A Polk County sheriff

A New York City chauffeur was arrested for driving while intoxicated in NY on January 1. Nathaniel Chambers was on his way to pick up Commissioner Robert Hess and drive him to a 2010 inauguration ceremony when he was stopped on the Triborough Bridge. Chambers pulled up to the toll booth around 10:20 am, driving in the EZ-Pass lane without a pass. He had a flashing red light on the dashboard, and explained to the toll collector that he was in a hurry to pick up Hess.

MTA Bridge and Tunnel officers responding to the scene said that Chambers could barely stand when he exited the vehicle. Chambers reportedly became angry with the officers and refused to submit to a breath test to check blood alcohol content. According to the arrest report, even without a test being properly executed, the Breathalyzer equipment registered a BAC of .089% while the breathing tube was in front of Chambers

An assemblyman from San Mateo has introduced legislation calling for increased restrictions on driver’s licenses following a third arrest for driving under the influence in California. Jerry Hill has proposed a 3-strike law that would allow judges to permanently revoke a license after a third CA DUI. The legislation would also allow the Department of Motor Vehicles to review a driver

An off-duty police officer was charged with driving under the influence in Pennsylvania after he crashed his H3 Hummer into two parked police cruisers. The squad cars were parked near a police roadblock when Thomas Walker hit them around 2:00 am Friday, injuring one officer in each vehicle.

Police said that Walker lives in Cecil Township and is employed in nearby South Fayette. The vehicles he struck were from neighboring Bridgeville, southwest of Pittsburgh. The two officers were investigating a report of shots being fired. Walker was placed in a squad car while officers responding to the scene checked on the injured men. Walker however got out the squad car and started walking away, ignoring the instructions of the police. He was handcuffed and returned to the squad car.

The two injured officers are in stable condition in a local hospital. Walker was also taken to a hospital, where a blood sample was taken to check for blood alcohol content. He was booked on suspicion of DUI in PA and aggravated assault.

The South Fayette police chief said that the department would conduct an internal investigation before considering action against Walker.

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The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled 4-3 to uphold the seizure of a vehicle involved in a drunk driving arrest. David Lee Laase claimed he was an innocent owner of a vehicle taken by police after his wife was arrested for driving while intoxicated in Minnesota.

Jean Margaret Laase was charged with MN DWI in 2006 after being stopped for erratic driving. Her blood alcohol content registered 0.22%, nearly three times the legal limit for intoxication. She pleaded guilty to gross misdemeanor DWI. Because of a prior DWI conviction, the law permitted the 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe she was driving to be seized.

David Lee Laase said he is the rightful owner of the vehicle, and indicated that he had no knowledge of his wife

The Playboy Playmate featured as Miss May 2009 has avoided prosecution for suspicion of driving under the influence in Chicago. Crystal McCahill was stopped last January after running a red light. She told the officer she had been drinking at the Climax Bar, where she worked. The Chicago Police Department officer claims that McCahill voluntarily went to the district police station on the Near North Side, where a blood alcohol test revealed a BAC more than twice the legal limit for intoxication.

McCahill’s Illinois DUI defense attorney countered that his client was arrested prior to going to the district station. Since the officer had not conducted a field sobriety test there was insufficient reason to place McCahill under arrest.

A Cook County Judge ruled that McCahill should not have been arrested on the scene for DUI in Illinois. Prosecutors are considering an appeal. A Chicago Police spokesperson said he felt the officer acted appropriately during the DUI investigation and felt the evidence showed McCahill was in fact intoxicated.

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The Ohio State Highway Patrol has released statistics on the counties with the highest number of arrests for driving under the influence or operating a vehicle impaired. The totals reflect arrests made by state troopers only, not local law enforcement agencies.

Ohio DUI laws state that a motorist can be charged with impaired ‘driving’ by simply ‘operating’ or being in a vehicle. Felony DUI/OVI charges are filed when a motorist has 3 prior DUI convictions within six years or 5 offenses within 20 years.

Counties with the most misdemeanor Ohio DUI arrests:
1. Franklin County – 3,080 arrests
2. Butler County – 1,992
3. Lucas County – 1,817
4. Stark County – 1,597
5. Lorain County – 1,591
6. Montgomery County – 1,442
7. Mahoning County – 1,207
8. Portage County – 1,205
9. Hamilton County – 1,139
10. Trumbull County – 1,089

Counties with the most felony OH DUI arrests:
1. Lorain County – 42 cases
2. Belmont County – 22
3. Stark County – 22
4. Franklin County – 20
5. Scioto County – 20
6. Richland County – 17
7. Butler County – 16
8. Ross County – 16
9. Lawrence County – 14
10. Ashtabula County – 13

Were you one of those arrested for OVI in OH and need a DUI Lawyer to represent you?

Police in Central Pennsylvania charged a Catholic priest with driving under the influence of alcohol. According to the arrest report, Monsignor Anthony B. Little rear-ended a stopped vehicle on Thanksgiving. He failed four field sobriety tests and registered a blood-alcohol content of .34%, more than four times the .08% legal limit for DUI in PA. The occupant of the other car was not injured.

Monsignor Little denied having a drinking problem and expressed regret, saying “It was just a stupid thing” and citing “poor judgment” following a family gathering. While not extending an excuse, Little said that it was the first family gathering since the death of his younger brother, and said “I guess it was just the time missing him.”

A spokesperson with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Altoona-Johnstown said the episode is a personal matter and declined to comment. Little remains in his role as pastor at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Newry, Pennsylvania, about 85 miles east of Pittsburgh.

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The Office of Traffic Safety has announced that $8 million has been allocated for law enforcement activities that deter driving under the influence in California. The monies, an increase from $5 million in 2009, will be used to fund DUI checkpoints throughout the state. 148 agencies will share the grant money to conduct more than 2,500 sobriety checkpoints. That is an increase of 47% over this year

State lawmakers recently enacted legislation calling for increased penalties for driving while intoxicated in New York when there is a child in the vehicle. The measure was signed into law by Gov. David Patterson last month and it is to go into effect on Friday.

Called Leandra’s Law, enhanced penalties are applied when a child under 15 years of age is in a vehicle at the time of a DWI arrest. It makes even a first offense for drunk driving in New York a felony punishable by up to four years in prison. Those convicted under the law will have to install ignition interlock devices in their vehicle, and they will be reported to the state Center of Child Abuse and Maltreatment. The measure makes NY DWI laws some of the toughest in the nation.

The law is named after Leandra Rosado, an eleven-year old who died when the vehicle she was in flipped over while the driver was intoxicated.

During 2008, 200 children under the age of 15 were in vehicles involved in New York alcohol related accidents. 60 of them were killed or injured.

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