A drunk driver in Largo, Florida was sentenced to 26 years in prison after being involved in a fatal DUI crash. Scott Nicholson has plead guilty to one count of reckless driving and two counts of DUI manslaughter as a result of his June 2011 crash. Apparently, Nicholson was driving in excess of 100 mph when he crashed his 2007 Chevy Cobalt into a 2003 Saturn, seriously injuring the driver and killing the two passengers. While his blood alcohol content (BAC) level was found by police to be .13% after the accident, toxicologists say it could have been as high as .17% at the time of the accident. That would mean that Nicholson was driving with a BAC more than twice the legal limit of .08% at the time of the crash. After Nicholson plead guilty, he turned to the victims families and said, “I feel so bad and I would like to first apologize first to each family for their loss.”

Janet Nusspickel, whose daughter Diana was killed in the accident, recalls the day she received the news that her daughter had been killed. Janet was driving a school bus to Northeast High School when she received a call from a police officer who said he needed to speak with her in person and as soon as possible. Then, her husband called, telling her that their daughter had been killed in an accident. Shockingly, Janet finished her bus route. Nicholson was not given the maximum sentence after Judge Ley acknowledged he spared the families the painful ordeal of a lengthy trial when he plead guilty. Scott Nicholson also told the families “There is no excuse I can make, it was careless and reckless on my behalf. I’m sorry for the pain I have caused each and every one of you“. The responses from many of the victims family members were mixed before Nicholson was sentenced, with many asking for forgiveness and others asking for the maximum penalty.

If you have been arrested for driving drunk, contact an experienced and skilled Florida DUI attorney for legal assistance.

On Sunday, October 28, Connecticut police personnel responded to an emergency phone call from a two-apartment home that had been crashed by a 2003 Toyota Avalon. Officers immediately rushed to the home, where they found residents Gregory and Elizabeth Torres trapped under the debris caused by the accident. They were rushed to the Hartford Hospital for “blunt trauma” and minor injuries. The motorist fled the crime scene and left the car abandoned.

Sgt. Scott Custer, public information police officer, stated: “We’re believing the car left the roadway at 80 miles per hour when it went through the house…we’re extremely fortunate that no one was seriously injured…there were younger children who lived in the house, but had been sleeping over at a relative’s, and the car went right through the children’s bedroom.” 

Connecticut police diligently searched for the drivers responsible for the wreck. Luckily, they found Gregory Simeon, 18, and an unnamed juvenile, 17, walking along Dart Hill Road. At first the two males denied taking any part in the accident. However, after police continued to question the two males, they finally admitted that they were both passengers in the Toyota Avalon that crashed into the home. Moments later, police found the driver, Jeffrey Daigneault, walking near the Cumberland Farms in Ellington. It was determined that he had been drunk driving. Daigneault was “charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless driving. He was released on a $5,000 non-surety bond, and was scheduled to appear in Manchester Superior Court on Monday, Nov. 5.”

Prior to the accident, the three individuals had “dine-and-dashed” at Denny’s, leaving the restaurant with an unpaid check. It was also determined that the vehicle had been borrowed from a woman Daigneault met a while back.

If you have been arrested for driving drunk, contact an experienced and skilled Connecticut DUI attorney for legal assistance.

Patricia Eppley, a Hernando High School teacher in Brooksville, Florida, was arrested for DUI on October 19, 2012. According to police, Eppley was traveling north on U.S. 41 when she drifted into the oncoming traffic lane and struck another vehicle. The driver in the vehicle Eppley struck lost control and hit a tree just off the highway. Police found Eppley at Hernando High School, parked in the bus loop and asked her to perform a few field sobriety tests. Eppley failed the field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest by officers. Her blood alcohol content (BAC) level was later found to be .062%.”

Patricia Eppley has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident and DUI property damage. Many people might be wondering how Eppley has been allowed back into her classroom to teach, but Josh Huston of the State Attorneys office has noted that her charges were only misdemeanors and do not result in teachers being kept out of the classroom. Superintendent Bryan Blavatt also noted that district policy mandates that educators and district employees only be investigated pending the outcome of felony charges, which Eppley does not face. Commenting on Eppleys charges, Huston said, “If her accident had resulted in serious bodily injury, she would likely be charged with a felony, but for first-time offenses, they’re normally charged as misdemeanors.” Patricia Eppley is scheduled to appear in court on November 21, 2012 for arraingment.

If you have been arrested for driving drunk, contact an experienced and skilled Florida DUI attorney for legal assistance.

Iya Falcone, former Santa Barbara Councilwoman, was convicted of DUI on Monday. Investigations related to the incident, which occurred on September 19, showed that Falcone had a receipt that showed she bought a cocktail at 9:58 a.m. at the Mesa Cafe. A little less than half an hour later, a police official stopped her for suspicion of DUI. Her blood alcohol level was .24 and she hit a parked car near the Mesa Shopping Center. Due to the fact that Falcone is a public figure and that her blood level was allegedly three times the legal limit, she received a different punishment.

According to sources, Falcone was “ordered to pay $2,500 in fines and court fees — $500 more than most DUI offenders…attend nine months of alcohol school — six months more than most offenders get…and required to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings twice a week for 30 days.” In addition to that, the judge also demanded Falcone to give four public lectures at schools or other non profit organizations about the consequences associated with drunk driving.

Although Falcone’s lawyer refused to disclose any information to the public, Falcone managed to tell KEY News: “I did have two glasses of wine and I take medications, they don’t mix… This is very unfortunate, I’m very sorry for those involved, it will never happen again.”

If you have been arrested for driving drunk, contact an experienced and skilled California DUI attorney for legal assistance.

Timothy Ryan, a District Court Judge in Snohomish County, Washington was arrested for suspected drunken driving on August 29, 2012 and has avoided a conviction based on a lack of sufficient evidence. According to police, Ryan was pulled over by a state trooper for speeding and driving erratically along the Bothell-Everett Highway. When the trooper questioned Ryan, he noticed several signs of alcohol intoxication such as slurred speech, an odor of alcohol, and glassy, blood-shot eyes. After suspecting him of drunk driving, the trooper asked Ryan to perform a few field sobriety tests, which the judge declined. Timothy Ryan was then arrested and taken to the Mill Creek police headquarters where he also refused to submit a breathalyzer test. While state troopers believe Ryan was clearly intoxicated, especially after having admitted that he did drink a beer at dinner before being pulled over, the King County prosecutor conceded that Ryan would benefit from the testimony of his friend and fellow District Judge.

However, their two stories don’t exactly add up. While Ryan maintains he only had one beer, his friend, Judge Roger Fisher, stated that Ryan had 2 glasses of wine at dinner over a 3 hour period. While enough time could have passed for Ryan’s body to metabolize the wine, he was still less than honest about what kind and how much alcohol he had. Erin Norgaard, a deputy prosecutor, said “Although Judge (Ryan) lied to the trooper about the type and quantity of alcohol he consumed, the amount of alcohol that he did consume is still insufficient to prove impairment under the circumstances of this case“. According to state law, any person that refuses to submit a breathalyzer test faces a mandatory 2 year license suspension, although, Ryan is scheduled to appeal the suspension in an administrative hearing on November 27, 2012. Timothy Ryan has not presided over any cases in the last few months since he is on sick leave, recovering from hip surgery.

If you have been arrested for driving drunk, contact an experienced and skilled Washington DUI attorney for legal assistance.

Vanessa Macias, a former contestant on the TV show “The Amazing Race,” was arrested for DWI on October 26, 2012 at around 2 am. Macias was arrested in her hometown of San Antonio, Texas after police noticed her driving erratically and failing to use her signal. When policed questioned the former TV personality, she told them that she had consumed 3 vodka sodas at a Jason Aldean concert just a couple of hours prior to getting behind the wheel. According to the police report, Macias had blood-shot, glassy eyes and displayed other symptoms of alcohol intoxication. Macias had also visited a strip club between the concert and getting pulled over.

When police asked Macias to step out of her vehicle, she refused to do so and also balked at their request for a field sobriety test. She was arrested and taken to a local police station. She was booked on a misdemeanor driving while intoxicated charge and released just a few hours later on $1,000 bond. Her rep has yet to make any public statements regarding the arrest. Vanessa Macias started as a contestant on “The Amazing Race” and eventually finished in fourth place. She is currently working as a co-host on San Antonio’s KCYY morning radio show. Her performance on The Amazing Race and colorful personality is said to have helped her land the job at KCYY.

If you have been arrested for driving drunk, contact an experienced and skilled Texas DWI attorney for legal assistance.

An Alabama woman, who was wearing a Zombie costume for Halloween, was found intoxicated and sleeping on the wheel of her car. At first, due to her costume details and fake blood, police officials thought she had been shot to death.

A police source stated, “I can say that we are uncertain what her costume represented, but it did entail face paint and a large amount of fake blood. She believed that officers pulled her over, but they had to wake her as she sat at a traffic signal. The car was still running (in gear) when officers managed to wake her. ” The drunk driver was handcuffed and taken to a Birmingham jail. She was charged with a DUI.

If you have been arrested for driving drunk, contact an experienced and skilled Alabama DUI attorney for legal assistance.

Cynthia Neff, a local Democratic Party activist in Albemarle County, Virginia was arrested for DUI on October 28, 2012. Apparently, Neff was spotted driving erratically on Route 29 when an officer pulled her over near the 3600 block of Pritchett Ln. The police report states that the officer detected an odor of alcohol on Neff’s breath and asked her to complete a field sobriety test. Neff failed the test and was placed under arrest for DUI and taken to the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.”

Police have not released Neff’s blood alcohol level since the case is still pending. Cynthia Neff ran unsuccessfully in the November 2011 election for a seat on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors and was also defeated by Rob Bell when she ran for the Virginia House of Delegates in 2009. Neff was recently in the news when she bailed Albemarle Supervisor Christopher J. Dumler out of jail and secured his $50,000 bond by putting her house up as collateral. Dumler was charged with forcible sodomy before Neff bailed him out. Neff is no longer being held in the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail and is scheduled to make her first court appearance on November 5, 2012 at 9 am.

If you have been arrested for driving drunk, contact an experienced and skilled Virginia DUI attorney for legal assistance.

A repeat DWI offender arrested in Bryant, Arkansas has exposed a major flaw in the legal system when it comes to penalizing and treating alcohol abusers. Sheila Blair, the repeat DWI offender in question, just committed her 11th alcohol related offense and is back on the streets after having spent just 3 days in prison. Blair has been in and out of prison and treatment facilities since 1995. In 2007, Blair was sentenced to 10 years in prison as a result of her 10th DWI conviction, however, she paroled out of prison less than a year later under the emergency relief act. Blair was arrested again in September of 2012 after police caught her drinking in the passenger seat of a friend’s car. In 2004, she was sentenced to 2 years in a treatment facility, but once again, she paroled out after just one year.

The flaw, you may be wondering, is how can someone with 11 DWI related offenses still be out on the streets? The answer can be found in Arkansas’ 5 year rule, which says that if the violator has gone 5 years without any DWI conviction, their next DWI related offense is considered their 1st offense. Ken Casady, the Saline County Prosecutor, said “If Miss Blair were to get another DWI, be arrested for driving, despite everything that is in her past, her charge would be DWI first offense” and “She’s had an extraordinary amount of trouble and you know this might be an indication that everything the system has provided her has not helped“. Many people would agree with Casady that the current legal system my not actually be beneficial to a repeat DWI offender. With regard to Blair’s current misdemeanor charge, since she violated her parole, the parole board could send her back to prison to finish the rest of her 10 year sentence. Although, if she goes to court and pleads not guilty, the maximum sentence she could receive would be just 30 days. The question is, will she serve the entirety of whatever punishment she receives or will she once again be released early?

If you have been arrested for driving drunk, contact an experienced and skilled Arkansas DWI attorney for legal assistance.