Thomas Newell was charged with suspicion of driving under the influence in Northern California following a tip from another motorist. Newell was observed driving recklessly in his Mercedes-Benz by an off-duty firefighter. Responding California Highway Patrol officers suspected the influence of drugs and booked the defendant at the Sonoma County jail.

Newell, 53, is the supervisor in the Department of Health Services of the Sonoma County drug and alcohol services division. The program targets drunk driving offenders by offering addiction rehabilitation.

A blood sample was drawn though the results of toxicology tests will not be known for several weeks. Newell reportedly said he was taking pain killers for chronic pain from five knee surgeries and a hip replacement. A spokesperson said Newell is on leave from work, and made no further comments.

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On May 30, 2009 comedian Tony Rock entered a guilty plea to charges of driving under the influence in Los Angeles. The younger brother of Chris Rock was stopped for speeding last February and reportedly failed field sobriety tests.

Rock was fined $1000 and sentenced to 36 months of probation. He must also enroll in an alcohol education program.

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Lori Petty was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Southern California Saturday night. The 45-year old actress reportedly hit a skate boarder with her car around 9:30 pm. The victim was treated for minor injuries.

Petty was booked at Van Nuys jail on charges of felony California DUI. She was released on $100,000 bond just before 7:00 am.

Petty has made recent guest appearances on ‘Prison Break’ and ‘House’. She is most known for her movie roles in the 90’s, including ‘Point Break’, ‘Tank Girl’ and ‘A League of Their Own’.

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The Colorado State patrol has released a statement indicating that there were no DUI-related fatalities during the Memorial Day weekend. There were four traffic deaths reported across the state though none involved alcohol. It is the first Memorial Day holiday since 2003 where no highway deaths were attributable to drunk driving in Colorado.

While not all jurisdictions have filed reports, law enforcement agencies statewide made a total of 274 arrests for driving under the influence in Colorado over the extended weekend. That included CO DUI 230 arrests being made by State Patrol troopers.

8,583 traffic citations were issued by State troopers over the holiday weekend, including 2,251 for seatbelt violations. 61 felony arrests were made and 103 were charged with drug related offenses.

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Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry is considering a new law that would make drunk boating more in line with driving under the influence in Oklahoma. The legislation would lower the legal threshold for intoxication for boat operators from .10% to .08%. That is currently the standard for determining drunk driving in OK.

Sponsors of Senate Bill 902 say that boats are motorized vehicles and that drunken boat operators can be as dangerous on the water as on the road. The measure passed both house of the state legislature and is now being reviewed by the Governor.

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It has been over a year since the Dallas Police Department started its controversial ‘no refusal’ policy for drawing blood in cases of suspected driving while intoxicated in Texas. The initiative has been used on certain holiday weekends, and utilizes warrants that require defendants to provide blood samples if they refuse to submit to breath-tests or refuse to give samples voluntarily. Due to the success of the program, the police now want to expand it to a year-round effort.

The key restriction is availability of judges to sign the court ordered warrants. Currently judges volunteer their time to be available weekends and after-hours. When a driver is stopped for suspicion of drunk driving in Dallas, Texas, the judges can sign a warrant and the suspect is taken to the Dallas County Jail where a blood sample is taken by nurses from Parkland Memorial Hospital. The sample is then tested for blood alcohol content.

To make the blood draw initiative a year round effort, judges would always have to be available to sign warrants. County jail magistrates are on duty around the clock though under current state law they are prohibited from signing ‘evidentiary’ search warrants. The Dallas County prosecutor sees that has a ‘fluke’ in the law and has been working on legislation to change the situation. Wording to clarify the types of magistrates that can sign evidentiary warrants was placed in a bill during the current Texas legislative session, but was later removed.

Texas DWI defense attorneys cite a constitutional liberty against unreasonable search and seizure of evidence, and say the forced blood draw program is being used to negate a defendant

Lawmakers approved a measure that would ease the penalties associated with driving while intoxicated in North Carolina. Under current NC DWI law, some repeat offenders have their driving privileges revoked for life. The new law would allow a driver who lost his/her license for drunk driving in NC to apply for a new license if they have no traffic or criminal convictions within the prior ten years.

The bill’s supporters say that penalties for DWI should be tempered with opportunities when alcoholics seek help and recover from their illness. Opponents take the position that offenders should be punished without exception, and that the law is only for the convenience of drunks.

The legislation passed the state House by a vote of 89 to 29, and it is now headed to the state Senate.

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One car, two California DUI arrests

Actor Rip Torn was sentenced to probation after pleading not guilty to a charge of driving under the influence in Connecticut. Torn was arrested on December 14, 2008 after police spotted him driving in the break-down lane of a highway in Salisbury. Police reportedly had been alerted to his impaired condition by patrons of the White Hart Inn, where he was seen stumbling to his car.

The judge approved Torn’s admittance to an alcohol education program and required the 78-year old to undergo a driver’s test.

Torn is an Emmy winner and Academy Award nominee who appears on the NBC show ’30 Rock’. He has two previous DUI offenses. He paid a fine and lost his license for an arrest in April 2007, and was acquitted following a 2004 arrest.

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Connecticut DUI and a light pole on top of car