By guest-writer
Coco Crisp, known for a name that reminds fans of breakfast cereal and his productive major league baseball career, was arrested for DUI in Scottsdale, Arizona, during Spring Training last week.
According to MLB.com, Crisp was allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol in the Spring Training home of his team, the Oakland Athletics, when police pulled him over on suspicion of DUI just after 2 a.m.
Crisp, who was driving his Rolls Royce Phantom automobile, was stopped for an inability to stay in his lane, as well as for no proof of insurance and expired registration.
Police also conducted field sobriety tests after the stop, and Crisp was arrested for drunk driving.
Arizona is a tough state in terms of DUI laws, with first-time offender penalties that include a ten-day jail sentence and mandatory installation of an ignition interlock device. Crisp was learning about these tough laws as he went along, though he didn’t comment about the strictness of the state’s stance on DUI issues.
“I can’t really go into the details right now,” he told MLB.com. “I guess those will come out later.”
Former NBA star Charles Barkley was one high-profile celebrity who felt the brunt of these laws after he was charged with DUI in Scottsdale several years ago. He spent three days in jail in a tent city set up for drunk drivers, and he had to complete twelve hours of work release.
Crisp apologized publicly to his fans, teammates, friends and family, saying that he was mainly embarrassed. “I’m sorry and that sorry is genuine. A lot of people look up to me and obviously this was not the right decision.”
The Oakland Athletics baseball club said that they would take the legal matter seriously, and that they were monitoring the situation. The team’s manager had already spoken to Crisp.
Of the A’s organization, Crisp told MLB.com, “they just gave me some advice. It was just like, ‘We’ll get through this.’ It’s obviously a big deal. My parents said they’re here for me if I need anything. That was nice.”
Crisp was foremost reticent about having become a distraction to his teammates as they prepare for the upcoming baseball season. “The sooner this can get out of the clubhouse the better,” he said. “I’ll deal with this myself. I don’t want to be a distraction for any of the other players. I just want to answer questions.”
This is Crisp’s first public legal issue in his nine years as a professional baseball player.
By guest-writer
Two figures in the baseball world faced DUI arrests recently, adding their names to the long list of prominent athletes to face scrutiny about their drinking and driving.
Delino DeShields Jr. is a youngster on the verge of his pro career, while Ozzie Canseco is the twin brother of major league star and steroid poster boy Jose Canseco, who only played a few games at the highest level.
DeShields, an infielder in the Houston Astros organization who is not even old enough to drink alcohol legally, was stopped on suspicion of drunk driving while headed the wrong way on a one-way street in Georgia.
DeShields Jr., the son of former major league baseball player Delino DeShields, admitted to having consumed some alcohol at a University of Georgia fraternity party, according to the Houston Chronicle.
The police suspected that he had drunk more than he admitted to, and in fact he registered a .076 blood alcohol content at the scene of the police stop. The legal limit for those under the age of 21 is .02 percent. DeShields recently turned 18.
Also in DeShields’ SUV were four open bottles of alcohol. With that, he logged three charges related to the stop: underage possession of alcohol, DUI and the driving violation for driving the wrong way on a one-way street.
DeShields took responsibility for the incident via a statement on his Facebook page, which stated “I take the responsibility of being a role model seriously and apologize to my fans, my community and the Astros organization, who continue to support my family and I during this unfortunate incident. I look forward to putting this matter behind me.”
The DUI charge and hearing will not impact DeShields’ trip to spring training in February, the first of his young career after being selected by the Astros in the first round of the 2010 draft.
Ozzie Canseco, who is in a far different stage of his career, faces DUI concerns of his own, after being pulled over at 2 in the morning in Hillsborough, Florida, according to ABC News.
The twin brother of slugger and steroid user Jose Canseco registered a .108 and .109 blood alcohol content when tested. He is currently the baseball director at a local sporting goods center in Florida.
He had a long career in the minor leagues and the independent leagues, starting in 1983 and continuing into the early 2000s.
Ozzie has been charged with DUI. In 2003, he pleaded guilty to possession of anabolic steroids after a traffic stop.
By guest-writer
Several celebrity songbirds appeared in the headlines recently for issues related to DUI arrests and DUI charges.
One is a Grammy winning songwriter, producer and actress best known for her soul-pop music, and the other is a one-time teen heartthrob slated to appear in a film about Liberace.
Singer and Grammy-winner Faith Evans pleaded no contest to DUI charges in a Los Angeles courtroom recently, following a DUI arrest back in August. The Grammy Award-winner was stopped at a DUI checkpoint in Marina del Rey on August 21 at around 10:40 p.m.
Evans was subsequently arrested for suspicion of misdemeanor drunk driving. As a part of the no contest plea, Evans will serve three years of probation, pay $300 in fines, agree not to drive with any alcohol in her system and undergo a 3-month alcohol treatment program, according to the Baltimore Sun.
She pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor count of reckless driving.
Evans, well-known after she arrived on the pop music scene in the mid-90s, tweeted to her fans following the DUI arrest, telling them that “After completing a full day of wardrobe prep I was stopped at a random checkpoint. I’m fine and well, and thank you for your prayers, kind words and concerns.” She signed the tweet “- Fizzy.”
Evans and her husband were arrested for drug possession charges in 2004, for which she entered a drug abuse treatment program.
Teen idol David Cassidy also faced DUI trouble recently, when he was arrested for drunk driving in Florida, according to the LA Times.
Cassidy has a court date in mid January for charges that he failed a field sobriety test at around 6 in the evening. Police reportedly witnessed Cassidy weaving on the road and making an erratic lane change.
A Breathalyzer test came back having registered a .141 and a .139 blood alcohol content for the singer and actor.
Cassidy pleaded not-guilty to the charge. He admitted that he was tired, and that he had a glass of wine with lunch and took a hydrocodine pill for back pain.
According to police, there was a bottle of bourbon in the back seat that was half empty.
Cassidy faces a misdemeanor charge of DUI, failure to maintain a single lane and driving with an open container.
By guest-writer
Mike Williams, a rookie wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was arrested on suspicion of DUI in Florida, early in the morning before he was to show up at practice the next day.
The arrest garnered headlines because Williams has become one of the best players on the Tampa Bay team after being drafted only last year. He has started every game this NFL season.
According to police, the vehicle that Williams was driving, a Cadillac Escalade, was swerving in and out of traffic and exceeding the speed limit when they pulled it over at around 2:30 A.M. The sheriff’s report said that Williams had a glassy look in his eyes, and police smelled alcohol in the car.
According to the St. Petersburg Times, he failed a field sobriety test.
Williams took a Breathalyzer test, the results of which showed that he had a .065 blood-alcohol content. This number is below the Florida legal driving limit of .08 percent. Williams was still arrested, however, and taken in, then release on $500 bond.
According to Florida police, they can make a DUI arrest even if the breath test shows a blood-alcohol content below the legal limit if there is evidence that a driver was impaired. Such evidence can include the way the person was driving.
According to officials, Williams also submitted to a urine test. The results of that test are expected within a month to six weeks.
In a peculiar turn, the Buccaneers team also had Williams submit a urine sample to them, to allow them to test for several substances, some of which are banned in the NFL, according to the St. Petersburg Times. They did this, apparently, in order to more quickly obtain results of the tests. Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris was happy with the results of this private test, and told the press that he was satisfied that Williams was “clean.”
He also added that the team will be fining Williams “a lot of money” following the late-night incident. The coaching staff had already expressed their disappointment to Williams himself.
“He was very remorseful, which is a good sign,” said offensive coordinator Greg Olson. “He wasn’t full of excuses, and that’s a good sign. I think it’s obviously unfortunate that it happened. We’re certainly disappointed that he would be out that late knowing that we had a big game and practice.”
By guest-writer
Jim Leyritz once played in the most famous ballparks alongside baseball stars like Derek Jeter and Roger Clemens, but now he is on trial for DUI manslaughter after a tragic night left a mother dead.
The Florida DUI trial has most recently featured the testimony of a witness who testified that Leyritz ran his Ford Expedition through a red light and hit the SUV driven by Fredia Ann Veitch, killing her.
The witness, a bouncer at a bar in Ft. Lauderdale, claimed that Leyritz appeared to be trying to make it through the intersection before a yellow light turned red. He didn’t make it, said the accident witness, as reported by the New York Daily News.
The accident took place in December of 2007, at just after 3 in the morning. Henry also said that Veitch had the green light as she entered the intersection. “She didn’t have to stop because it was green,” he testified.
Henry was cross-examined regarding the timing of his witnessing of the accident, and he did offer that he looked up to see the incident only after he heard brakes screeching nearby.
Some evidence in the case, namely that there were no skid marks before the intersection, could shed some doubt on the timing claimed by Henry. There were screech marks on the road after the traffic lights, which may suggest that Henry did not see what the state of the traffic lights was at the time that he started viewing the incident.
According to the prosecution, Jim Leyritz had been out on the town, taking shots of vodka and tequila to celebrate his birthday when he took the wheel. His blood alcohol content was measured at .14 percent, which is almost double the legal BAC limit of .08.
Leyritz has pleaded not guilty to the DUI charge and to vehicular homicide. If he is convicted of the crime, he could face 15 years in prison.
In addition to Henry’s testimony, the prosecution has said that another witness, a passenger in Leyritz’s vehicle, would also testify that Leyritz ran the red light.
Other evidence in the trial includes testimony from witnesses who say that Leyritz did not appear intoxicated following the accident. One of those witnesses is a police detective.
Prosecutors will counter those accounts by asking jurors to look at police video of Leyritz’s field sobriety test.
“What you will see is a man who is being given instructions and can’t follow those instructions, even though he is not falling-down drunk,” prosecutor Stefanie Newman told the jury.
Leyritz had previously settled a civil suit with the family of the victim, though he did not admit any liability.
By guest-writer
Justin Blackmon, a sophomore receiver on the Oklahoma State football team, was arrested under suspicion of DUI this week, after he was pulled over on the interstate around Dallas-Ft. Worth.
Blackmon announced an apology following the announcement of his DUI arrest. He apologized to his family and friends, and to the school, according to NewsOK.
“I made a mistake, and I take full responsibility for it. I look forward to redeeming myself. This isn’t who I am.”
Blackmon has been suspended for a game by head football Mike Gundy, the match-up between Oklahoma State and Kansas State.
“In our opinion, what he did deserves a suspension for this game,” said Gundy. “It was very easy for us. That’s a decision he made, and he has to suffer the consequences.”
Blackmon was stopped after being clocked driving 92 miles per hour in a 60 mile per hour zone on Interstate 35. He was subsequently arrested for suspicion of DUI.
Blackmon didn’t have to speak to the press so soon after his arrest. However, he appeared at a press conference less than 48 hours. When asked why, he told the press, “to prove I’m not that guy and own up to my mistakes. I did it, and I should be punished for it.”
“6:51,” replied Coach Gundy about when he heard about the DUI arrest, referring to how early in the morning he got the call. “Usually when I get a call that early in the morning it’s not good.” Gundy also said that Blackmon was “a caring person who made a mistake.”
Several other OSU football players were in the car with Blackmon, though no other students have been punished by the football program for anything that occurred that night.
Blackmon has been tagged for speeding in the past, once for driving 20 to 25 miles per hour over the limit, and another time for driving 93 in a 70 mile per hour zone.
The legal investigation is still under way, so Blackmon didn’t answer any specific questions about the case.
According to Texas DUI law, a police officer doesn’t have to place a minor into custody for the Class C misdemeanor DUI.
By guest-writer
The trial of DUI defendant Andrew Gallo is now focused recently on whether Gallo knew that driving drunk was a dangerous decision just before he hit and killed Nick Adenhart, a pitcher for Major League Baseballs’ Anaheim Angels, and two other people.
The prosecution in the case, in its closing statements, made the claim that Gallo knew the dangers of what he was doing, and that he cared only about himself, according to an article in the Associated Press.
Deputy District Attorney Susan Price told the jury in the California DUI case that Gallo “made the decision to get intoxicated beyond the point of any reason.”
The defense argued that Gallo did not act out of malice, and did not mean to kill anybody. According to the defense, Gallo thought that his stepbrother would be the designated driver, and only drove after his stepbrother became intoxicated as well.
Gallo was in a state of blackout brought on by excessive drinking.
Price replied by saying, “He doesn’t get rewarded for three free murders because he chose to get too drunk. The car keys weren’t forced upon him. They weren’t glued to his hand.”
The prosecution allege that Gallo and his stepbrother drank beer and took shots at three different bars over the course of several hours before he ran a red light at 65 miles per hour and struck the car in which Adenhart was a passenger.
Adenhart was killed, as were his friends Courtney Stewart and Henry Pearson. Their car was allegedly T-boned by Gallo’s car. Stewart and Pearson were killed instantly, while Adenhart died while in surgery. Earlier that evening Adenhart had pitched his first game of the season for the Anaheim Angels.
Jon Wilhite was the fourth passenger in the car and the only survivor. He has endured a long rehabilitation after skull and spine injuries.
Gallo has pleaded not guilty to three counts of second degree murder. According to the prosecution, his blood alcohol content was three time over the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle.
If he is convicted of the charges, which include others for fleeing the scene and DUI-related charges, he faces 50 years in jail.
By Topher
Paris Hilton has faced public embarrassment before, and no we’re not talking about her reality TV series with Nicole Richie. She’s had sex tapes revealed, been arrested for DUI and even spent a little time in jail.
Now, though, after her boyfriend was stopped for suspected DUI, she could be facing the most serious stumble of her life, as she faces felony drug possession charges.
Police allegedly found a bindle of cocaine in her purse while she took a bathroom break at a nearby casino, according to People.
The car that Hilton was riding in at the time of the traffic stop was driven by her boyfriend, nightclub owner Cy Waits. The police officer on the scene said that he smelled marijuana smoke wafting from the vehicle and pulled it over.
Waits was later arrested, on suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
In the meantime Hilton asked if she could be taken to the Wynn Las Vegas hotel. Officers granted her request, and it was while Hilton was taking lip balm out of her purse that an officer saw the small bundle that he suspected could have been cocaine.
It turned out to be .8 grams of cocaine. The purse also contained cigarette rolling papers that are typically used to roll marijuana joints and a cracked tablet of the asthma drug Albuterol, which Hilton said she had a prescription for.
Hilton claimed that the purse was not hers, that she had borrowed it from a friend of hers. Some of the items in the purse were hers, and some were not. The rolling papers were hers, she said, as well as cash and credit cards and the Albuterol, but not the cocaine.
According to the report, Hilton claimed that when she saw the cocaine, she thought that it was chewing gum.
CBS reported that Hilton stated that she isn’t worried about the felony drug charges, which carry a maximum sentence of four years in jail. Reports say that the Las Vegas District Attorney has already filed the felony case against the heiress. The same DA put O.J. Simpson in the slammer on robbery charges.
By Topher
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s wife was once again arrested for DUI, this time for allegedly driving under the influence of drugs.
Mary Kennedy was pulled over for speeding at 8 in the morning, according to the Journal News, when police decided to perform sobriety tests and made the arrest for driving while impaired by drugs.
According to the police report, she was driving her 2004 Volvo 82 miles per hour when police pulled her over.
The arrest comes on the heels of a license suspension that was handed down to Kennedy just a month ago, after she pleaded guilty to driving while drunk.
At the time of the latest arrest, Kennedy had a conditional license, which made it legal for her to drive in certain limited situations. She told police that she was going to yoga class.
She was taken to a police station in nearby Millbrook, New York, where an expert in drug-recognition determined that she was under the influence of a prescription medication.
This is the latest in an ongoing series of soap opera-like events for Mary Kennedy. In one bad week in May of this year her husband filed for divorce, police responded to repeated calls to her home in Bedford, New York, and she was charged with DUI.
The May 15 arrest came after she was pulled over after police saw her run her car onto a curb outside of a school. Police said that her speech was blurred. She had a blood-alcohol content of .11.
A few days before that, when police came to her house after she called 911, they found that Mary Kennedy was visibly drunk, that she was having trouble gathering her thoughts or letting police know why she called.
A few days after that, her husband filed for divorce, and the day after that the police returned to the couple’s home on a report of a domestic incident.
In mid-July Kennedy was able to plead guilty to a lesser charge for the DUI, and she had to pay a $500 fine and attend DWI classes.
By Topher
English cricketer Graeme Swann was recently stopped for drunk driving at 3 in the morning in Nottingham, England.
His excuse for driving under the influence? His cat, which had gotten lodged underneath the floor of his home.
According to his story, as reported by the Telegraph, Swann had returned home from a birthday celebration with his wife at the late hour, and on arriving home found that his kitten was stuck under the floor.
Swann then, according to his side of things, rushed to drive to a 24-hour supermarket to buy some tools to help free his unlucky feline.
Police stopped Swann’s white Porsche Cayenne because there had been robberies in the neighborhood recently. Before the stop was made, police report that Swann accelerated “at speed” before the officer put on his flashing lights and the cricketer stopped.
“A male got out of the driver’s seat,” says Pc Steven Denniss. “I saw something in his right hand and saw they were a set of screwdrivers.”
Swann told the officer about his trapped cat, and according to the report his speech was slightly slurred. Swann apologized and told the officer that he knew that he should not have been driving, but that he “only went to Asda to get some screwdrivers to get the cat out.”
Another officer on the scene reported that he thought that, given the robberies in the neighborhood, she suspected that they had another thief on their hands.
Swann told police that the screwdrivers were not what they thought, and that they should call his wife to confirm his story. Police put a call in for a sergeant to stop by the athlete’s home and make sure that the cat was alright.
“[Swann] was very chatty,” the report continued. “He said he had been out celebrating his birthday with his partner. Mr. Swann was in a panic and seemed very concerned about the cat.”
According to the court that heard the case, Swann was “borderline” over the legal drunk driving limit. In England, the legal limit is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood.
Swann was named England’s cricketer of the year this year. He is a bowler on the English national team, and took 10 wickets in a test in Bangladesh in March, which propelled him to the award.
No word on whether police ever caught the cat burglars terrorizing the neighborhood, but it’s probably a safe bet that the cat itself was fine.
By Topher
Lindsay Lohan will be doing time for her DUI offense.
That’s 90 days in jail, though it’s unlikely she’ll serve the whole stint.
Some sources say that she was experiencing some serious anxiety about her time behind bars. Who wouldn’t?
“She’s really nervous,” someone close to Lohan to told E! News. “She is still hoping she is not going to jail.”
Unfortunately for the starlet, Lohan will be spending at least some time in the clink.
Lohan will soon report to the jail to begin serving her sentence, although overcrowding causes many sentences to be shortened.
Lohan will appear in court, and then she will be taken to the Century Regional Detention Facility, in Lynnwood, California. Here are a few things that E! News wants you to know about the impending jail sentence of a young woman convicted of DUI.
Lohan Isn’t the First Celebrity Starlet to Spend Time in Lynnwood
Paris Hilton once stayed in the same facility. In 2007 she spent 23 days serving time for violating the probation on a reckless driving charge.
Khloe Kardashian Odom once spent four-and-a-half hours in Lynnwood for violating her own DUI charge. While Khloe was there, she was placed in solitary confinement. The jail received three bomb threats during her stay, though it’s unclear why.
Nicole Richie did a tough 82 minutes of time for her own 2007 DUI conviction.
Even Lindsay Lohan herself served 84 minutes in 2007 from DUI arrests that year.
Rules of the DUI Road
Lohan won’t get any preferential treatment in lock-up. She’ll be allowed visitors during much of the day on weekends. Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous hold daily meetings inside, and numerous ministries operate in the jail. Also, there is no smoking at Lynnwood, so Lohan will have to do without her nicotine fix.
Ladies Only
The Century Regional Detention Facility is a female-only facility, with 1,800 inmates.
When Paris Hilton served time, she had good things to say about the populace, saying that her fellow inmates were “very supportive.” She talked to her fellow inmates from cell to cell.
Lohan will be in a 12-foot-by-8-foot cell with two bunk beds, a toilet, a sink, a stool, table and a six-inch window. She will be separated from other prisoners because of her status.
By Topher
It seems on the surface that there have been a lot of celebrity DUIs lately, whether you’re talking about Chris Klein, Lindsay Lohan, Motley Crue musician Vince Neil or any one of several stars from “The Hills.”
So what’s the deal with all of the celebrity DUI arrests? Fox411 digs into this question in a recent article. In it, they ask whether the uptick in offenses has to do with more celebrities breaking the law, or with law enforcement techniques that are busting more DUI offenders in general.
According to California DUI lawyer Neil Shouse, “There has been a prominent step up in law enforcement. A lot more people call in to report drunk drivers and there are a lot more DUI checkpoints. The California Highway Patrol has also become much more aggressive.”
Shouse also cited an increase in funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to curb DUI, which we have covered on the blog before.
A representative from the LAPD confirmed the increase in police presence working to curb drunk driving.
Despite the higher levels of prevention and enforcement, one would think that celebrities could afford to take cabs or get one of the members of their entourage to be the designated driver for the night. However, that’s not always the case.
One star, actor Kiefer Sutherland, turned down the opportunity to have a personal driver take him home on the night that he was arrested for driving while intoxicated.
According to some, there are psychological forces at play when it comes to celebrities who are willing to risk driving while drunk.
DUI attorney Shouse told Fox411 that “stars often see themselves as having a sense of immunity and a very dangerous false sense of security.” New Jersey lawyer Darren Del Sardo suggested that celebrities might drink to escape the daily scrutiny that a modern life in the spotlight can entail.
Entertainment reporter Scott Huver offered a cynical attitude: “There is a breed of young star who, seeing the press that Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan generate from their legal problems, somehow believes any publicity is somehow good publicity.”
It is perhaps hard to imagine how the legal repercussions of a DUI could help a young performer’s career, but in a way that may be what the public finds so attractive about the Hollywood set, that being their unpredictability.
By Topher
University of Georgia Athletic Director Damon Evans has since issued a public apology and resigned from his position following his arrest on DUI charges, according to the Atlanta Journal-Consititution.
The resignation followed a conference call that Evans had with members of the school’s executive committee of the athletic association’s board of directors. Evans offered his “sincerest apology” to University of Georgia fans, student-athletes, coaches and officials, as well as to his wife.
“It had been my hope since taking the job in 2004 that I would have a long career at UGA,” Evans said. “But because of a serious mistake in judgment, that won’t be the case, and I understand that I have a long road to rebuilding my reputation and career.”
Evans, who was only 34-years-old when he was hired as the school’s athletic director in 2004, was arrested in Atlanta, late at night. He was charged with DUI and with failure to maintain a lane. A companion of his was also arrested at the time, for disorderly conduct. Evans claimed that the woman, Courtney Fuhrmann, was just a friend of his, while Fuhrmann said that she had been seeing the athletic director for “only a week or so,” according to the Associated Press.
Evans recently met with a lawyer, Edward Tolley, of the Athens, Georgia, law firm Cook, Noell, Tolley, Bates and Michael.
“I explained to Damon in general terms what the law is,” said Tolley. “I’m sending him to somebody who is an expert with the law in this area and familiar with the Atlanta judicial system. Local representation is important in cases like this.”
Tolley is associated with the Georgia Athletic Association, so he recommended that Evans seek individual counsel to handle the DUI case. Tolley recommended the lawyer Steve Weiner, whom he called an expert in the field of DUI arrest.
Evans, who is married with two kids, was the first African-American athletic director hired at the University of Georgia. There is no word from UGA officials about a replacement for Evans in the athletic director position.
Evans will receive three months in severance pay after his resignation, as well as a $100,000 longevity bonus.
By Topher
With the extended run of poor play and shabby team management the Detroit Lions have subjected their fans to, one might think that the executives responsible would do their best to avoid any more negative press.
But Detroit Lions team president Tom Lewand finds himself in hot water after a DUI arrest after failing a field sobriety test and registering a blood-alcohol content that was more than twice the legal limit.
Lewand was pulled over by police after they saw that he was driving erratically. Lewand told the deputies that pulled him over that he was the designated driver, and that he had not had a drink in a year and a half. Lewand’s story was that he had driven to a bar to pick up a friend.
The deputies smelled alcohol coming from the driver’s side of the vehicle, despite the story that Lewand provided.
The police report described Lewand’s eyes as “glossy and bloodshot.” When Lewand was subjected to field sobriety tests, he could not, according to reports, walk heel to toe, balance on one leg, or touch his finger to his nose.
Lewand then took several breath tests, on which he registered a .21 and a .20 blood-alcohol content.
Lewand apologized for his behavior in a statement that he released over the weekend.
According to the Detroit Free-Press, Lewand had been participating in alcohol abuse treatment for several months preceding the arrest.
Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the National Football League, said that he plans on talking to Lewand about the arrest. Goodell has played a major role in disciplinary negotiations in more notorious cases like that of Michael Vick and his dog fighting conviction.
“Our policies apply to everyone,” said Goodell. “Yours truly, club presidents, players, coaches, everybody involved in the NFL. I think Tom recognizes that and, of course, I will speak to him in the near future, and we’ll be gathering the facts. Everybody’s accountable, and everyone’s responsible.”
Lewand had been in the area around Houghton Lake for a charity golf tournament, along with several members of the Lions football team.
By Topher
Celebrity DUI arrests made headlines again this week, both involving actors known for their work in the early 2000s.
Actor Chris Klein, best known for his role in the hit “American Pie” movie checked into rehab after he was arrested for DUI for the second time, according to People.com.
Klein was arrested on suspicion of DUI on June 16 by the California Highway Patrol, after he was seen swerving across lanes on the Hollywood Freeway in Los Angeles.
He measured, according to police, a blood-alcohol content nearly three times the legal limit. The 31-year-old actor had faced DUI charges in the past in San Diego County, when he was pulled over in 2005.
According to People.com, his decision to enter rehab was a decision he made as a way to bring others in to help him with an alcohol problem that he’d been dealing with by himself for years.
“[Klein] understands now that he can not beat this disease alone,” said his representative. “He thanks everyone for their support as he takes all the necessary steps to deal with his addiction and asks for privacy while doing so.”
Klein will seek treatment at a center in Utah called the Cirque Lodge. Lindsay Lohan, Kirsten Dunst, Melanie Griffith and other celebrities received treatment at the same facility.
Klein was once engaged to starlet Katie Holmes. He will enter a 30-day program, with a plan to stay longer if he needs to.
Soproanos Star Arrested for DUI in Florida
Joseph Gannascoli, who played Vito Spatafore on the successful HBO drama “The Sopranos,” faces DUI charges in Tampa, Florida. The 51-year-old Gannascoli was pulled over just before 3 a.m. by a police officer dedicated to DUI stops when he made a wide turn, drifted in his lane and drove over a lane marker.
The officer smelled alcohol and noted Gannascoli’s slurred speech, so he administered a field sobriety test. The actor failed the test, and blew a .111 on a Breathalyzer test. He was arrested for suspicion of DUI.
Gannascoli’s website noted that he was in town to promote his brand of cigars.
