Augie Garrido, the head baseball coach of the University of Texas, has been suspended indefinitely following an arrest for suspicion of drunk driving in Austin. According to the Austin Police Department arrest report, Garrido was driving his Porsche Cayenne on west 6th Street around 1:00 am Saturday morning without using his headlights. He failed a field sobriety test and refused to submit to a breath or blood test. Garrido admitted to having five glasses of wine before the arrest.

Students have mixed reactions to the Texas DWI arrest. Some believe in second chances and respect Garrido’s coaching skills, while others hope that he is not given special handling just because he is a coach at a major institution.

Garrido, 69, has the most wins of an NCAA Division 1 college baseball coach (1,668) and has earned five national championships during his 39-year career. He is beginning his 12th year at the University of Texas, and has taken the Longhorns to five College World Series and two national championships.

The UT athletic director, Deloss Dodds, said the university is taking the situation seriously. Garrido has been suspended with pay. His salary was raised by $160,000 for the current season to $800,000, and his contract extends to 2012 with incremental raises of at least $50,000 per year. According to his contract, Garrido would be paid $300,000 for each year left on his contract if he is let go. However, if he is found to have violated the university’s ‘standard of conduct’ clause, he would receive nothing.

Have you been arrested Austin, TX DWI?

During his six-years in office, Gov. Bill Richardson has worked to strengthen New Mexico drunk driving laws, as well as increase law enforcement efforts and raise the public awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving. Now Richardson has taken aim at reducing driving under the influence of illegal drugs in New Mexico. He has proposed legislation that would call for a motorist to submit to a drug test if they fail a field sobriety test.

Richardson cited statistics claiming that 97 percent of those arrested for impairment and given a blood test show positive signs of illegal drugs. While New Mexico DWI laws already cover the prohibition of driving under the influence of illegal drugs, establishing degree of impairment for prosecution can be difficult. Checking for blood alcohol content in suspected NM DWI cases can be done relatively easy and quickly, but testing for illegal drugs requires a blood sample and time for processing.

A spokesperson with the New Mexico Department of Public Safety said that when motorists are issued driver

Manatee County judge Doug Henderson ruled two years ago that breath test evidence using an Intoxilyzer 5000 was inadmissible in Florida DUI cases because of inconsistencies in the blood alcohol readings. This week the Second District Court of Appeal and Circuit Court affirmed the judge

The Athens-Clarke County State Court dismissed the charge of driving under the influence in Georgia that had been filed against the head of the UGA math department. In an agreement reached last week, Joseph Fu entered a plea of no contest to reckless driving. He was found guilty of driving the wrong way on a one-way street.

Fu was charged with drunk driving in Georgia following a traffic stop for turning onto a highway exit ramp in the wrong direction. His blood alcohol content registered .057%, which is below the .08% legal threshold for intoxication in Georgia. Police still charged Fu under its

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety has reported that 2,655 motorists were charged with driving while intoxicated in Minnesota during December. The average blood alcohol content of those arrested was .14%, well above the .08% legal threshold for intoxication.

The totals could increase as the DPS projected the total number of arrests based on arrest reports from 331 of about 400 agencies. However, the statewide figures are well below the 3,428 arrests made in December of 2007. In addition to Minnesota DWI arrests, 1,653 seat belt citations were issued across the state. Those two factors are linked because 70% of vehicular deaths involving alcohol were not wearing a seat belt.

Have you been charged with driving while intoxicated in MN?

Officer Karen Dula, with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department, was arrested over the weekend for driving while intoxicated in North Carolina. Dula, 27, was off duty when she was stopped by the North Carolina Highway Patrol around 1:30 am Sunday morning.

Dula has been with the CMPD since 2003. She has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation. The police chief expressed concern that a member of the force had been charged with NC DWI but noted that officers will be held responsible whether on or off duty.

Have you been arrested for NC DWI?

Law enforcement is reporting an increase in arrests for drunk driving in Wyoming, with nearly 38% of all arrests involving intoxication. Lawmakers also cite existing cumbersome laws and loop holes that diminish the impact of a DUI arrest. In response, state legislators are considering an overall of the laws that would change how Wyoming deals with drinking and driving.

A proposed bill calls for stronger sentences for high risk, repeat offenders and make a fourth offense for driving under the influence in Wyoming a felony. In addition, the law would require ignition interlock devices for anyone convicted of DUI two or more times in a five year period. It would also differentiate between levels of intoxication. Many states have provisions for aggravated DUI which is charged when a motorist has an elevated blood alcohol content, usually .15% of higher or twice the legal limit for intoxication. Offenders with multiple arrests will be subject to increasingly more severe penalties. Currently Wyoming law limits the amount of time that prosecutors can look back for additional DUI convictions. One of the more dramatic changes is the call for criminalizing a refusal to submit to a breath, blood or urine test. Existing law calls for an administrative suspension of a driver

Mike Tindall, a rugby player for the English national squad, was banned from driving for three years following a conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol. Tindall failed a breath test one morning last March after being stopped in his Range Rover. The day before, he had attended the Cheltenham racing festival with his girlfriend, Zara Phillips, who is the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II. That evening Tindall reportedly had three beers and seven glasses of champagne and then more beer and vodka mixed with the Red Bull energy drink while at dinner.

The Magistrate

Nevada DUI for DUI tester

During the New Year