By Michael
Yet another public official is in the spotlight for reasons that have nothing to do with civic involvement.
State Representative Ron Stephens pleaded guilty to DUI following a recent arrest in Illinois, according to an article from the Belleville News-Democrat.
He was sentenced to a year of court supervision after the guilty plea, in which he admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol. His driver’s license was also suspended until October 30, though he maintains an active pharmacist’s license.
Stephens was arrested for DUI in March 2010 after he was pulled over by Decatur, Illinois, police. He was given a blood-alcohol test and registered a blood-alcohol content of 0.101, which is over the legal limit of 0.08. The police report said that Stephens had been on his way home from dinner with friends, where he had consumed two Jack and Cokes.
Stephens’ office decided not to comment, and said that Stephens would not discuss the case in interviews or comments beyond a statement that he made to the public after he was arrested in March.
This isn’t Stephens first run-in with the authorities. He is a pharmacist, but his license was put on probation in 2001 when he was found to have diverted controlled substances from his pharmacy to his personal control. He went though 11 weeks of drug rehab that same year. His license was on probation for more than five years after that.
The probation ended in 2007, though he said he didn’t intend to keep up his practice. As of very recently his status as a pharmacist was listed as active.
Recently the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said that they didn’t intend to renew his pharmacy license. Stephens had a month to request a hearing in that case. According to a spokesman, however, Stephens’ license wasn’t due to expire until 2012.
Stephens, a Republican, has been a member of the state assembly since 1985, minus a two-year stint when he was not elected to the position. As a representative of the 102nd district, he serves a number of counties in southern Illinois, and lives in Greenville, Illinois. He was born in East St. Louis, Illinois.
By Michael
The Tim Welsh era was over almost as soon as it started.
Welsh took the head basketball coaching job at Hofstra on March 31. He had just barely assembled his staff, began recruiting new players and setting up workouts.
But just last weekend Welsh was arrested for DWI, and the charges have brought an end his tenure barely a month after it started.
Welsh had what the New York Post called a “sterling reputation” in the New York area with high school coaches and the media. He had no prior arrests.
Nonetheless, Hofstra demanded Welsh’s resignation from its highest offices. Athletic director Jack Hayes was not happy with the alleged DUI offense, but he had been willing to keep Welsh around. University president Stuart Rabinowitz, however, made the final decision to demand the resignation.
“Tim Welsh tendered his resignation as the Hofstra University men’s basketball coach,” said Hofstra vice president of university relations Melissa Connolly in a statement. “The University accepted the resignation in the best interests of the University and of the men’s basketball program.”
Hayes and Rabinowitz had met to figure out how to begin the search for a new coach, and there is the possibility that an assistant could step into the role. That could last for an interim year, or the school could start a major search process.
Welsh told the Post that he “felt that it was in the best interests of Hofstra University, my family and myself to make this decision and move forward.” He did not discuss the DUI arrest that had led to his resignation.
A source said that Welsh was as concerned about his assistant coaches and their professional fate as he was his own.
According to the New York Times, Welsh registered a blood alcohol content of 0.18 when he was pulled over while driving on a major road in Nassau, Long Island. He was arrested and charged with aggravated DWI. He had reportedly been drinking at a wine bar. At the time of the arrest, he was preparing to move with his wife from Rhode Island to start the new job.
His court case has been postponed until June 1, though the resignation takes effect right away.
By Topher
NFL football player Jerry Porter was arrested in Bakersfield, California, recently, on suspicion of drunk driving, assaulting an officer and resisting arrest, according to a story by the Associated Press.
While Porter is hardly the first prominent athlete to gain unwanted attention with a suspected DUI arrest, this case has taken several strange turns: Starting with the arrest itself and continuing on to the matter of the arresting officer, who is himself under investigation for drunk driving.
Furthermore, it is possible that the California Highway Patrol is investigating the officer for alleged brutality in the arrest.
Porter, a linebacker who recently signed a contract with the Arizona Cardinals football team, was approached by California Highway Patrol officers in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant in Bakersfield. It was early on a Saturday morning in what one source claims was a Taco Bell parking lot.
According to police, Porter refused to give them his driver’s license when they requested it, and he started to roll up his window when police asked him to exit the car. Police also say that Porter slapped at an officer’s hand when the officer attempted to unlock the door to Porter’s car.
The linebacker finally got out of the car and cooperated with the police, and he and a passenger in his car were arrested.
In a strange twist, though, Porter’s lawyer later revealed that the California Highway Patrol officer who arrested Porter for suspected drunk driving is in fact being investigated for two counts of driving under the influence on his own.
Bakersfield Eyewitness News reports that court documents reveal that 33-year-old officer Jeritt Greer was arrested by a Bakersfield cop after an undercover sheriff saw him and became suspicious, back in October 2009.
Greer was “driving erratically” according to the police report. He seemed to be drunk during field sobriety tests, and his blood-alcohol content was measured as .10 percent and .11 percent on several breathalyzer tests.
Eyewitness News is reporting the opinion of legal experts who say that “Greer’s DUI arrest may hurt his credibility if called as a witness against others arrested for DUI, including the Porter case.”
California Highway Patrol officials did not comment on Greer’s investigation, or on why he was still out on patrol. A spokesperson said that such situations are handled on a case-to-case basis. Greer pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor counts of DUI.
According to TMZ.com, the California Highway Patrol has also launched an investigation into Greer’s conduct during the Porter arrest. As TMZ reports, “Joey claims the deputy manhandled him, striking him in the face.”
Porter’s agent, Jeff Sperbeck, told TMZ “it’s unfortunate that Joey has to endure the negative fallout surrounding this investigation. Joey has always been respectful and supportive of law enforcement in Bakersfield. The fact that one officer acted inappropriately will not change his views.”
Bakersfield is Porter’s hometown. He has played in the NFL since 1999, most of those with the Pittsburgh Steelers. More recently he played with the Miami Dolphins before signing with the Arizona Cardinals this year.
By Michael
With each new week, it seems, there comes the latest story of a star athlete who is arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
The latest to carry on this trend is the running back for the Miami Dolphins, Ronnie Brown, who was arrested outside of the city of Atlanta, Georgia on suspicion of DUI, according to the Miami Herald.
Brown was on a trip to his hometown during the NFL’s off-season. He was stopped by police after making what the officer labeled as a lane change without a signal.
Brown did not have a previous record of arrest, and according to the Herald’s sources, Dolphins officials were “not believed to be overly upset with Brown because of his impeccable past as a layer and a citizen.” They did not comment about the arrest.
Brown was released from jail early on the Saturday morning following his arrest.
According to the sources who spoke with the Florida newspaper, Brown was distraught over the DUI arrest. The same sources noted that Brown had not done well when administered a field sobriety test.
The results of the test had led the officers to arrest him. The arresting officer’s detailed description of the arrest and field sobriety test have not yet been released to the public.
Brown hired an attorney to defend him, and the Herald’s sources said that it was still possible that the charges could be reduced to a traffic violation.
Brown’s agent, Todd France, did not respond to the media’s request for comment.
Brown is recovering from November surgery on his foot after a fracture that he suffered that ended his playing season. He is a restricted free agent, though he is expected to return to the Dolphins next year. Off-season voluntary workouts will soon begin, and this legal situation is not expected to restrict these football activities at all.
According to the Herald, Brown is a laid-back person who has not raised flags in his personal life before. He has spent his entire career with the Dolphins so far, after being drafted in 2005.
By Michael
California state Rep. Roy Ashburn’s DUI arrest earlier this month led the conservative politician to come clean about his sexual orientation.
For the past 14 years Ashburn has been a Republican senator who consistently voted against movements for gay rights, reports the Associated Press. But on a radio in his California district he came out out of the closet, saying: “I am gay… those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long.”
Ashburn is a 55-year-old father of four who stated he has always tried to keep his personal life separate from his professional life. But his recent drunk driving arrest brought both together under the public spotlight.
The senator was arrested near the Capitol in Sacramento on March 3rd for erratic driving. A breathalyzer test revealed Ashburn’s blood-alcohol level was .14, according to the Associated Press, well above the legal limit of .08.
After his arrest, news outlets reported that Ashburn was driving with an unidentified man in his government-owned car. The pair had allegedly left from Faces, a gay nightclub in the area.
Ashburn has been on leave from work since the arrest, but attended a Senate session where he was warmly received by Republicans and Democrats. The senator has basically tried to avoid the media, the Associated Press reported.
Ashburn has consistently voted against anything offering equality to gays, including a day of recognition for Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in California.
As far as his voting in the Senate is concerned, Ashburn says his votes don’t necessarily reflect his own views, they reflect the way he feels his constituents would want him to vote. He doesn’t believe his work is a place to bring his own “internal conflict.”
The senator asked for support from friends and family, and says he has no plans to run for further public office after his current term ends.
By Michael
Another athlete is making a public apology after being arrested for DUI.
The Minnesota Timberwolves NBA team have suspended their star center Al Jefferson for two games without pay after he was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated recently, according to the Associated Press.
Jefferson apologized to his team and to fans after the DWI arrest. He also said that he accepts the punishment that the Timberwolves handed down. In his apology, Jefferson said:
“I want to apologize to the entire Timberwolves organization, owner Glen Taylor, my teammates, coaches and Wolves fans everywhere for my actions last night. I made a very poor decision and I am truly sorry for that. As a leader on this team, I know that more is expected of me, and I am disappointed in myself.”
Jefferson was stopped on Interstate 394 in Minneapolis, near downtown, early on a recent Sunday morning.
According to police, he was speeding and changing lanes without a signal. Jefferson took a field sobriety test, then agreed to be transferred to a nearby hospital for a blood test to determine his blood-alcohol content. His car was towed, and police described him as very cooperative with their efforts.
The results of the blood tests had not come in yet, and are expected in the next several weeks.
Jefferson’s arrest came after a loss to the Portland Trailblazers. Jefferson had scored 19 points in the game, which took place at the Target Center.
“On behalf of the Timberwolves organization, we are disappointed that Al used poor judgment last night,” said Timberwolves president of basketball operations David Kahn. “Thankfully, nobody was injured or hurt.”
Kahn also said that Jefferson felt terrible about the incident, and that he understood how serious an issue it was for himself and for the team.
“He feels terrible,” said Kahn, “and I believe him when he says he will learn from his mistake.” Kahn reiterated also that the suspension was appropriate.
Jefferson is 25-years-old, and has played in the NBA since 2004, where he started out with the Boston Celtics. He was traded to Minnesota in the blockbuster deal that sent star Kevin Garnett to Boston.
By Michael
Margot Kassmann is the country’s highest Protestant minister, and she is the head of the Evangelical Church in Germany. And as we’ve seen many times, those in high office are not immune to driving under the influence and the impact that it can have on a life and a public image.
Kassman faces DUI charges after she tested for three times the legal blood-alcohol content level, according to USA Today.
Kassmann was stopped after she was seen running a red light in the northern German city of Hanover. Police gathered a sample of her blood for testing, and her BAC came back at 0.154 percent.
The legal blood-alcohol level to drive in Germany is 0.05, meaning that Kassmann had tripled the acceptable levels.
Jurgen Lendeckel, a state prosecutor, said of the blood-alcohol content that “the value of 0.11 is a threshold. Everything beyond that means absolutely unfit to drive and results in prosecution.”
According to police, Kassmann’s driver’s license was confiscated, and legal proceedings were already moving forward.
About the incident, Kassmann was not hesitant to take complete responsibility for her actions, saying, “I am alarmed at myself at having made such a bad mistake. I am aware of how dangerous and irresponsible drunk driving is. I will of course face up to the legal consequences.”
Kassman was selected to lead Germany’s Protestant church, which comprises some 25 million members, last October. She has faced scrutiny in the past for her position on military issues, with the message, to quote Spiegel Online, “that the military mission in Afghanistan can’t be justified, and calling for withdrawal of German troops.”
She was also a lightning rod choice for the post because she was the first German bishop to file for divorce. However, she had a reputation as a modernizer who supported the improvement of relations with the Catholic church.
In addition to leading the Evangelical Church in Germany, she is still the bishop of the Evangelical Church in Hanover, Germany. She is an experienced theologian, having studied at numerous universities in Germany.
The Protestant church had no additional comments on the situation, other than what Kassmann told the media.
By Michael
From actors to athletes, local police departments show no favoritism to those that drink and drive.
Rey Maualuga, a linebacker for the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals,- was recently arrested in Covington, Kentucky, for allegedly driving under the influence.
The New York Times reported that Maualuga was arrested last Friday morning and held in the Kenton County Jail for seven hours before he was released.
Responding police officers said that Maualuga admitted to drinking “six captain and cokes,” a popular alcoholic beverage containing Captain Morgan spiced rum and Coca-Cola.
When he was arrested his blood alcohol content was .157, which is twice the legal limit of .08.
Police confirmed that Maualuga’s 2003 Pontiac hit a parking meter and two parked cars. There was minor damage to his car and no injuries were reported.
According to a USA today article, Maualuga made a public apology on his twitter account: “Sorry for bringing humiliation n embarrassment to this Organization n to dis great city of Cincinnati.” He later pleaded not guilty to the charges of drunken driving and careless driving.
But Maualuga was not the only one recently arrested for DUI.
Adrian Pasdar, the actor who played Nathan Petrelli on the popular NBC TV show “Heroes,” was also recently arrested for driving under the influence.
Pasdar was pulled over on Freeway 405 in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Highway Patrol clocked the star driving 90 miles per hour at 3 a.m. on a Wednesday. They also reported that Pasdar failed to maintain his lane.
The officers said they could smell alcohol as they approached his car. They requested Pasdar take a sobriety field test. Pasdar refused to take a breathalyzer to determine his BAC.
He was then arrested for suspicion of a DUI and was taken to the nearby county jail. Since he refused to take the breathalyzer test his bail was set at $15,000. No court date has been set for the actor at this point.
By Michael
National Football League Hall of Fame defensive end Bruce Smith recently pleaded guilty to drunk driving in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The Associated Press reports that Smith cited a desire to be a responsible asset to the community in his decision to plead guilty.
As a part of the guilty plea, Smith agreed to pay a $1,000 fine and was given a 90-day suspended sentence. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped charges of speeding and refusing to take a breathalyzer test. Smith will also be required to take an alcohol safety program, and his driving privileges will be restricted.
Under the agreement, Smith can only drive when going to work, medical visits, visits with his mother, to the alcohol class and when he takes his children to school and to the doctor.
Smith was convicted of the DUI charge in General District court in July, and was allowed an appeal and a retrial. Smith made the plea agreement before going to retrial, which was scheduled to occur in the near future.
Smith said in a statement to reporters that the risk in the case would not be worth the reward, and that he thought he had only a 50 percent chance of getting out of the DUI charge. Even then, he would still have to negotiate the additional charges. As it is, he was able to come to a plea agreement that would allow him to, in his words, “take ownership of that evening.”
Smith also said that he would be hiring a former state trooper to accompany him to events at which he might be consuming alcohol. Of the night in question, Smith said that he spent the evening with friends, and that he had consumed some wine with dinner.
This is Smith’s third arrest for DUI. In 1997, a DUI conviction was later dismissed, and in 2003 he was acquitted of any charges.
As a member of the Buffalo Bills and the Washington Redskins, Smith amassed 200 sacks, which puts him at the top of the all-time list. He retired from the sport in 2003 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2009.
By Morgan Brickley
The first decade of the new millennium came in with a bang – everyone was freaked out about Y2K, and ringing in the year 2000 might have been the biggest party Times Square has ever seen.
Along with all the fun to be had in the 2000s, there was also many-a-busted celebrity found to be “under the influence” behind the wheel.
Among the celebrity DUIs from 2000 – 2009 are actor Rip Torn, busted in Connecticut in December 2006; former basketball star Charles Barkley, arrested in Arizona in December 2008; Stephanie Pratt, “The Hills” reality star, arrested in October 2009; Mike Tyson, former boxer, busted in Arizona in December 2006; George Michael caught in England in August 2009; and actress Heather Locklear, arrested in California in September 2008 – just to name a few.
There were also some close calls that didn’t turn into an arrest or DUI charges, like Jenna Bush’s warning for underage drinking and driving back in 2001.
To help recap the first decade of the new millennium, Total DUI has compiled a list of the Top Ten Most Memorable Celebrity DUIs of the Decade:
- Academy Award nominee Nick Nolte was arrested in September 2002 when highway patrol pulled him over for erratic driving in Malibu. Nolte was described by officers as “drooling” and “completely out of it.” Nolte had a history of drug and alcohol abuse, once referring to himself as a “functioning drunk,” according to CBS News.
- Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan, formerly of Saturday Night Live, had a blood–alcohol level of .13 when he was arrested in Hollywood in December 2005. Morgan was given three years of probation as a result of the DUI offense, and had to attend an alcohol education program, according to an Associated Press report.
- Canadian rock group Nickleback’s front man, Chad Kroeger, was arrested for DUI in British Columbia in June 2006, according to the Canadian Press. Kroeger was pulled over for “excessive speeding and erratic driving,” while in his $175,000 Lamborghini. After the arrest, Kroeger’s main concern was how his car was to be transported home. The officers allowed him to make arrangements and stay with the car until he was sure it would make it safely back to his house.
- In July 2006, actor Mel Gibson was arrested for DUI in California. He also reportedly had an open container in his car, according to CNN. Gibson’s DUI arrest was made memorable after he was reported to have made anti-Semitic and sexist comments, for which he later apologized. Gibson’s DUI has since been expunged.
- Child star Haley Joel Osment, famous for his roles in The Sixth Sense and A.I., was charged with DUI in July 2006. According to People Magazine, Osment crashed his car into a mailbox and flipped over. He was charged with the possession of marijuana and for being under the age of 21 with a .05 blood-alcohol level. Osment was 18 years old at the time.
- Paris Hilton: Singer, actress, comedian, heiress, arrestee? According to MSNBC, Hilton was on her way to In-N-Out Burger after having not eaten all day when she was pulled over and arrested for DUI in September 2006. The heiress said of her DUI arrest, “It was nothing,” and her publicist said he doubted it would hurt her reputation – if anything, it seems like it made her more famous.
- Nicole Richie, star of TV’s “The Simple Life,” was arrested for DUI in California in December 2006. According to an ABC News report, Richie was driving alone in her Mercedes SUV. Officers picked her up after receiving 911 calls about a car driving on the wrong side of the expressway. At the time of her arrest, Richie was said to be 5′1″ and weighed just 85 pounds.
- In July 2007 in Santa Monica, Calif., Lindsay Lohan was booked in jail for a DUI investigation after a 911 call from a woman who was allegedly being chased by Lohan’s SUV. This arrest occurred only two weeks after the actress left rehab, according to a Fox News report. Lohan was unable to pass a field sobriety test at the time of her arrest.
- Comedian and former Saturday Night Live cast member, Bill Murray, was traveling abroad in Sweden when was seen driving around in a golf cart in August 2007. Murray was never convicted, according to CBS News, but he refused a breathalyzer when Swedish authorities pulled him over, so they required a blood test. Officials said prison was unlikely, but the actor faced a fine. No one knows where the golf cart came from, but officials asserted that there were no theft charges against the actor.
- The star of the hit TV series “24″, Kiefer Sutherland, was arrested in Hollywood in September 2007 on suspicion of DUI. After making an illegal U-turn, the actor was pulled over by LAPD officials and failed a field sobriety test, according to People Magazine. This was Sutherland’s second DUI arrest of the decade (the first was in 2004), so he served mandatory jail time.
