Mark E. Ditka-Son of Former Chicago Bears Coach-Receives DUI

Mark E. Ditka, who is the son of former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka, was charged with DUI after police officials found an unmarked bottle containing Hydrocodone in his vehicle. Ditka was arrested at the scene of crime near his Deerfield home.

Officials stopped him around 4 a.m. for erratic driving and improper lane usage near Central Avenue in the north suburb. They then discovered that he was driving with a suspended driver’s license. After pulling him aside, officials administered field sobriety tests due to the peculiarity of his behavior. According to sources, Ditka refused to give a breath alcohol sample and a blood test and when officers searched his vehicle, they found bottle of unmarked pills that turned out to be Hydrocodone, a controlled substance that requires a prescription.

Consequently, police officers charged him for DUI and possession of a controlled substance.  In addition, Ditka was given a citation for driving on a suspended driver’s license and an uninsured automobile, and improperly using lanes. Ditka was set free on a paid bond of $25,000.  However, he was summoned to appear in court on November 2, 2012.

If you or someone you know has been arrested for drunk driving, contact a skilled Illinois DUI attorney for legal assistance.

North Carolina Attorney Charged with Third DWI

A reputable North Carolina lawyer from Stanly County, Samp Craig Hopkins, Jr., received a DWI charge. This is Hopkins’ third DWI within six years. He usually fights for clients who face DWI or DUI charges, but this time he is the one who will need representation.

Hopkins, who is 61 years old, was charged and convicted with his first DWI in 2006. Later, in March 2011, he received his second DWI. Sources claim, he was found guilty in district court, but is appealing that decision to Superior Court. He is summoned to a hearing of that case on November 5, 2012. Hopkins was charged with a third DWI in March 2012. This past Tuesday, he presented himself in court for a hearing about it. His case was continued.

News reporters from WBTV attempted to get some explanations from him early on Tuesday, as he was walking into the Stanly County courthouse. Unfortunately, the only response they got from Hopkins was, “Man, how about leaving me alone?” His attorney will not discuss details about Hopkins’ DWI charges to the media. However, he did say that a judge, from another area, will be handling the case in order to avoid conflicts of interest.
If you or someone you know has been arrested for drunk driving, contact a skilled North Carolina DUI attorney for legal assistance.

Patty Philipps Congressional Candidate Arrested For DUI

Patty Philipps, Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives in North Carolina, was arrested for driving while intoxicated on October 6, 2012. Philipps, who is also a member of  the Mebane City Council, was pulled over around 2:30 a.m. by a highway patrol officer and had a blood alcohol content (BAC) level of .15%, nearly double the .08 legal limit. Philipps is running for House District 63 in Alamance County and people are wondering if her drunk driving arrest will affect the campaign.

Patty Philipps was quick to apologize for the incident and quickly made a public statement, saying, “I made a serious mistake. I’m deeply sorry and apologize to my family, friends and community.” Despite the arrest, Philipps is determined to stay in the congressional race and made her long record of community service her primary focus. Her opponent in the race, republican candidate and former mayor Steve Ross heard about her arrest but refused to comment on the matter.

If you have been arrested for driving drunk, contact a skilled North Carolina DUI attorney for legal assistance.

Casey Pachall Withdraws From TCU After DUI Arrest

Casey Pachall, quarterback for Texas Christian University, has officially withdrawn from classes and will enter a treatment facility for drug and alcohol abuse. Pachall was arrested on October 4, 2012 for DUI and will miss the rest of the 2012 college football season. Head coach Gary Patterson said, “We want to make sure we can make this turn into a positive, Casey’s parents, Casey and I, we all agreed that there was only one way to change the path he was on — to step away from it.” According to police reports, Casey Pachall had a blood alcohol content (BAC) level of .15%, almost double the legal limit of .08%.

Pachall has played a vital role in the team’s success, which was felt recently with a loss against Iowa State, 37-23. In February of 2012, Pachall was part of a campus drug bust that resulted in the arrest of 17 TCU students including his then roommate and teammate Tanner Brock. Pachall was not charged or arrested in the bust however. Casey Pachall has also admitted to using cocaine and ecstasy, although he claims he only tried the drugs once and has not used since. Should Pachall return to play football for TCU in 2013, he will have only one year of eligibility remaining as a fifth year senior.

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

Deputy Jonathan Reifsteck Leads Illinois DUI Arrests

Deputy Jonathan Reifsteck of the Champaign County Sheriff’s Department in Illinois has established himself as one of the county’s leaders in DUI arrests. In fact, he’s become so good at what he does that he’s made nearly 100 DUI arrests so far this year. That accounts for 25% of all DUI arrests made by the 13 law enforcement agencies throughout Champaign County in 2012, just through September 20. His DUI arrests also account for 80% of the arrests made by the entire sheriff’s office patrol division. Reifsteck has worked with the Champaign County sheriff’s office throughout his entire 12-year career and was recently lauded by the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorist for his outstanding work.

Reifsteck has several personal observations he makes when trying to assess a possible intoxicated driver including behavior, posture, glassy or bloodshot eyes, odors and slurred speech. Reifsteck recalls one heavily intoxicated driver, saying, “I had one guy who immediately got out and fell on his face, all on video. That definitely helps.”

Reifsteck insists that there is nothing particular about DUI cases that motivate him, instead, he firmly believes they are just a part of his job. The Deputy regularly attends continuing education courses on DUI enforcement and when it comes to his arrest numbers, he says, “I don’t have a goal. If I come across 100 (impaired drivers) I should have 100 arrests.” Fellow officers have publicly praised Reifsteck for his diligence and have also noted how many lives he has likely saved as a result of his work.

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

DUI Checkpoint: Police Checkpoint In Cape Coral, FL

Police in Cape Coral, Florida are preparing a DUI checkpoint for this coming weekend starting on October 12, 2012. The DUI checkpoint, set up at an undisclosed location in Lee County, is part of a continued effort by police to prevent drunk driving as well as fatal crashes involving alcohol. The effort is part of the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign and emphasizes removing impaired drivers from the road, reducing the likelihood of impaired drivers operating their vehicles as well as increasing awareness and educating the public on the dangers of drunk driving.

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, there were 20 fatalities and 368 injuries resulting from over 500 alcohol related crashes. The Lee County Sheriff’s Department intends to use the DUI Checkpoint as part of an effort to curb these alcohol related traffic fatalities and injuries. Lee County has also encouraged other motorists on the road to dial 9-1-1 to report drunk drivers on the road.

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

A drunk driver in Slatington, Pennsylvania fought with police when they attempted to arrest him outside his home on October 6, 2012. Police were responding to a domestic disturbance call when they were told that John Breneman had already driven off. When they attempted to pull him over, Breneman continued driving until he arrived at his home. Police gave Breneman a breathalyzer test, which he failed and when police told him he was under arrest, he proceeded to shove one officer and attempted to kick another.

The disturbance call apparently involved Breneman and his son, who told police that his father had shoved him up against a truck and threatened to kill him. John Breneman has been charged with simple assault, attempting to elude police, terroristic threats, harassment and resisting arrest. John Breneman was arraigned and sent to Lehigh County Prison on $75,000 bail.

If you have been arrested for drunk driving, contact a skilled Pennsylvania DUI attorney for legal assistance.

Texas Drunk Driver Guilty of Murder in DWI Crash

A local from Seguin, Texas- Cody J. Lorenz– pleaded guilty of driving while intoxicated when he killed a woman last December. Lorenz, who is 22 years old, sped past a red light at Highway 46 and W. Kingsbury Rd, and collided into 19 year old Amber Robbins‘ car. Robbins did not survive the horrible accident.

Law enforcement officials claim that Lorenz was drunk and that he already had two previous DWI charges when the accident occurred. Therefore, District Judge W.C. “Bud” Kirkendall convicted him of murder this time. According to the law “murder while committing a felony is a first-degree felony punishable by a sentence of five to 99 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.” Lorenz is scheduled to be sentenced at 9 a.m. on November 27.