North Carolina Drunk Driving Articles

North Carolina Highway Patrol took a driver into custody on suspicion of driving while intoxicated in Union County. Around 12:13 am Tuesday morning, Brandon Marze crossed the center line of a highway, struck a ditch and overturned several times before crashing into a parked truck. It was estimated that Marze was traveling at 90 miles per hour before the accident.

Marze broke his jaw and both arms. Officers suspect alcohol played a factor in the crash and took a blood sample to test blood alcohol content. The result has yet to be determined by a state lab. Marze was charged with suspicion of North Carolina DWI and careless and reckless driving.

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The Carolina Panthers waived wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett after an arrest for driving while intoxicated in North Carolina. It was the second Charlotte drunk driving offense for the troubled player.

Jarrett was stopped by Charlotte-Mecklenburg County police for speeding around 2:00 am Tuesday. The officer determined there was probable cause for a North Carolina DWI arrest. Jarrett refused to submit to a breath test while being booked at county jail, and he was taken to a medical facility for a blood draw to test blood alcohol content. The results from a state lab are pending.

Jarrett was charged with DWI in Charlotte in March 2008 after he crossed the center line of a highway and ran a red light. He pleaded guilty to that offense and received a sentence that included community service, payment of $420 in court costs and loss of license. Because of that conviction, the NFL required Jarrett to undergo regular alcohol and drug testing.

The Panthers general manager said he talked to Jarrett and told him "the situation was just not working out for either side." To fill the roster spot caused by Jarrett's dismissal, the team picked up receiver David Clooney off waivers from the New York Jets.

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Former NASCAR pit crew chief Timothy Kohuth entered a guilty plea in Iredell County District Court to a charge of second degree murder stemming from a fatal drunk driving accident.

Kohuth was driving a flatbed tow truck in 2008 when he crossed the center line and nearly hit a deputy's patrol car. Before the deputy could initiate a traffic stop, Kohuth ran off the road and struck a mailbox and a culvert. He then crossed the road and struck an SUV traveling in the opposite direction. The driver of the SUV, Wesley Worden, was pronounced dead at the scene, and his wife was seriously injured.

Kohuth's blood alcohol content was five times the legal limit for intoxication, and he was charged with driving while intoxicated in North Carolina and second degree murder.

As part of a plea agreement, Kohuth was sentenced to 9.5 to 12 years in prison with one year credited for time already served while waiting for trial. He is not eligible for early parole but could be released in 8.5 years for good behavior.

According to the state Highway Patrol, Kohuth has two prior North Carolina DWI convictions. Kohuth previously worked on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

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Sergeant Michael Kane, with the Stallings Police Department, was arrested for driving while intoxicated in North Carolina early Friday morning. The state Highway Patrol initiated a traffic stop in Union County and arrested Kane for drunk driving. He was released on a written promise to appear in court.

Kane was placed on indefinite leave without pay, pending the outcome of an internal investigation by the Stallings PD and a criminal investigation by the North Carolina Highway Patrol. Kane has about 20 years of experience as a police officer, and has been with the Stallings PD sine June 2004.

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A recent deadly accident involving a repeat North Carolina DWI offender has legislators saying they are open increasing the length of time that alcohol detecting ankle bracelets can be used in the fight on drunk driving. Current North Carolina law prohibits judges from requiring the bracelet in drunk driving cases for more than 60 days. The devices alert authorities when alcohol is detected in the perspiration of the wearer.

Such a device was part of Howard Pasour's sentence after he was convicted of third offense driving while intoxicated in NC. When the maximum time limit had expired, the bracelet was removed. On July 25, Pasour was speeding and driving drunk on a two lane road when he crashed into an on-coming car, killing a 17-year old woman. Open containers of alcohol were found in his vehicle and he was charged with seven felonies.

A Democratic State Senator and a Democratic State Representative are considering legislation to extend the amount of time use of a bracelet can be mandated. Lawmakers are investigating ways to ensure indigent offenders could afford the fees associated with the bracelets. The existing law was designed to limit the cost impact of wearing the device, which can cost $12 a day. Some local governments have expressed interest in off-setting the cost because the bracelets are less expensive than jailing DWI offenders.

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The Governor's Highway Safety Program has announced that 1,291 motorists were arrested for suspicion of driving while intoxicated in North Carolina during the statewide 'Booze It & Lose It: Operation Firecracker' campaign. The effort included assistance from state and local law enforcement agencies and was conducted between June 28 and the close of the Fourth of July weekend.

'Booze It & Lose It' included 4,609 sobriety checkpoints and dedicated North Carolina DWI patrols. A total of 49,235 traffic and criminal citations were issued for offenses including speeding, reckless driving, possession of drugs and failure to use a seatbelt.

The counties with the highest number of arrests for DWI in North Carolina were Mecklenburg, Wake and New Hanover.

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A Gastonia woman was charged with driving while intoxicated in North Carolina twice in two hours. Kelly Michelle Ray was stopped around 2:41 am on Sunday for having a burned out bulb over her license plate. The officer conducting the traffic stop suspected Ray was impaired and a breath test revealed a blood alcohol content of .15%. The legal limit for driving while impaired in NC is .08%.

Ray was released on bond for the first DWI arrest. She was picked up by her boyfriend but was taken directly to her 2002 Chevrolet and she proceeded to drive away.

At 4:45 am another Gastonia officer stopped Ray for crossing the center line of a two lane road. A breath test registered a BAC of .10%. With the second arrest, a magistrate ordered Ray be jailed on $5000 bond and held until sober.

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A 19-year old woman has been charged with DWI in North Carolina after she lost control of her car and struck a tree. Randi Petrolino reportedly blacked out after inhaling dust remover while crossing the Heide Trask Drawbridge in Wrightsville Beach. Shortly after midnight Tuesday morning, Petrolino crashed through a yield sign, ran over a median, narrowly missed a power pole and hit a bed of mulch while doing an estimated 70 miles per hour. The vehicle was then launched into the air, traveling 66 feet before hitting a tree at an estimated 45 miles per hour.

A witness says that when Petrolino regained consciousness she ran from the wrecked vehicle saying she could not get another DWI.

An investigating Wrightsville Beach police officer said that Petrolino and two occupants in the car had been huffing 'CleanSafe' and drinking alcohol. All three people in the car were taken to New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

Petrolino was booked on charges of North Carolina DWI, underage consumption, possessing toxic fumes, inhaling toxic fumes and failure to report an accident. She was released to the custody of her mother in lieu of bond. The damage to her vehicle was estimated to be $10,000.

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