Articles

Georgia Issues Grants to Fight DUI Deaths

The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety in the State of Georgia recently unveiled a series of grant programs designed to be a comprehensive effort to reduce drunk driving deaths. The grants total nearly $5 million and they will be used by state organizations to tackle the issue of DUI related traffic fatalities from every angle, including alcohol awareness education, law enforcement, legal prosecution and driver rehabilitation.

Beneficiaries of the grant programs include:

– DUI Courts

Help create a separate and distinct court for DUI suspects with a special focus on rehabilitation and reduction of repeat DUI offenses. Those appearing in DUI Court will typically have multiple DUI arrests with high BAC.

– Alcohol and Drug Awareness Program
Revamp the curriculum of the program all teenagers under the age of 18 must pass before being issued a driver’s license.

– H.E.A.T. and DUI task force units
Funding specialized traffic enforcement units that focus on drunk driving, aggressive driving and excessive speeding.

– Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab
General grant for the Forensic Sciences Toxicology Section, which provides support for law enforcement officers by analyzing evidence in suspected DUI cases.

Alcohol and drugs are involved with one third of Georgia‘s traffic fatalities. Law enforcement officers in Georgia appear ready to stem that statistic by fighting drunk driving on all fronts.

May 26, 2012

This Week

San Diego, California – A woman faces felony DWI charges after ramming into a California Highway Patrol car around midnight. The officer was conducting a traffic stop when the drunk driver hit the back of the cruiser pushing it into the second vehicle which then knocked the officer to the ground. He was not seriously injured.

Charlotte, North Carolina – Not to be outdone by the above west coast incident, a North Carolina drunk driver hit not one but two Charlotte/Mecklenburg Police cars around 1 am. No one was injured though the officer in the second patrol car had just opened his car door when it was hit.

Spring Grove, Pennsylvania – Around 4 am Steven Clay Gaither, 21, lost control of his car and careened into the town square. He knocked a granite monument off its base and then hit and knocked over a light pole. The Pennsylvania State Police he was charged with DWI.

Merrimack, New Hampshire – Adam Gagnon, 21, was arrested for drinking and driving after crashing into a utility pole and leaving his vehicle. Gagnon’s 1995 Ford Contour hit the utility pole and snapped it in two near its base. He and three other passengers were found later in the morning at a nearby home. The road was closed for most of the day due to the accident.

Tampa, Florida – Sparing poles and monuments, a Florida drunk driver crashed into the local police headquarters. Christopher Jones then refused to get out of the car and he wrapped his arms around the steering wheel. Officers eventually had to Taser him. Jones was charged with DWI and resisting arrest.

May 26, 2012

Detroit Rapper Sent to Jail for DUI

Last summer rapper Royce DA 5’9" was arrested and charged with DWI in Oakland County, Michigan. Now the Detroit native and Eminem protege has been sentenced to jail for one year for a probation violation stemming from that DWI arrest.

Despite a recommendation from probation officers for parole or 30 days in jail, the judge imposed a one-year jail term. That has lead supporters and members of the hip hop industry to feel the rapper was made an example and that options may exist for a challenge to the judge’s decision. A source close to the rapper and founder of M.I.C.

Records told AllHipHop.com that "normally the judge takes the probation people’s recommendations but they sentenced him to a year because they wanted him to think about it."

Born Royce Montgomery, Royce DA 5’9" starred on the song ‘Rock City’ and he has recently been working with DJ Premiere and DJ Butter on albums. A relationship between Royce and Eminem went sour after Eminem signed 50 Cent to his Shady Records label.

May 26, 2012

Tough Maryland Drunk Driving Law Starts This Weekend

A new Maryland DWI law goes into effect this weekend that is aimed at reducing the number of underage drunk drivers. Starting Sunday, drivers under the age of 21 who are found guilty of driving under the influence of either alcohol or drugs will lose their driver’s license for one year. Subsequent offenses will result in having the license suspended for two years.

The Maryland DWI law was passed by the Maryland General Assembly last April and signed into law by the governor. Previously minors charged with a first-time Maryland DWI lost their driver’s license for a maximum of six months.

According to studies, of all alcohol or drug related traffic accidents in Maryland, approximately 12% involve teenagers.

The new bill "hits teenage drivers where it hits them the most – the loss of a driver’s license," said Kurt Gregory Erickson, president of the Washington Regional Alcohol Program.

May 26, 2012

Bernalillo County New Mexico Implements New DWI Program

With years of experience with DWI cases the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court has been able to develop profiles of drunk drivers and to identify first-time DWI offenders who are most likely to drink and drive again. That profiling has lead to a new program designed to address high-risk offenders.

The Traffic Safety Bureau of the New Mexico Transportation Department has given the Metropolitan Court a $750,000 grant to expand the efforts of an existing Ignition Interlock program. The special unit will install ignition interlocks for and supervise probation of about 1500 DWI defendants a year who are deemed potential repeat offenders after their first DWI offense. The program is the first of its kind in New Mexico and it was developed by the Metropolitan Court staff.

DWI Offenders will be required to enter the new program after a number of criteria have been considered. These include high blood alcohol levels, prior arrest records, alcohol or drug history, as well as criminal background.

Currently, those convicted of a first-time DWI offense receive unsupervised probation and they must complete an alcohol counseling course and attend a victim’s impact panel. With the additional funding, probation officers can ensure that offenders complete the conditions of their sentence and they can initiate quick action when a probation

violation occurs.

The pilot program became operational at the end of August and it will run for two years.

Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court Chief Judge Judith Nakamura says, "We are convinced we can improve community safety this way."

August 26, 2013

Long Island Man Allowed to Sue for False DWI Arrest

A U.S. District Court has confirmed the right of a Long Island, New York man to sue Nassau County for being charged with DWI when he actually was suffering from a stroke.

In August 2004, limousine driver Jorge Aguilera was stopped for suspicion of DWI while driving on the Long Island Expressway. A field sobriety test did not indicate a presence of alcohol yet Aquilera was still arrested for DWI and taken to the Mineola, New York police station. There he remained handcuffed for two hours, after which time he was subjected to additional alcohol and drug tests. All were negative, and eventually the charges were dropped.

After being released, Aguilera was taken to Winthrop University Hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with having a stroke.

District Court Judge Arthur Spatt recently denied Nassau County’s motion to have Aquilera’s suit against the county dismissed. Nassau County Attorney Lorna Goodman said the county is disappointed with the court ruling.

At the time of his DWI arrest Aguilera allegedly told the police that "he did not feel well and was unable to control his movements."

May 26, 2012

Odd Collection from the Police Blotter

Palmyra, Pennsylvania – James Myers, 56, has pledged not to drink and drive. Never again he said. The only thing was that he made that proclamation while being sentenced to state prison for his 18th DUI conviction. "I definitely learned my lesson through this whole process," said Myers.

Ladoga, Indiana – Ronald Richardson, 46, was charged with driving while intoxicated ( DWI ), along with several other offenses, after driving through a ditch, launching his car into the air, landing on a gas pump, starting a blazing inferno and finally blasting through the wall of a convenience store. Four customers and three workers were unharmed though two vehicles were burned in the parking lot. A convenience store employee said the crash "reminded me of ‘The Dukes of Hazzard."

Seattle, Washington – A drunk driver killed himself and his passenger after crashing into Puget Sound at an estimated 100 miles per hour. Now it has been disclosed that the driver, Roy Espiritu, 17, advocated alcohol consumption on his MySpace site. He listed his interests as alcohol, beer, booze, hard liquor, spirits and wine. He further wrote "Don’t Drink n Drive – Drive n Drink.

Selden, New York – Robert DeRosa, 51, was arrested for DWI after he appearing drunk at a police station. DeRosa drove to the station at 1:45 am to check on a friend who had been arrested for DWI earlier the same day.

May 26, 2012

Austin Texas Takes DWI Fight to the Bars

The Austin, Texas Police Department has identified bars in the city that drunk drivers are most likely to say was the last place they were served alcohol. The list was compiled after asking those stopped for suspicion of DWI where they had been drinking that night. That in turn gives police an indication of where to look for both drunk drivers and alcohol serving violations.

The Austin Police Department shares that information with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. It is the responsibility of TABC to investigate incidents of ‘over-serving’ or selling alcohol to someone who appears to be intoxicated.

Earlier this year the TABC created controversy when they sent undercover agents into bars looking for over-served patrons. The intent was to arrest drunks before they attempted to drive. The agents used cursory visual analysis rather than field sobriety tests or BAC equipment, which made the effort seem subjective. The action also failed to determine if the intoxicated person actually intended to drive or whether there was a sober designated driver available. As a consequence, the program was stopped.

The Austin Police would like to see the bar information they compile benefit both the police and TABC in the fight against drunk driving. The TABC has indicated an interest in resurrecting its undercover sting operation though it is conducting a review of procedures and policies.

In the mean time APD continues to update the list of bars most likely to have been frequented by a DWI suspect before getting on the road.

The current top five bars in are: 1. Cedar Street, 2. Rain, 3. Club Carnaval, 4. Blind Pig and 5. Oilcan Harry’s

August 22, 2013

Paris Hilton's DUI

Paris Hilton will not have her day in court to defend her DUI arrest. At least not right now. She was scheduled to appear in court today, September 28, in response to her recent DUI arrest but her California DUI defense attorney requested a postponement.

That, according to the spokesperson for Los Angeles city attorneys, Nick Velasquez, is not that unusual. Los Angeles DUI defense attorney Neil Shouse confirms that it is a common strategy to seek postponement of a first court date as it allows for a more complete compilation and review of facts and background information.

Hilton

May 26, 2012

Paris Hilton DUI Update

Hotel heiress and social butterfly Paris Hilton has been formally charged with DUI by Los Angeles city prosecutors. The charge stems from an arrest in early September after police spotted Hilton driving

November 11, 2014