Pennsylvania State Trooper Driving Cruiser Drunk

On July 12, 2012, Pennsylvania State Police Officers had to remind one of their own that no one is above the law. That officer who crossed that line was Kevin Wackley, a 47 year old trooper. Sergeant Robert Wagner stated that he was alerted by another local officer who had just spoken to Wackley that he may be intoxicated. Shortly thereafter, fellow officers found that Wackley had a Blood Alcohol Level above the state’s .08% limit.

Apparently, Wackley had been driving drunk in his marked police cruiser before fellow officers discovered he was intoxicated and will be charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI). It is possible that Officer Wackley could face administrative charges. Officer Wackley has since been suspended pending further investigation. This incident is just another reminder that no one should get behind the wheel if they have been drinking, especially if they have taken an oath to protect and serve their community from drunk drivers.

If you have been arrested for DUI, contact a skilled Pennsylvania DUI attorney for help.

Randy Travis DWI Mugshot

American Country singer Randy Travis was arrested Tuesday night, August 7, 2012 for DWI in Texas after he crashed his vehicle into the barricades of a construction zone. The crash happened near his home in Tioga, Texas. The police were alerted to the accident when a passerby reported seeing “a guy laying in the road.” Texas Troopers responded to the scene and discovered that the Pontiac Trans Am in the crash was registered to Travis, who was found napping and unclothed nearby. While being escorted to his bed for the night at the Grayson County Jail, it has been reported that Travis became belligerent and made threats to “shoot and kill” the Troopers working on the case. Refusing to submit to field sobriety testing or a breathalyzer, Randy Travis’ blood was taken as evidence for the DWI charges against him. Under the Texas Implied Consent Law, a Refusal can result in a 180-day license suspension.

Randy Travis has a long history of run-ins with the law. In February of this year, he was arrested for public intoxication after he was found drunk in a vehicle in front of a Baptist church after celebrating the Super Bowl. Travis was released from jail on Wednesday August 8th, having spent just a few hours in the slammer, after a fan posted $21,500 in bail. Travis left the Grayson County jail in Sherman, Texas wearing a suit made of paper provided by the jail and a University of Texas baseball cap gifted by a local attorney who wanted to afford Travis some privacy as he made his exit. Right before his crash, a convenience store clerk made a 911 call to report a nude man (likely Travis) was walking around the store and asking for cigarettes. Randy Travis is being charged with retaliation in additon to DWI for threatening the State Troopers. A charge for retaliation is a felony count which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. In one of Randy Travis’ first interviews at the beginning of his career, he admitted that his trouble with the law began when he was only 10 years old.

If you have been arrested for DWI in Texas it’s important to contact a DWI lawyer in Texas to help you through this difficult time.

Maryland DUI Checkpoint

On the night of July 27, 2012, the Maryland Transportation Authority Police arrested several drivers after setting up a checkpoint at the Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge. The checkpoint was set up with the goal of education drivers on the penalties of driving drunk as well as enforcing traffic safety. While there were no arrests made from the checkpoint itself, several arrest were made by officers assigned to a saturation patrol near the checkpoint.

503 vehicles passed through the checkpoint and officers arrested 2 drivers for Driving Under the Influence(DUI) in addition to one warrant arrest and one traffic arrest. Police say that one of the 2 arrests for DUI involved a juvenile. Maryland Police continue to use these checkpoints as a way to prevent drunk driving accidents and protect drivers with relative success. According to the Maryland Department of Transportation, driver’s aged 15 to 20 are at the highest risk for fatal crashes involving alcohol. In fact, 70% of crashes in this age group involved the use of alcohol. These young drivers do only about 20% of their driving at night but account for 50% of nighttime fatalities with 20% of those crashes alcohol related.

If you or someone you know has been arrested for drunk driving in Maryland, contact an experienced and skilled Maryland DUI lawyer.

State Trooper Almost Struck by Drunk Driver

An Alabama State Trooper was nearly hit by a drunk driver early Sunday, August 5, 2012. The trooper was outside of his patrol car investigating another traffic crash, when a car hit the back of his patrol car on the northbound shoulder of I-65 near the Prattville exit.

Troopers say Willie Ball of Montgomery struck the patrol car, but fortunately the trooper was not hurt. Troopers arrested Ball and transported him to Baptist Medical Center for minor injuries, before taking him to the Montgomery County Jail.

Alabama has strick laws against drunk driving. In 2011, Alabama added new DUI laws including the Aggravated DUI & Ignition Interlock Device Law.

Las Vegas Motorcycle Police Officer Hit by Drunk Driver

At around 8PM on July 28th, the Las Vegas Police Department came close to losing one of their own in the line of duty when a 27 year old officer was struck by a truck traveling west near Lake Mead Boulevard. The driver in the truck apparently made a left turn and pulled out in front of the officers police motorcycle. The officer was taken to a local hospital in critical condition with injuries including a shattered wrist and injured head.

It is unclear what injuries the driver of the Ranger sustained, he was however charged with suspicion of Driving Under the Influence (DUI). In 2009, three of Las Vegas’ finest died in traffic accidents and Sgt. Richard Strader said he was glad the outcome in this particular accident was different. Those 3 fatal crashes in 2009 sparked a public outcry that has led to changes in the agency’s driving policies. Fortunately, those changes have resulted in a steady decline in crashes involving agency vehicles.

Officer Josh Williams, a 17 year veteran of the Waxahachie Police Department was struck by a suspected drunk driver early Saturday morning and died shortly thereafter at Baylor Medical Center. Officer Williams was responding to a disturbance at a fast food restaurant at around 12:30am when the accident occurred. The suspect, 24 year old Dylyn Richards, had a blood alcohol level exceeding the legal limit and was also speeding without his headlights on when he crashed into Officer Williams’ cruiser on the 600 block of North Highway 77. Reports state that Richards was driving at approximately 65 mph in a 45 mph zone.

While it has been nearly 13 years since a Waxahachie Police Officer has been killed in the line of duty, this horrible tragedy marks the 3rd drunk driving fatality involving a North Texas officer in a month.

Richards was also taken to the hospital under police custody and will be formally charged with intoxication manslaughter upon being taken to Ellis County Jail. Witnesses to the incident claim to have heard a loud crash similar to a dumpster being dropped. Fellow officers have already expressed their deepest sympathy to Officer Williams’ family in the midst of this tragic accident. Williams was considered a role model in his department and known for his dedication to protecting and serving the community. He was not only a husband but a father to three daughters. Police Chief Chuck Edge told a local television station that “Josh’s presence is well known and he’s going to be missed”.

Jason Kidd Arrested for DWI in New York

In the early hours of July 15th, NBA All-Star player Jason Kidd was arrested for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI). Kidd was driving near his summer home on Long Island when he apparently crashed into a telephone pole. The accident occurred around 2 a.m. and police described Kidd as “being intoxicated”. He was the only passenger in the car and no other vehicles were involved.

Kidd had only minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Fortunately, Kidd was unharmed although after being released from the hospital he was immediately transported to the local police station and eventually charged with a misdemeanor DUI charge. Kidd is a future Hall of Fame member and even won an NBA Championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011 before signing onto the New York Knicks for a 3 year, $9.5 Million contract. Kidd has had run-ins with authorities in the past, although none were DUI related.

If you have been arrested for Driving While Intoxicated – DWI in Long Island, call a skilled DWI lawyer in Nassau County.

George Pulos’ worst decisions

On the night of July 27th, what seemed like a nice gesture turned into one of George Pulos’ worst decisions. One of his friends, Antonio Tillison of Akron had been arrested and charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI). Police allowed Tillison to call a friend to pick him up at the jail and Pulos obliged. However, Tillison didn’t realise his friend had already been drinking when he agreed to pick him up.

Pulos, not being very familiar with Louisville had mistaken railroad tracks for a roadway and got his car stuck on the tracks. When officers arrived, they found that he had been drinking as well. After asking how much Pulos had to drink he replied, “I had three beers at the wedding and the last one was at 10:00”. After arresting and charging Pulos with drunk driving, the officers began calling the railroad company to notify them of a car stuck on the tracks when they realized a train was already headed straight for the vehicle. One of the officers began shouting, “There’s a train coming. Hey, hey, there’s a train coming!”. Fortunately, they were able to get everyone off the tracks in time but could only stand by helplessly as the train roared through and crushed the car.

Unfortunately, one bad decision can lead to another and this particular decision left two friends in jail and one without a car. Authorities used the accident as an example of the dangers in driving under the influence.

If you or someone you know has been arrested for DUI in Ohio, contact an experienced DUI attorney in Ohio.

Just this past Saturday, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper was shocked to see that the Air Force Sergeant he had cuffed and left on the curb was no longer there when he turned around. That sergeant, Montie Cole Whitmore of Wimauma had been pulled over by the trooper for speeding. In addition to detecting an odor of alcohol, the Florida Trooper then noticed that Whitmore’s eyes looked glassy and his speech seem slurred.

The trooper then placed Whitmore in cuffs and placed him on the curb so he could take a moment to check the status of Whitmore’s license. That was when Whitmore slipped his cuffed hands under his legs and made a run for it. He didn’t make it far though when officers set up a perimeter and caught him close by in Riverview. Sergeant Whitmore has been charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI), petty theft, obstruction without violence and escape. He was caught with the handcuffs still on and was held Sunday at the Hillsborough County Jail without bail.

If you have been arrested for DUI in Florida, call a skilled Florida DUI attorney before time it’s to late.

Amy Marie Harper, a former prosecutor
with the Spotsylvania County, Virginia

This past December, Amy Marie Harper, a former prosecutor with the Spotsylvania County commonwealth’s attorney’s office was driving her Porsche SUV when she rear-ended a car causing it to hit the vehicle in front of it as well. She was driving her vehicle at the time of the accident with a blood alcohol level of .09% while Virginia’s legal limit is .08%. She also faced charges for driving too closely and refusing to submit a breathalyzer test, however, those charges were not prosecuted. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in the accident.

She was fined $250 for the DWI conviction and another $206 for court costs in addition to having her license suspended for a year. Harper was also sentenced to 30 days in jail however that was suspended and she will instead have to attend Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program meetings. When video of the arrest was shown in court, Judge Thomas O. Jones, who recognized her as a former prosecutor commented, “she’s certainly not falling down drunk”. After being charged, Harper has since resigned from the Spotsylvania Commonwealth’s Attorney office.

If you or someone you know has been arrested for DWI in Virginia, contact a skilled Virginia DWI attorney to help you with your defense.