Articles Posted in DUI Defense

Michigan DUI defense attorneys know that anyone can be arrested for drunk driving, regardless of whether an individual is a celebrity, doctor, attorney, factory worker, or CEO of a large corporation. Recently, two people who many are familiar with from television have been arrested for DUI.

Delvin Choice, a contestant on the reality TV show “The Voice” who made it into the top eight last season, was arrested on Saturday morning in South Carolina for DUI. Choice was pulled over by highway patrol and taken to county jail. According to news reports, it was his first DUI offense. He was released later the same morning.

Others who watch the show “Cake Boss” on TLC are probably familiar with Buddy Valastro, star of the show. Valastro was arrested early Thursday morning, November 13, after police noticed a yellow Corvette driving erratically. According to TMZ, Valastro was in Manhattan when police noticed him “weaving” on 10th Ave. Upon pulling him over, police claimed to smell a strong odor of alcohol. He also allegedly failed several field sobriety tests, and was taken to jail. News reports do not indicate whether it was Valastro’s first DUI offense.

Michigan DUI attorneys understand the seriousness of being charged with driving under the influence, however when someone is injured or killed as a result, the consequences become far more severe.

Recently, three people lost their lives in Arlington, Texas in a two-car crash involving a suspected drunken driver. The accident happened early Sunday morning at approximate 2 a.m. when 38-year-old Eldrick Westbrook allegedly ran a red light at the intersection of Matlock Road and the Interstate 20 service road. Westbrook’s vehicle struck another vehicle, causing it to spin around before plowing in to a traffic light pole. Four people were inside the vehicle.

According to a news article at Dallas News, one of the victims died at the scene of the accident. Two others succumbed to their injuries after being transported to a local hospital. A fourth victim suffered non life-threatening injuries; he was also treated at the hospital. Westbrook sustained minor injuries and was taken to jail after his release from the hospital. He is charged with three counts of intoxication manslaughter.

A Massachusetts man who sustained injury and demolished his pickup truck on Monday November 3 was arrested and is facing numerous charges, according to a news article at The Wanderer.

The accident occurred at about 9 p.m. in Rochester near the intersection of Route 58 and Route 28 when the suspect’s vehicle veered off the roadway and struck a telephone pole, severing it. The pickup then continued on to strike a mailbox and second telephone pole. In all, the pickup traveled about 400 feet before coming to rest and was totaled. The driver was 40-year-old Michael R. Jefferson of Wareham.

Wareham was arrested before being taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. Some of the charges he faces include operating an uninsured vehicle, possessing an open container of alcohol, driving on a suspended license, speeding, reckless operation, and operating under the influence of liquor, second offense. Police claim to have found numerous beer cans in the pickup, some of them open.

Recently, a 29-year-old Memphis woman was charged with DUI following a crash that resulted in injury to her young son. According to a news report at WMC Action News 5, Kenyatta Reed-Ferguson crashed into two fences after losing control of her vehicle as she was driving eastbound on Interstate 240.

Officers arrived at the scene and found the woman was attempting to start the car. It was at this point that officers noticed a strong odor of alcohol. Officers found her son in the back seat of the vehicle, laying face down after the woman told them her son was in the car. There was no child safety seat in the vehicle, according to police. Reed-Ferguson was charged with reckless driving, violation of child restraint, child endangerment, and DUI, her second in three years. Reed-Ferguson was charged with DUI in June of 2011 after she was pulled over by police for not wearing a seat belt.

Reed-Ferguson told police that she swerved when another car in front of her swerved; she then lost control of the vehicle. Police asked her if she had been drinking, to which she replied that she had drank a beer at the location where she had been before she got on the road. She refused a blood draw at the scene of the accident, however police said she could not walk and that they had to help her to the squad car. She was taken to jail.

Last week, Murrieta Mayor Alan Long stepped down from his position after he was arrested the week prior on suspicion of drunken driving following an accident that resulted in four teenagers sustaining injuries, according to a news report at Reuters. Long, who is 44 years old, also resigned from his position as a city council member, although he announced he will seek a seat for the next term in the November 4 election.

The accident occurred when Long’s vehicle struck the back of a car stopped at an intersection, according to police. Four cheerleaders age 14 to 17 were inside the vehicle that was rear-ended; all four were injured.

Police said that Long’s blood alcohol level was .07 when he took a breath test, which is under the state’s legal limit of .08, however he failed field sobriety tests and “seemed” by police to be impaired. Long said that he resigned to avoid “even one hint of impropriety” during the legal process, however he fully expects to be exonerated of wrongdoing in regards to the drunken driving arrest. He did apologize for the accident that left the cheerleaders injured.

Recently, a 10-year-old boy lost his life in a crash in which the driver of one of the vehicles involved was believed to be under the influence. A multi-vehicle crash occurred in Anaheim after a pickup truck plowed into the back of a Toyota Camry that was stopped at a red light. The impact of the crash caused the Camry to strike a third vehicle.

10-year-old Rafael Ramirez lost his life in the crash, while four of his family members were reportedly in critical condition. The crash, which happened on Saturday evening just before midnight, left five people injured and one dead all total, including the driver of the third vehicle. Gary S. Hunt, driver of the pickup truck that crashed into the back of the Camry, was arrested on suspicion of DUI. Hunt was apparently not injured in the crash, as he was transported away in a police cruiser after officers placed him in handcuffs.

Michigan DUI defense attorneys know that many people operate their vehicles while under the influence of alcohol or drugs; fortunately, most are not involved in accidents that take the lives of innocent young children.

On Saturday, October 18, Robert E. Murphy of Ashland, Massachusetts was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, his third DUI offense according to a news article at ABC News. Murphy was also charged with operating a motor vehicle to endanger, as he was carrying 25 members of a cross country running team.

According to the article, one of the coaches on board the bus became concerned that the driver, who is 59 years old, was intoxicated. Murphy was bringing the cross country team with Hopkinton High School back from a meet when the incident occurred at about 10:30 p.m. A police officer met the bus when it arrived at the high school parking lot, then performed field sobriety tests on Murphy once the team had exited the bus.

Murphy was expected to be arraigned on the charges on Monday.

On Monday, 39-year-old Lycia Martinez was arrested on suspicion of DUI after adult passengers on board the school bus she was driving reported erratic driving behavior. According to a news article at the Huffington Post, Martinez was transporting 67 fifth and sixth graders on a field trip, and almost hit a car on a busy stretch of highway in Salt Lake City.

Police received reports after a parent aboard the bus and another motorist on the highway made 911 calls claiming the bus was swerving, that Martinez could not stay in the carpool lane, and that she was crossing double lines. Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Blaine Robbins said that it appeared Martinez had taken prescription anti-anxiety/muscle relaxer pills that were found in her handbag.

Martinez was pulled over by patrol officers approximately 40 miles from where the trip began, on an Interstate 15 off-ramp in Draper. Robbins said that “We really dodged a bullet,” as the interstate the bus had been traveling on had a speed limit of 75 mph and five lanes. A serious accident could easily have occurred, however no one was injured and the student on board were oblivious to what was happening.

On Sunday October 12, a Saratoga Springs, NY man was arrested just after 10:30 p.m. for allegedly driving while under the influence of alcohol. According to a news article at WCAX, Stephen Jenkins was pulled over by police after he was noticed driving in an erratic manner on Interstate 87 in Queensbury.

The news article claims that Jenkins’ blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was more than twice the legal limit of .08%. Jenkins also had a child in the vehicle with him at the time, and was placed in police custody awaiting arraignment on charges of felony aggravated DWI and a misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child.

In Michigan, anyone who operates a vehicle with a blood alcohol content of .17% or higher will face a Super Drunk OWI charge, also referred to as high BAC. The Super Drunk law applies only to those who are first time offenders, or who have not been convicted of DUI within the previous seven years. If convicted of Super Drunk driving, the penalties an individual may face include fines of up to $700, driver’s license suspension for 45 days, followed by 320 days of restricted driving, up to 6 months (180 days) in jail, possible community service, and more.