News

DUI and DWI

• Wisconsin Woman Again Calls 911 and Is Arrested
  Mar 08, 2010

  
  Remember that Wisconsin woman who was arrested for DWI last October after she called cops on her way home from a bar to report herself as a drunk driver?  Well, she's done it again, kind of.  In February, according to the Wausau Daily Herald, that same woman called 911 after returning home from a bar, requesting police come to her home.  That call resulted in her arrest for misdemeanor disorderly conduct as a domestic abuse incident.
  
  Please click here to read about her October incident.  - 1 - 10

• Probation for Drunk Driver of Motorized Recliner
  Mar 07, 2010

  
  The 62 year-old Minnesota man who "drove" his motorized recliner home from a bar pled guilty to DWI and was sentenced to 180 days of probation.   - 2 - 10

• Daughter of US Supreme Court Justice Gets Only Probation for DUI
  Mar 07, 2010

  
  The daughter of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia pled guilty to a DUI charge in Illinois.  She didn't get any jail time, only 18 months of probation, 140 hours of community service, and was ordered to get counseling. - 3 - 10

• Man Drives Drunk with Children in Car
  Feb 27, 2010

  
  A New York man was charged with felony DWI after he was stopped in January.  His 12 and 14 year-old daughters were in the car with him, and, under Leandra's Law, that makes the DWI an automatic felony.   - 4 - 10

• Vermont Considering Lowering Drinking Age to 18
  Feb 27, 2010

  
  This is an interesting piece about what the author believes would happen if Vermont lowers its drinking age to 18.  At this time, all 50 states, as well as Washington, D.C., have drinking ages of 21. - 5 - 10

• Family Urges Change to NY DWI Law
  Feb 26, 2010

  
  The blood test of a driver in a 2002 crash that killed a former Olympian was not admissible  because it was taken by an EMT rather than a doctor.  The tests indicated the driver's blood alcohol level was 0.15.  
  
  The victim's family is urging law makers to change the law to try prevent this from happening again. - 6 - 10

• Man Avoiding DWI Charges Gets One...and Many Other Charges Too
  Feb 26, 2010

  
  A Minnesota newspaper reports that a 20 year-old Minnesota man tried his best to avoid the police when they broke up a house party where he was allegedly drinking alcohol.   He fled in a vehicle, and almost hit a policeman who was in the street trying to stop him.  The alleged underage drinker at some point abandoned his car, running through nearby neighborhoods.  
  
  He eventually was located when police discovered the suspect's mother driving around a certain area several times.   They had her call her son's cell phone and were able to locate and arrest him.
  
  He reportedly was trying to avoid being charged with underage drinking and/or DWI, but instead faces 2 felonies and 3 gross misdemeanors  (including DWI and Reckless Driving).
  
  
  - 7 - 10

• Driver Hits Parked Police Car in Arlington, but Doesn't Stop
  Feb 26, 2010

  
  A Woodbridge man who allegedly hit a parked police cruiser on Glebe Road in Arlington early this morning fled the scene, but was found a few blocks away.  Authorities have charged the man with hit and run and DWI. - 8 - 10

• Drunk Drivers in Washington, D.C. May Go Free
  Feb 26, 2010

  
  The Washington Examiner is reporting that potentially hundreds of DWI/DUI cases in Washington, D.C., going back to October 2008 may be in jeopardy because problems were detected with many of the breath test machines the D.C. Police Department uses.  The machines are the Intoxilyzer 5000 EN model.
  
  Charges are being reduced and even dismissed against many DWI suspects because the breath test evidence provided by these Intoxilyzer machines is problematic.
  
  The company that makes the breath machines the D.C. Police use took a hard blow last year in Minnesota when that state's Supreme Court ordered the company to turn over its programming codes.  Click here to read more about the Minnesota issue. - 9 - 10

• Minnesota Supreme Court Says Turn Over Source Codes
  Feb 20, 2010

  
  The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that the source codes for breath testing machines must be turned over to the defense in certain instances.  This ruling could have implications beyond Minnesota, setting the stage for attorneys in other states to demand these codes.
  
  This could be important to a DUI defense, if the programming wasn't correct, and, as a result, the breath testing machines were not accurately measuring blood alcohol content.  - 10 - 10