Former Texas Longhorn quarterback Peter Gardere was arrested in central Austin for driving while intoxicated. Gardere was stopped by Austin Police at 17th Street and Lavaca for running a traffic light around 2:00 am Thursday. Officers detected a strong odor of alcohol and Gardere failed a field sobriety test. He was booked at Travis County Jail for Texas DWI and released around 6:00 am.

Gardere was starting quarterback for The University of Texas from 1989 to 1992, and he accumulated a 25-16 record. He earned the nickname ‘Peter the Great’ after leading the Longhorns to four straight wins over arch-rival Oklahoma.

Gardere had a short pro football career, being cut by the Seattle Seahawks and later by the New Orleans Saints. He briefly played in the Canadian Football League as a punter. Gardere currently works in commercial real estate for Stratus Properties Inc. in Austin.

If you have been arrested DWI in Travis County, Texas you will need to hire a Austin DWI lawyer to fight your Texas DWI charge and to help you try to save your driver’s license.

Oil trail leads to arrest in Washington – Kennewick police were alerted to a car crashing into a light pole around 2:00 in the morning and then fleeing the scene. They found a trail of oil, which they followed several blocks until they found Paul A. Kuhns. Kuhns, 32, was arrested for DUI and hit and run.

Obviously missing something in South Carolina – Alexander Ocampo was charged with South Carolina DUI and leaving the scene of an accident. It seems the 27-year old briefly lost control of his car in Hilton Head Island and continued on despite the fact that his passenger had been ejected through an open window.

Bringing it to the house in Pennsylvania – Kenneth Ring, of Pleasant Gap, crashed his Jeep Cherokee into the rear entrance of the Centre County Courthouse. After registering a BAC of .20%, Ring was charged with his third Pennsylvania DUI. The county hopes to be able recoup the cost of damages.

I hear you knocking in New York – Police tried to stop Duane Miller, 43, of Fine, when he was seen speeding with only one headlight. Miller led them on a 15 mile chase before stopping. He then locked the doors of his pickup and refused to cooperate with police. Eventually he did come out and was charged with felony New York DWI, unlawful fleeing a police officer and resisting arrest.

It has been learned that former ‘General Hospital’ soap opera actor Sean Kanan was arrested in Los Angeles for California DUI. The 40-year old actor was stopped last month around 3:45 in the morning. Kanan received two misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence and having a blood alcohol content above the legal limit of .08%. This is his second DUI offense, as he was convicted of drunk driving in 1998.

This news comes on the heels of an announcement that current ‘General Hospital’ star Kirsten Storms was booked for DUI last week.

Kanan was a member of ‘General Hospital’ in the 1990’s. He also performed on ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ and played Ralph Macchio’s nemesis in ‘Karate Kid III’.

During a driver’s license suspension appeal, a New Hampshire DWI attorney raised a unique defensive tool for his client – burping.

Frederick Cronin was arrested by state police for suspicion of drunk driving. He was taken to a local police department where a breath test was to be conducted. Just before the test was to be administered however, Cronin burped. According to administrative rules, police officers are required to wait 20 minutes if the suspect vomits, regurgitates or belches.

After waiting the requisite time, the test was conducted. Police needed to take a required second breath sample but Cronin burped again. Police described it as a ‘dry burp’ and were uncertain whether to proceed. After discussing the issue, the police elected to take another breath sample immediately.

At a hearing before the state Department of Motor Vehicles, Cronin’s attorney argued that the rules regarding the administration of a breath test after a driver burps had not been followed and that the sample was compromised. There is no comment from any involved parties and a decision in this case has not yet been rendered.

Kirsten Storms, soap opera star and voice talent on a Disney series, was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence in Culver City. Storms, 23, was stopped around 3:00 am after police saw her toss a cigarette out of her Mercedes-Benz CLK500.

During the traffic stop, California Highway Patrol officers detected an odor of alcohol. Storms reportedly failed field sobriety tests and she was arrested for DUI in Los Angeles. She was released on $5,000 bail several hours later.

Storms is the voice of Bonnie Rockwaller on the animated Disney series

Tailgating the wrong car in New York – Jeffrey Combs, 23, from West Harrison, earned a New York DWI after tailgating a White Plains police cruiser around 6:00 am. Combs passed the police car and ran a red light before being stopped.

Making noise in New Jersey – Huemantzi Betanzos, 26, of Lindenwold, was pulled over in the city center of Vineland, New Jersey for cranking his stereo up so loud that he was in violation of the city’s noise ordinance. After police noticed the smell of alcohol, Betzano failed a field sobriety test and was charged with New Jersey DWI.

Hey, look at me in Florida – As if driving a $400,000 yellow Lamborghini wouldn’t create enough attention, Ronald Tridico wrecked his brand new exotic car while driving drunk. The 39-year old from Windermere lost control in a curve near Orlando, left the road and crashed. He left the scene even though his wife, who was a passenger, suffered minor injuries.

Can you hear me now in Kansas – Police patrolling downtown Lawrence, Kansas were attracted to the sound of a revving car engine. They found a man slumped in the seat of a locked sport utility vehicle with the engine running. The motorist woke briefly and tried to put the vehicle in gear before passing out again. Police managed to unlock the driver’s door and charge the driver with driving under the influence.

Jodirae B. Brown of Cortland, Ohio had her DUI conviction overturned by the 11th District Court of Appeals. The reason cited was a lack of sufficient evidence to warrant the traffic stop that lead to the arrest.

Brown was charged with drunk driving three years ago by a Liberty police officer for allegedly driving ‘somewhat erratic’. The officer said he stopped Ms. Brown around 2:00 am for a marked lane violation, though in cross-examination at a suppression hearing held in Girard Municipal Court he admitted that Brown had stayed entirely in her lane.

The court ruling stated, “In this case, the record does not reveal any [indication] of erratic driving behind some modest weaving by Mrs. Brown in her own lane of traffic.” The Ohio DUI charge against Brown was ordered returned to the Municipal Court so they can proceed in line with the Appeals Court ruling.

The hottest new thing from beer companies is alcoholic energy drinks. Products like Miller Brewing Company’s Sparks and Bud Extra from Anheuser-Busch offer a mix of caffeine and alcohol. Law enforcement and DUI prosecutors worry though that drivers who are legally drunk may not feel the extent of their impairment because of the caffeine.

The beer companies are responding to a trend among younger drinkers to mix energy drinks, such as Red Bull, with alcohol. The new beer and caffeine products typically have substantially higher alcohol content than regular beer. Besides caffeine, the energy drinks can contain herbal stimulants, further masking the effects of alcohol. A study published in ‘Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research’ showed that the drinkers reported feeling fewer symptoms of intoxication while drinking the caffeine laden drinks even though coordination tests showed they were indeed impaired.

While adults have long mixed caffeinated drinks like Coke with alcohol, there is concern about the overt marketing of new energy drinks to younger drinkers. Another Anheuser-Busch product called Spykes was pulled from shelves after a storm of criticism. The 12 percent alcohol drinks offered both fruit and chocolate flavors favored by young people. Critics of the energy drink trend call beer brewers “totally irresponsible.”

Santa Clara County law enforcement agencies recorded a notable increase in California DUI arrests over the 2007 Labor Day Holiday. California Highway Patrol Officer Mike Wright said,

May 26, 2012