KVUE reported that the Texas Department of Public Safety will increase DWI patrols from March 8 – March 17, one of the most active Spring Break periods in Texas. Texas troopers will be stationed and focusing on high-risk locations of DWI occurrences. The Texas DPS director, Steven McCraw, stated that “getting impaired drivers off the roads during Spring Break is a major priority for the department…we also urge the public to make responsible decisions…” Reports from last year’s spring break enforcement period determined that troopers filed more than about 1,000 DWI arrests, more than 9,400 speeding tickets, 1,500 seat belt tickets, 545 fugitive arrests, 402 felony arrests, and 12,500 other miscellaneous citations. The Texas DPS would like to remind everyone that any driver or individual under the age of 21 and that is found with an alcohol substance, will be prosecuted by the law.

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

News sources reported that Joe Painter, a reputable lawyer from Montgomery County in Virginia, is imprisoned for a DUI. In addition, Painter is also facing additional charges for drug and gun distribution. Police officers from the area responded to a phone call from someone that claimed two people were fighting inside a vehicle. The two people found arguing were Painter and a woman, Doris Oliver. They were stationed near a hotel parking lot on Laurel Street in Christiansburg. Painter was charged with one count of distribution of a schedule IV controlled substance and two counts of selling or giving a firearm to a convicted felon. Oliver was charged with two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, one count of possession of ammunition for a firearm by a convicted felon, one count of possession of a controlled substance, one count of possession of controlled paraphernalia, one count of marijuana possession, and one count of possession of a concealed weapon. A special prosecutor, Joan Ziglar from Martinsville, has been  appointed to treat this case in order to avoid any biases. It was said that Painter was not given a bond and is currently still in prison.

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

Repeat DUI offender Dustin Cowhig of Chesapeake, has escaped a felony DUI charge due to a paperwork error. Cowhig was arrested for his 3rd DUI offense on September 5, 2012 after an officer said Cowhig ran him off the road while driving 20 mph over the speed limit. However, Circuit Court Judge Randall D. Smith dismissed the charges which prosecutors say was because Cowhig had already plead guilty a lesser charge of reckless driving regarding the same incident and could not be charged with DUI using the same set of facts. After the felony charge was dismissed, Cowhig was released from the Chesapeake Correctional Center where he spent 6 months awaiting his trial.

Cowhig, a repeat DUI offender, was arrested for DUI first on April 12, 2010 in a hit and run accident where his blood alcohol content (BAC) level was .30%, almost 4 times the legal limit. Cowhig was arrested a second time on December 11, 2011 after he ran a stop sign and failed to complete the alphabet test given to him by the arresting officer. Cowhig’s BAC during his second DUI arrest was .26%. During his 3rd DUI arrest, the repeat DUI offender refused to submit a breathalyzer test and if convicted, he could have faced up to five years in jail. Aneka Williams, the Commonwealth’s Attorney, apparently thought that the paperwork listed a reckless driving statute for speed, which would have made charging Cowhig with two separate offenses possible. The incident is being called a one-time error and prosecutors have reminded the Chesapeake Police Department not to charge a driver with both general reckless driving and DUI.

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

Tacoma City Councilman Ryan Mello has avoided a DUI charge by entering a plea deal that was approved February 22, 2013. Mello’s DUI charge will not appear on his criminal record if he follows the conditions of his plea deal requiring him to attend a DUI Victim Panel, seek treatment for chemical dependency and pay $900 in fees. In a statement made to the News Tribune, Mello said that he made a mistake that night and was sorry, adding that he has taken full responsibility and will coorperate with the prosecutor.

Claire Bradley, the Deputy Prosecutor said that the plea deal was fairly standard for a first time offender was close to the legal limit. The Tacoma City Councilman was arrested on January 19, 2012 after the officer who pulled him over detected an odor of alcohol on his breath. Mello, who was driving his jeep with several passengers was asked to step out of his vehicle and perform a series of field sobriety tests. According arresting officer Guy Gill, Mello did not identify himself as a Tacoma City Councilman and was extremely cooperative throughout the entire ordeal. Police also noted that Mello’s blood alcohol content (BAC) did exceed the legal limit of .08%.

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

Albany Times  Union stated that a man from North Greenbush in New York, Benjamin Bornhorst, was charged with felony vehicular assault charges and DWI for hitting a pedestrian with his plow truck while driving drunk. Bornhorst, 27 years old, remained at the accident scene until emergency medical personnel showed up and then left on his Ford F-250 pickup truck. However, some bystanders were able to give police officials an accurate description of Bornhorst’s truck. Police Chief, Rocco Fragomeni, stated that police officials were able to stop and arrest him about two miles away from the accident scene. Bornhorst failed the field sobriety test that police officials administered him and was charged for DWI, second-degree vehicular assault, leaving the scene of a crime, and a traffic lane violation. It was noted that Steven Ernve, the pedestrian, suffered severe injuries such as broken bones and deep gashes to his upper torso after being struck by the snow plow blade. Fragomeni commented that Ernve was in excruciating pain and in and out of consciousness. Ernve was transmitted to the Albaby Medical Center Hospital. Bornhorst received a bail bond of $2,000, and is summoned to a court hearing on March 5.

If you have been arrested for driving drunk, you need to speak to an experienced and skilled New York DWI attorney for legal assistance.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Deborah Aaron, a New Mexico surgeon that pleaded “no contest” to a DWI accident that killed a 4-year-old girl, has had her medical license reinstated by the New Mexico Medical Board after demonstrating to the authorities that she is receiving treatment from a substance-abuse program. It was noted that The New Mexico Medical Board suspended her license after she initially failed to enroll in a substance abuse treatment. However, during July, Aaron came into terms with the board and agreed that she could keep her medical license if she enrolled in a monitored treatment plan and remained under board supervision. KRQE stated that Aaron only received a misdemeanor DWI charge and not a vehicular homicide, because prosecutors were unable to prove that she caused the automobile accident.  According to sources, Aaron is currently residing in Arizona.

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