Articles Posted in DUI/OUI Arrest

In April of this year, Tennessee State Representative Bill Beck was arrested on charges of driving under the influence. Now, after reviewing a police video of the stop, Cheatham County Judge Phillip Maxey has dismissed the charges against the Nashville Democrat and injury attorney. Beck is partner in a Nashville law firm specializing in personal and work-related injuries, probate estates, and more and is also a certified Civil Trial Specialist.

Beck was returning home following a long night at a comedy show when he was pulled over on suspicion of DUI. According to a news article at WSMV News 4, Beck was pulled over after Metro police officer Bradley Nave passed Beck’s truck and noticed the truck straddle the center lane. The officer then turned around and pulled Beck over. After a field sobriety test that Beck cut short, he was arrested, Nave telling him that he had “way too much to drink to be driving.”

Beck’s attorney maintained that after watching the dash cam video, it was evident that Beck was not drunk. Bryan Lewis said that in the video, “You never see Mr. Beck stumble.” He went on to say that his client did not fall in the video, and that he exited his vehicle perfectly.

On Saturday July 18, four women were killed and two other seriously injured in a crash involving a limo and a pickup truck, according to a news report at CBS News. The crash occurred in the North Fork of Long Island in Cutchogue; it is believed the driver of the truck was intoxicated. He was arrested following the crash that left the limo nearly cut in half.

The limo was carrying seven women who had just left a local Winery following a bachelorette party. The vehicle was headed eastbound on Route 48 when it was struck by the pickup as it attempted to make a U-turn in a westbound direction. All four of the women who were killed were bridesmaids, and three died on impact while the fourth died later at Taconic Bay Hospital.

The bride and another woman were also in the limo when the crash occurred; both were said to be in critical condition. The man driving the pickup truck, whose name has not been released, was hospitalized for minor injuries to his face.

On July 1, 44-year-old Senator Cam Ward, R-Alabaster and chairman of the Alabama Senate Judiciary Committee was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence. Ward said on Thursday that he would be seeking professional help after using alcohol as a ‘crutch’ to deal with stress, which resulted in his making what he said were “incredibly reckless decisions.”

According to a news article at the Times Free Press, a call was received at just before 1 p.m. by the Alabaster Police Department regarding a suspected drunk driver on Alabama 119. Not long after, Ward was stopped by an officer just a few miles away at a city ballpark. Police Chief Curtis Rigney said during a brief news conference that Ward failed field sobriety tests that were administered, and “exhibited signs of intoxication.” No details of the arrest were available at the time of news reports; Rigney declined to answer questions regarding the senator’s blood alcohol content. Ward did spend the night in the Shelby County Jail before being freed on $1,000 bond the next day.

Ward had been visiting a vocational school in Bibb County just hours prior to his arrest, and posted a photo of himself during the visit on social media. His vehicle was impounded according to police reports. Prior to his DUI arrest, Ward pleaded guilty to two speeding tickets, one in 1997 and one in 2007.

On Friday, June 26 a 39-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of DUI in Huntington Beach following a multi-vehicle crash that resulted in the death of a 14-year-old boy; two other teens were also injured in the collision, according to a news report at KTLA 5.

The crash occurred Thursday evening when a 2000 Nissan Frontier traveling southbound on Newland Street struck a 2004 Toyota Tacoma that was traveling in a northbound direction, sending the Tacoma into a light pole. The Nissan then struck a GMC that was stopped in westbound lanes on Adams Avenue at the intersection of Newland St. and Adams Avenue. Police responded to the scene after 911 dispatchers received a call about a driver in the area who was possibly drunk.

The 14-year-old boy who lost his life was a passenger inside the Toyota, which police officials said sustained major damage to its passenger side. The teen was rushed to an area hospital by the Huntington Beach Fire Dept. paramedics after heavy rescue equipment had to be used to free him from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at a later time at the hospital.

On Sunday June 21, a fiery two-car crash in Northridge left 19-year-old Desirae Crystal Crittenden dead at the scene, according to a news report at KTLA 5. She was a student at CSUN (California State University Northridge).

The accident took place at approximately 3:30 a.m. in an intersection at Lindley Avenue and Roscoe Blvd. when a Honda Civic slammed into a red Ford Mustang, striking the driver’s side door with tremendous impact, according to LAPD Detective William Bustos. A desk officer said that in all, two males and three females were injured in the crash, with Crittenden pronounced dead shortly after the accident.

Those involved in the accident were between the ages of 18 and 21, although their names have not been released by authorities. Another passenger who was injured in the crash was not expected to survive at the time of news reports, and was listed in critical condition at an area hospital.

Last week at a banquet held at the Montgomery Prattville Marriott in Alabama to benefit the Autauga Education Foundation, University of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh announced that Jim Minick, associate athletic director at U-M, had returned to the program. Harbaugh had suspended Minick last month following his June 9 arrest on suspicion of drunken driving.

Minick, who was suspended indefinitely by Harbaugh on May 13, is now back in the football program, although there are “unspecified” consequences that will continue, according to Harbaugh who said there is a plan in place, and that Minick is following through with that plan. Minick was hired as associate athletic director at U-M in January after retiring from an extensive military career in the Marines.

On May 9, Minick was involved in a single vehicle accident just outside Ann Arbor; he was arrested at approximately 2:30 in the morning for operating while intoxicated. Minick did not make any excuses after being arrested, commenting to Fox 2 that he would face the consequences of his actions. He also said in his brief statement that he regretted the difficult position he had put his family and employer in.

On Monday evening June 1st, a 47-year-old Janesville woman was arrested for drunken driving; it was her 10th DUI offense, according to a news article at the Gazette Extra. According to a Janesville police news release, Tracy L. Hatcher refused a breath test, and was so intoxicated that field sobriety tests could not be administered by officers.

The arrest took place at approximately 6:30 p.m. when officers responded to a report of a woman lying outside her vehicle who was described as “belligerent” and “intoxicated.” Hatcher was transported to a medical facility due to the level of intoxication, where a blood sample was taken for alcohol testing. The release did not reveal her blood alcohol concentration, saying only that the results of the tests were pending. Hatcher’s license was revoked at the time, and she was cited for operating after license revocation.

Officers were initially dispatched to the 2500 block of Riverview Drive after a call was received reporting an “unwanted intoxicated subject.” In the interim, Hatcher left the location before officers received a second call and found her outside the vehicle in the 1800 block of S. River Road.

Michigan DUI attorneys know that nearly every holiday results in an increase in intoxicated driving, whether Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, or New Year’s. While the long holiday weekend is just coming to an end, a news article at AZCentral.com indicates that so far, the number of DUI arrests in Arizona are down from the same time a year ago.

On Sunday, the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety announced that across the state, a total of 216 DUI arrests were made between Friday and Saturday; this is down by 100 arrests from the same time period in 2014, when 316 arrests had been made. Of the 216 individuals arrested, 69 were considered cases of DUI extreme in which those arrested had a BAC of 0.15 or higher, nearly double the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

Arizona police did pull over more underage motorists suspected of drunk driving; in fact, there was a 55% increase in the number of minor consumption arrests and possession citations. During the two-day period, officers across Arizona made more than 6,100 traffic stops.

Recently, 31-year-old Jennifer Yi of Brandon, FL was arrested three times within a 6-day time period. According to a news report at WFLA.com, Yi was arrested on April 30, May 1, and again on May 5.

Yi would not submit to a blood alcohol test during the first two arrests, however she did take the test after being pulled over on Tuesday May 5, the last time she was arrested. Records show that Yi was first stopped on Thursday, April 30 in the area of Brandon Blvd. W. Hillsborough County sheriff’s deputies arrested her and took her to jail, where she was released after posting $500 bond. The very next day (May 1), Yi was pulled over on Brandon Blvd. E. where deputies again arrested her after she refused to take a blood test, and took her to jail once more where she was released on a $500 bond.

The final arrest on May 5 resulted in Yi’s being arrested and booked into the county jail; this time she did take a blood alcohol test. Her bond was set at $100,000 for this third DUI arrest, although the results of the test were not revealed. Yi is reportedly employed by Coca Cola.

On Sunday morning, May 3, Seth Gilliam of ‘The Walking Dead’ hit AMC series was arrested in Peachtree City, GA when he was pulled over by police after driving 107 mph in a 55 mph zone, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Gilliam plays Rev. Gabriel Stokes, a morally conflicted reverend, on the television show. The show is filmed in Senoia, GA according to CNN.

Gilliam admitted to having drank three beers and a shot after being pulled over when the officer noticed an odor of alcohol on the actor and asked if he had been drinking. A police report also indicates that the officer found a marijuana joint in the vehicle after detecting the smell of marijuana.

The actor has had recurring roles on Teen Wolf and The Good Wife; he was charged with possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, DUI, reckless driving, and speeding. Gilliam was booked into the Fayette County Jail and later released. A breath test revealed Gilliam’s BAC (blood alcohol content) was .107, slightly higher than the legal limit of .08 percent.