturned on a curved off-ramp. While not injured he was charged with driving under the influence in Colorado. The interstate exit was closed for 5 hours though no beer was spilled.

At a sobriety checkpoint in Portsmouth New Hampshire police asked Peter Glidden to step out of his SUV. Glidden responded by speeding off with tires squealing, nearly hitting the patrol officer. Unfortunately he forgot that he had already handed the officer his driver’s license and registration. Glidden, 32, now faces charges of marijuana possession, disobeying an officer, reckless conduct and misdemeanor New Hampshire DUI.

During a booking for suspicion of driving while intoxicated in New Jersey, Peter Tourison applied Chapstick to his lips. That delayed a breath test because NJ DWI law states nothing can be in or around a driver’s mouth for 20 minutes before the test is administered. When the first tube of Chapstick was confiscated, Tourison produced and used another. Then he placed a penny in his mouth. It is suspected that, as a municipal judge, Tourison knew the procedures involved with a breath test and was trying to foil the result. Finally a breath test revealed a blood alcohol content of .08%, the legal limit for intoxication. Tourison, 57, now faces New Jersey DWI and charges from the New Jersey Advisory Committee on Attorney Ethics.

During his 8-year tenure as state police commissioner, Paul J. Evanko was a diligent crusader against drunk driving in Pennsylvania. A photo of Evanko with boxing gloves once appeared on anti-DUI billboards that read, “We're taking off the gloves against DUI offenders.” He implored motorists to not make a mistake when impaired by alcohol. Evanko, 60, ran into another vehicle with his Honda sedan in Dauphin County near Harrisburg around 10:00 pm. Police detected alcohol and arrested the former state top cop for PA DUI. His blood alcohol content was 0.183%, more than twice the legal limit for intoxication.

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Peculiar Drunk Driving Articles for the Week of November 7, 2008

Really Odd Drunk Driving News – Odd Rides: Wheelchair, ATV, Tractor, Golf Cart and a Horse.

Robert Gibson was stopped on the grounds of a high school after a school official noticed a nearly empty bottle of vodka on the floor of the Gibson’s motorized wheelchair. Gibson admitted to Moultrie police that he had been drinking alcohol and a blood-alcohol test revealed level of .405%, 5 times the legal limit for intoxication. Gibson, 59, was taken to a local hospital before being booked on charges of driving under the influence in Georgia.

Shawn M. Passage fled from police after he was seen riding an all-terrain vehicle through the village of Carthage without a helmet. Police found Passage, 23, at his home and his blood alcohol content was .24%, three times the legal limit under NY DWI laws. Passage was charged with Aggravated DWI for having a BAC in excess of .18%, fleeing police, trespass and other traffic offenses.

Dominic Andrew Bjerke, of Minnesota, stole a combine in Mitchell County, Iowa around 2:30 in the morning and drove it through a neighborhood. He hit several vehicles, street signs and a bridge before crashing into a garage. Bjerke, 21, was arrested for operating while intoxicated in Iowa, burglary, theft and criminal mischief.

Brian K. Scott, 36, was stopped by Kentucky State Police while driving a golf cart on a Muhlenberg County street. Police found a loaded .357 Magnum handgun and a small bag of meth on Scott. After failing field sobriety tests, Scott was arrested with driving under the influence in Kentucky and taken to a local detention center.

An unidentified man from New South Wales Australia was arrested for riding under the influence after complaints from motorists about a man drinking and yelling as he was riding along a local road. He reportedly had a half empty bottle of bourbon, was riding without holding the reins and had nearly fallen from the saddle after failing to yield to a bus in a traffic circle. The 27-year old was booked for being under the influence of alcohol and his partner collected the horse.

Peculiar Drunk Driving Articles for the Week of October 31, 2008

This Week’s Really Odd Drunk Driving News Articles.

Ashley Van Dyke, the former host of ‘Speed TV’, was pulled over for refusing to cooperate with a police officer directing traffic in West Hollywood. She exclaimed in her defense, “...but I'm a race car driver!”. She failed a field sobriety test, registered a blood alcohol content above the legal limit and was arrested for California driving under the influence in LA.

An unidentified man was arrested for drunk driving in Connecticut after moving an ambulance because it was blocking his car. The man had parked illegally in a loading zone and the ambulance parked behind him while responding to an emergency. In addition to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, he was charged with interfering with police, taking a vehicle without permission and driving with a suspended license.

Dennis Conor Cullen and an unnamed female left a function at Lehigh University and decided to park for an amorous interlude. While later admitting that they had no idea where they parked, they were surprised when a police officer knocked on the window around 3:00 am. They were in the parking lot of the Hellertown Police Department. In a handicapped spot. Next to several marked police cruisers. With the motor running. While not charged with anything having to do with having sex in the car, Cullen was busted on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Ryder Laramore, 44, was pulled over for reported dangerous driving. Bay County police officers saw a bottle of vodka sticking out from under the seat of the vehicle, but it was Ryder’s apparel that really caught their attention. He was wearing a blond wig, fishnet stocking and a black miniskirt. Laramore claimed to have just left a party where he did not drink and a breath test showed .00 BAC. But drugs were found in the car and he did fail a field sobriety test, leading officers to suspect driving under the influence of a narcotic. Laramore is a probation officer and he begged the arresting officers not to book him for fear of losing his job.

Peculiar Drunk Driving Articles for the Week of October 17, 2008

Really Odd DUI/DWI News – Doubling Up.

Two Illinois DUI arrests in one day – John Stanley was stopped in Mt. Carmel at 10:15 am for driving his vehicle in an erratic manner. After failing a field sobriety test and registering a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit, he was booked on charges of driving under the influence in Illinois. He posted bond and was released around 3:00 pm. Stanley was then pulled over again at 3:43 pm for swerving. He was charged with his second Ill DUI and other traffic offenses. Stanley is the city attorney for the nearby town of Carmi.

Two Colorado DUI arrests in just over three hours – Daniel Ryan Koski was arrested for drunk driving in Colorado at 11:19 pm and released by the Glenwood Springs Police Department with a summons. Though police kept his car keys, Koski returned home and got a second set and tried to recover his vehicle. He was stopped around 2:30 am for weaving and was charged with a second Colorado DUI. After the second arrest, Koski was booked into the county jail.

Two Georgia DUI arrests in one day – Murray County police officers spotted Sean Michael Jones burning rubber in his BMW. When police detected alcohol, the 21-year old was charged with drunk driving in Georgia. Police confiscated his license, but just hours after being bonded out of the Murray County jail, Jones was stopped again by Chattsworth Police. After failing several field sobriety tests, Jones was booked on a second drunk driving offense and bonded out by his father.

Two Connecticut DUI arrests in one weekend – Delmar G. Cooke was charged with drunk driving in Connecticut after being stopped around 8:00 pm Saturday for swerving. Though he was told his driver’s license had been suspended for 24 hours, Cooke was spotted driving erratically again at 5:20 Sunday afternoon. Cooke, 48, had a blood alcohol content two and a half times the legal limit and was charged with second offense driving under the influence in Connecticut.

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Peculiar Drunk Driving Articles for the Week of October 3, 2008

Really Odd DUI/DWI News – New York Edition.

Man gets NY DWI after tailgating cop car – Wasyl Federczyk, 34, was pulled over by Erie County sheriff's deputies around 3:30 in the morning for tailgating the patrol car. Federczyk failed a field sobriety test and a breath test and was taken to the Erie County Holding Center. He was booked for driving while intoxicated in New York DWI, reckless driving and unlicensed operation of a vehicle.

Horn blowing leads to New York DWI – Glens Falls police stopped Rodney Northey for excessively blowing his car horn while driving down a street lined with bars. A breath test revealed a blood alcohol content of .23%, nearly three times the limit for intoxication. Northey told police he was blowing his horn to let “people know he was in town.”

Arrest for DWI in New York after multi-object crash – Saugerties police charged Leslie A. Miller, 30, with drunk driving in NY after her van left the road and hit several objects. While driving north, Miller crossed the southbound shoulder and hit a telephone pole, a mailbox, a pickup truck, a fence, three parked cars and a house porch. Miller was booked after being treated for injuries at a local hospital.

If you have been arrested for driving while intoxicated, you need to hire a NY DWI Lawyer.

Peculiar Drunk Driving Articles for the Week of September 6, 2008

Really Odd DWI News – Sex & Nudity

Colorado DUI leads to witch’s spell – A 56-year woman was stopped for suspicion of drunk driving in Eagle, Colorado after nearly colliding head-on with a patrolling officer. She was unsteady on her feet and, while she refused to perform a field sobriety test, she admitted to having had some tequila and methadone. As she was being handcuffed her and placed her under arrest, she claimed to be a black witch and threatened to put a hex on the two officers. Besides DUI she was charged with not having a driver’s license, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

Triple parking leads to New York DWI - Jean Anasta made it easy for police when he triple parked his 2003 Lincoln Town Car on a White Plains avenue and started drinking beer. When police pulled up to the vehicle around 2:30 am, they at first asked Anasta to move but then noticed he was holding an open beer and that his speech was slurred. After failing a field sobriety test, Anasta, 48, was charged with driving while intoxicated in New York.

Lollipop doesn’t help woman out of Washington DUI – Gas station attendants alerted police to a visibly intoxicated woman trying to buy beer and when officers arrived at the scene around 1:00 am they found the 25-year old lying sideways in her car batting at the keys in the ignition. When asked for her driver’s license the woman handed the officer $6, which he declined. After struggling to sit up she tried to get her license from her wallet but instead withdrew and offered the officer a heart shaped lollipop. State patrol officers were summoned and the woman was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence in Washington.

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Peculiar Drunk Driving Articles for the Week of August 15, 2008

Really Odd DUI/DWI News – Sex & Nudity

Florida DUI suspect gets naked – A 34-year old Jacksonville woman is accused of hitting a bicyclist and in an attempt to escape she jumped into a car that stopped to help the victim. She then jumped into a third vehicle, throwing the driver out and tried to flee but hit her own car. She then jumped out and started running in circles, taking her clothes off. Besides driving under the influence in Florida, other charges are pending.

Tennessee DUI for naked boater - Fishermen were surprised to see a 23-foot cabin cruiser being piloted down the Cumberland River by a naked man. When told to put on his clothes, Robert DeWayne Johnson was too intoxicated to get into his shorts. Johnson, a 45-year old former handyman who married into Nashville society money, was charged with indecent exposure, boating under the influence in Tennessee and reckless and negligent operation of a boat. He has five prior arrests for drunk driving in Tennessee.

Woman offers money and sex to get out of Wisconsin DUI – Elizabeth Ann Kommes, from Iron City, Michigan, was leaving a Wisconsin Dells parking lot when she was stopped for suspicion of drunk driving. After failing a field sobriety test and being arrested, the 30-year old offered the police $10,000 and her ‘services’, including sex, if she was released. Kommes, whose license plate reads ‘TROUBLE’, had bribery of a public official added to charges of driving under the influence in Wisconsin and driving with a suspended license.

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Week of July 28 - DUI / DWI Shorts

Really Odd DWI News - Multiples

Two Oklahoma DUI Arrests in 1 Day – Leslie Paul Lunsford was arrested for drunk driving in Ocheleta, Oklahoma at 2:19 pm after being witnessed going just 10 miles per hours and drifting off the road. Lunsford, 38, was arrested again just 6 hours later after a single car accident where he kicked out his windshield and hid in the woods. During arraignment a judge declared Lunsford a threat to public safety, to which he replied, “Right on”.

Two South Dakota DUI Arrests in 1 Day – Angel Lacroix was charged with driving under the influence at 1:48 am after police investigated a noisy exhaust system. At 5:19 am police observed the 22-year old driving again and arrested her on a second case of drunk driving.

Two New York DWI Arrests in 2 Hours – Hayley Love, 22, was charged with driving while intoxicated in New York around 1:30 am. Her blood alcohol content was three times the legal limit and her vehicle was confiscated and she was released to a parent. Around 3:20 am the Erie County Sheriff’s Office responded to a burglary call where Andrew Apa, 23, had broken into his own mother’s home. Apa had been kicked out of the house by his mother earlier in the day after a confrontation. While on the scene, Love, apparently the girlfriend of Apa, drove up in her father’s pick-up truck. Officers determined Love’s BAC was still two times the legal limit for intoxication and charged her with a second DWI offense.

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Week of July 21 - DUI / DWI Shorts

Really Odd DUI/DWI News.

Stripper claims job led to Alabama DUI – Patsy Hamaker filed suit against her employer, The Furnace, claiming it encouraged customers to buy her drinks while she worked as a stripper and then let her leave the club while intoxicated. Hamaker hopes to receive compensation for injuries sustained when she wrecked her car while driving under the influence in Alabama. Her attorney declined to comment as to whether Hamaker continues to work at the club.

Man drives drunk to New York DWI victims panel – As part of a sentence for drunk driving in New York, Michael Jackson, of Canton, Ohio, was required to attend a STOP-DWI victim impact panel. According to the Steuben County Sheriff's Department, Jackson drove drunk from his home in Ohio to Bath, New York. He now faces the charge of felony NY DWI.

Florida man wakes and crashes into police cruiser while trying to flee – As Tampa police approached a vehicle in which the driver appeared to have passed out, the man awoke, tried to speed off and crashed into a police cruiser and a concrete pole. Marcus Courval Earle was charged with Florida DUI, careless driving and driving with a suspended license.

Call to police for help leads to arrest for DUI – Charles Alexander, of Longmont, Colorado called Tempe, Arizona police when his car would not start. When officers arrived to help jump start the vehicle, they determined Alexander had outstanding warrants for his arrest stemming from Arizona DUI convictions in both Scottsdale and Maricopa County. He was also wanted for failing to appear in court twice on the DUI offenses.

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