By johnclark
By John Clark
A Rhode Island resident was arrested for a DUI on Monday morning this week, which wouldn’t usually be a topic of national discussion. But the circumstances of the arrest have left many people wondering how this man was allowed to drive on Monday at all.
According to a report from the Boston Globe, Robert F. Levesque’s arrest was his third drunk driving incident in less than a week.
Sources say the 54-year-old man, a resident of West Warwick, stopped his car in the middle of a road this Monday at roughly 1:30 in the morning.
When police officers arrived on the scene, they discovered Levesque hunched over his steering wheel, in some state of consciousness that could fairly be described as a non-driving state of mind.
Sources note that the driver’s posture and actions led wary police officers to detect that he was “highly intoxicated at the time,” which is not the ideal description drivers want on their DUI police reports.
After removing Levesque and his vehicle from the middle of the road, police charged the man with driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license, and failing to submit to a chemical test.
These charges, of course, came on the heels of two other arrests during the past week. Police officers learned of these past charges when they brought Levesque to the Wickford Barracks to process him.
Concerned citizens may take some comfort in the knowledge that a Rhode Island court had previously revoked Levesque’s license, but some critics believe that the state could have done more to keep the dangerous man off the road.
In addition, the state decided after the man’s third arrest to take further precaution. Sources say that Levesque is currently being held with bail because he violated the terms of a prior bail with his recent drunk driving stunt.
The saga of Levesque, however, reveals the difficult balancing act courts must perform when determining whether to grant bail for someone who appears determined to continue driving under the influence.
Suspending a driver’s license keeps most honest people off the roads, but there are plenty of DUI defendants who are perfectly content to drive without a valid license. In such a case, courts are more likely to keep a drunk driver behind bars.
One method many states use to prevent such incidents is to install ignition interlock systems in convicted drunk drivers’ cars. These devices allow dangerous drivers to maintain their freedom, but prevent them from driving if they are drunk.
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Copyright © 2013 TotalDUI, LLC. All rights reserved.
By johnclark
By John Clark
Matt Bush, the first overall pick in the 2004 amateur baseball draft, was sentenced this week to 51 months in prison after pleading no contest to a drunk driving charge, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Sources say Bush was widely believed to be a future superstar, but troubles with alcohol and several arrests eventually destroyed the young prospect’s career.
The latest incident for the 26-year-old happened this March, when Bush nearly killed a 72-year-old man in a hit-and-run accident, according to sources.
On that night, sources say Bush was driving a Dodge Durango that he had borrowed from a frien when he struck Tony Tufano’s motorcycle and quickly fled the scene of the accident.
When police finally caught up with Bush, who was driving without a license, they discovered that his blood alcohol level was 0.18 percent, which is more than twice the legal limit in Florida.
After the accident, Tufano reportedly stayed in intensive care for a few weeks. While in intensive care, the victim was treated for brain hemorrhaging, several broken bones, and a collapsed lung.
And while Tufano has made a partial recovery, his family members claim that he will never be the same, and expressed their disappointment that Bush only received a 51-month prison sentence.
Sources say that Bush pleaded no contest to a single charge, driving under the influence with serious bodily injury. In return for his plea, prosecutors agreed to drop six other charges stemming from the March accident.
But the prison sentence won’t be his only punishment. In addition to his prison term, Bush will have his license revoked in Florida for 10 years, since this is his third DUI conviction in the last decade. Bush will also have to pay a nominal amount of court costs.
Bush’s legal troubles, however, extend beyond his criminal conviction. Sources say that Trufano’s family has filed a $5 million personal injury lawsuit against Bush and the teammate who allowed him to drive his car without a license.
According to Shannon Moore, Tufano’s daughter-in-law, she and her family are “not too confident” that Bush won’t “do it again,” referring, of course, to the likelihood that Bush will continue to drive drunk after he is released from prison.
In addition, Moore pinned some of the blame on the Tampa Bay Rays, which signed Bush to a minor-league contract in 2010.
In her words, Bush “wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the Rays, so I think the family is a little upset with the Rays, knowing Matt Bush’s history, all the DUIs, why would they bring him to this area?”
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Copyright © 2013 TotalDUI, LLC. All rights reserved.
By Mike
Say goodbye to 2012 and party all night long, but make sure you get home safely on New Year’s Day!
In the U.S., January 1 ranks second for fatal car accidents, with more than 40 percent of accidents involving alcohol. Protect yourself and start 2013 off right by having a post-party plan.
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Know Your Limits
- Think before you drink—Do you know how many drinks will keep you under the legal limit? Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) calculators can give you an idea but they’re not 100% accurate.
- BAC can be affected by height, weight, sex, body fat, even what you’ve eaten.
- Pace yourself—alternate a glass of water between each alcoholic beverage.
Buddy Up
● If you’re going out with a group of friends, choose a designated driver. (Consider having a backup as well.)
● Keep an eye on your group. Never drive with someone who’s been drinking.
Phone a Friend
● All alone and no one to take you home? Keep an emergency friend in your back pocket. (You’ll owe them big later, of course.)
Ask the Experts
● The National Directory of Designated Driver Services (NDDDS) lists profit and nonprofit organizations that will send someone out to drive you and your car home.
● AAA offers a Tipsy Tow service in some locales. You do not need to be a member. Other smaller local services may also exist, so look around.
Walk It Out
● Be careful if you’re tempted to walk home. Pedestrian-involved accidents are higher on New Year’s than any other time of the year!
Sleep It Off
● Partying at a friend’s house or a hotel and all your options are exhausted? Consider staying put. Better to crash on a couch than to crash on the road.
This infographic has been brought to you by Total DUI.
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Copyright © 2013 TotalDUI, LLC. All rights reserved.
By admin
By John Clark
Taran Noah Smith, the former child star who played Tim Allen’s youngest child on “Home Improvement,” was convicted this week for driving under the influence and drug possession, according to a report from the Huffington Post.
Sources say Smith was arrested back in February after police approached his vehicle when he was parked in front of a fire hydrant.
When the officers found Smith, they suspected that he was under the influence of marijuana due to the smell of the vehicle and promptly searched his car, which revealed that he had a significant amount of hash.
After discovering the drug, the police arrested the 28-year-old actor and charged him with a DUI and drug possession, according to sources.
In order to lighten his eventual sentence, Smith reported pleaded guilty to the charge of drug possession and “no contest” to the drunk driving charge. In most jurisdictions, a “no contest” plea carries the same weight as a guilty plea, but the defendant technically does not admit to his or her guilt.
By taking the plea bargain, Smith was likely given a lighter sentence. Sources say the former child star was sentenced to a six-month drug diversion program and three years of probation for the drug offense. For the DUI, he must complete a 12-hour education program.
Smith’s plight illustrates a common misconception about modern DUI laws. While drunk driving is the most common reason for a DUI, police officers can arrest people for driving under the influence of drugs like marijuana, as well.
And while the recent legalization of marijuana in a few states could complicated the enforcement of DUI drug laws, legislators remain steadfast in their disapproval of driving under the influence of pot.
This is a lesson Smith learned the hard way. Sources say, however, that this is the latest in a strong of troubling incidents for the child star, who has reportedly had long-term issues with drug abuse.
Smith became famous during the 1990’s when he played Mark on “Home Improvement.” The actor was only 7 years old when he first appeared on the show, and had a very public dispute with his parents over his earnings when he reached the age of majority.
In fact, Smith sued his parents in 2001 for allegedly wasting the money he earned on the show. The troubles he experienced during his acting career give a hint as to why Smith said it was “pretty exciting to leave it behind and do other things” when the hit show ended.
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Copyright © 2013 TotalDUI, LLC. All rights reserved.
By johnclark
By John Clark
A man in Rhode Island was arrested for a DUI this week while he was driving to the police station to pick his wife, who had just been arrested for drunk driving, according to a remarkable report from The Providence Journal.
Few details from the evening have been released, but the incredible story shows the dangers of driving drunk, even when drivers feel they have a valid reason to get behind the wheel.
Sources say 43-year-old Stephanie Souza, a resident of Warwick, Rhode Island, was pulled over by police last Friday night after she was seen driving erratically on Route 95 in the small town of Cranston.
After police encountered Souza, they saw several signs that she was intoxicated, so they took her to the state police barracks at Lincoln Woods and administered a blood alcohol test, which revealed that she was indeed drunk.
Once she was at the police station, Souza took the reasonable step of using her allotted phone call to contact her husband. Presumably, she was looking for her husband to bail her out of jail so she didn’t have to spend the night behind bars.
Unfortunately, her husband, 44-year-old Michael Souza, responded dutifully to his wife’s request, despite the fact that he was also drunk when he received the call.
Sources say Michael Souza drove as far as the town of Lincoln before he was stopped by police for what sources call a “motor vehicle violation.”
When police encountered the husband in his car, they detected signs of intoxication, and gave him a blood alcohol test, which revealed that he had been drinking before he got behind the wheel of his car.
To add a bit of symmetry to the whole sordid affair, sources say the husband was also taken to the Lincoln Barracks, where his wife was being detained. Sources do not say whether they encountered each other in jail.
A rough comparison of the couple’s blood alcohol levels at the time of their arrest reveals the husband to be the less responsible driver, although Stephanie Souza certainly isn’t without blame.
Sources say the husband’s blood alcohol level was 0.191 percent, which is more than twice the legal Rhode Island limit of 0.08 percent. Two tests given to the wife showed that she was somewhere between a 0.145 and 0.138 percent, both of which are also well above the legal limit.
The wife is scheduled to be arraigned on December 18, while her husband will be arraigned two weeks later.
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Copyright © 2013 TotalDUI, LLC. All rights reserved.
By admin
By John Clark
A drunk driver in Oregon was rescued by emergency personnel after his pickup truck crashed through a guardrail and left him hanging from an overpass, according to a riveting report from CBS News.
Sources say 38-year-old Matthew Alan Hamilton was driving his truck along a highway in Beaverton, Oregon, when he drunkenly plunged through a guardrail that protected vehicles from a precipitous drop.
After speeding through the guardrail, Hamilton, who fortunately was the only person in his truck, was left hanging vertically over a four-lane highway below the bridge.
The first responders to the scene were from Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, and sources say they “safely secured” the vehicle to prevent it from falling into the highway while Hamilton sat nervously in the front seat.
A picture from the scene reveals that Hamilton’s truck seemed to be defying the rules of physics by remaining attached to the bridge, and observers believe Hamilton was very lucky to have only suffered minor injuries in the crash.
Sources say Hamilton had to be pulled from the hanging truck by a fire engine that had a special basket. In addition, the highway below the hanging truck had to be shut down for several hours as highway workers removed the truck.
Despite his remarkable rescue, Hamilton’s troubles are just beginning. Sources say he had a blood alcohol level of 0.50 percent at the time of the crash, which is more than six times the legal limit of 0.08 percent in Oregon.
Immediately after he was rescued, Hamilton performed a field sobriety test for police officers, and apparently failed with flying colors.
According to sources, a brief analysis of Hamilton’s body weight and blood alcohol level suggest that, if he had been drinking for three hours before the crash, he would have had to consume 26 typical beers to reach such an incredible level of drunkenness.
To be fair, Hamilton had probably been drinking for longer than three hours, but such figures can give the reader some idea of how difficult it is to register such a remarkable blood alcohol percentage.
After his arrest, Hamilton was taken to the Washington County Jail, which is probably less frightening than hanging over a four-lane highway in a crippled pickup. He is being held on a $8,260 bond.
The wayward driver has been charged with four counts of probation violation, reckless driving, driving with a suspended license, and driving under the influence.
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Copyright © 2013 TotalDUI, LLC. All rights reserved.
By Mike
In December 2010, alcohol-related car accidents caused an average of 25 deaths per day, accounting for 30% of all motor vehicle accidents that month. New Year’s Day has been found to be the deadliest day of the year for drunk driving deaths.
In this infographic, you’ll learn how to avoid a DUI arrest this season. (hint – don’t drink and drive!)
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Who’s Most at Risk?
Men:
- Men represent 78% of the drivers invovled in fatal alcohol-related accidents.
Young Adults:
- Drivers 21 to 34 years old were alcohol impaired and involved in fatal crashes more often than any other age group.
Night Drivers:
- Drivers on the roadways between the hours of 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m. were involved in 78% of alcohol-related fatalities in December 2010.
- Nearly half of drivers involved in fatal crashes from 12 a.m. to 2:59 a.m. had BACs of .15 or higher.
Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over
- The national DUI enforcement blitz.
- The campaign will run from December 12, 2012, to January 1, 2013.
- Local law enforcement will be on the lookout for impaired drivers.
DUI Prevention
- Plan Ahead: Find a designated driver if you’ll be drinking.
- If you’ve been drinking, stay where you are.
Time is the only thing that sobers a person.
- The liver metabolizes one drink an hour.
If you cannot stay where you are:
- Call a taxi.
- Call a family member or friend.
- Use public transportation.
Do not let anyone who’s been drinking get behind the wheel.
This report is brought to you by Total DUI.
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Copyright © 2013 TotalDUI, LLC. All rights reserved.
By admin
By John Clark
A drug and alcohol counselor in California was arrested for an alleged DUI this week, which shows just how common the crime is, according to a report from ABC News.
Sources say 51-year-old Sherri Lyn Wilkins, a rehabilitation counselor at Twin Town Treatment Center in Torrance, California, is facing charges of manslaughter and drunk driving after striking and killing a pedestrian.
The details of the accident are gruesome. Sources say the victim, 31-year-old Philip Moreno, was trying to cross a busy intersection when Wilkins struck him head-on with her vehicle.
Shockingly, after striking Moreno, Wilkins continued to drive for two miles while the man was stuck in her windshield. Several witnesses reportedly forced Wilkins to stop after seeing the man in her windshield.
According to Sgt. Robert Watt, a police officer in Torrance, Wilkins “had panicked behind the wheel after striking the gentleman and did not know what to do.”
Moreno had been with friends at a bar watching a sporting event when he left early to walk home. According to his friend, Jennifer Grebb, Moreno decided to walk home instead of drive because he was “doing the right thing.”
Sadly, if the allegations are true, Wilkins certainly did the wrong thing, as she chose to drive while intoxicated despite her close personal knowledge of the dangers of drunk driving.
Sources suggest that Wilkins had her own troubles with substance abuse before stepping into the role of a rehabilitation counselor at Twin Town.
According to the facility’s CEO, David Lisonbee, who confirmed that Wilkins had been working there before the accident, “[n]o one, including counselors, are immune from the possibility of relapse.”
Lisonbee also noted that he and his cohorts were “comfortable that she was in a program of recovery for a period of time prior to this incident.” Sources say that Wilkins will be back in court this week for an initial hearing.
Alas, despite Wilkins’ intimate knowledge of the perils of drunk driving, she chose to get behind the wheel while she was intoxicated. Her story can serve as a cautionary tale to others.
In recent months, counselors, ministers, and other community leaders have all caused DUI accidents across the country. These incidents reveal that, despite the progress that has been made, drunk driving remains a common, but easily preventable, crime.
Instead of driving drunk, hail a taxi, take public transportation, or call a friend. The potential consequences of driving drunk far outweigh any perceived benefits.
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Copyright © 2013 TotalDUI, LLC. All rights reserved.
By admin
By John Clark
While judges often have to take stern measures to assure that defendants show up for DUI court appearances, they rarely have to worry about the presence of the arresting officers, who are usually expected to testify at DUI trials.
However, a member of the Florida Highway Patrol recently proved this theory wrong after failing to show up for a DUI trial.
John Costa was tossed into a county jail this week for contempt of court after failing to show up for a suspect’s DUI trial, according to a report from the Orlando Sentinel. Costa’s failure to appear at trial forced the judge to dismiss the defendant’s case, according to sources.
Sources say that the 41-year-old state trooper failed to show up for a hearing in Volusia County a couples weeks ago. Court officials reportedly tried to contact Costa, but he failed to answer their phone calls and also refused to answer knocks on his home’s front door.
Thanks to his stubborn refusal to show up for trial, Judge Belle Schumann took the extraordinary step of charging him with contempt of court, and Costa began serving his five-day jail sentence earlier this week.
Interestingly, officials with the Florida Highway Patrol believe this is the first time one of their members has ever been thrown into jail for contempt of court. So Costa has certainly established a dubious milestone.
Sources believe his failure to appear for his trial could potentially end Costa’s tumultuous police career. Costa, however, recently told his supervisors that he plans to resign and leave the state, so he may be spared the indignity of being fired.
Costa’s troubles started last December during a routine drunk driving arrrest on a Florida interstate, according to sources.
On December 3, Costa pulled over Stephanie Halcomb after she sped by his patrol car at the wildly illegal speed of 92 miles per hour.
Costa smelled alcohol on Halcomb’s breath and discovered an empty bottle of 99-proof liquor in her car, so he administered a series of field sobriety tests, which the defendant reportedly failed.
Later, a breath test given to Halcomb revealed that she had a blood alcohol level of 0.192, which is well above the legal limit of 0.08.
This is all to say that prosecutors felt they had a very strong case against Halcomb, who had previously been convicted for a DUI three years earlier, and was facing up to a year in prison if she was convicted for a second DUI.
But Costa’s failure to show at trial left Halcomb off the hook, and court officials are now scrambling to learn why Costa took such an extraordinary step.
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Copyright © 2013 TotalDUI, LLC. All rights reserved.
By admin
By John Clark
A popular news anchor in Atlanta, Georgia, was pulled over for drunk driving this week after causing a frightening car accident, according to a recent report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Sources say that Amanda Davis, a regular anchor on Atlanta’s Fox 5 News, was driving in the wrong direction on an arterial road when she struck a vehicle traveling in the right direction.
The crash occurred after midnight on Monday night, and Davis has been arrested for a DUI, according to Gregory Lyon, a spokesman for the Atlanta police department.
According to the police report, officers arrived on the scene after Davis caused the accident, which fortunately did not result in any serious injuries.
When Davis left her car and started speaking with the police, one officer “noticed an odor of alcohol emanating from” the news anchor, according to sources.
When the officer asked Davis if she had been drinking before the accident, she reportedly responded “in the affirmative.”
Despite her alleged confession to drinking and driving, Davis refused to perform a field sobriety test. Nevertheless, the police believed they had probable cause to arrest her due to the smell of alcohol and her behavior at the scene of the accident.
For her actions, Davis was reportedly charged with reckless driving and failure to maintain her lane, in addition to the DUI charge. Sources say the police also confiscated her license before taking her to jail.
It’s difficult to speculate on her possible punishment, but DUI drivers often face potential penalties including jail time, a large fine, or the suspension of their driver’s licenses. First-time offenders generally receive lighter punishments than repeat offenders, but this varies by jurisdiction.
One interesting note in this arrest is that Davis’ employer, Fox 5, decided to go ahead and report the incident, but sources say it only printed a brief three-sentence story on its website.
Sources note that the story did not include a picture of the anchor’s mug shot, despite the fact that the station routinely posts the mug shots of people who are arrested for drunk driving.
Several commenters on the story claimed the television station was showing bias in its reporting on the incident.
And while Davis may have received some harmless preferential treatment at the hands of her current employer, the Atlanta judge who hears her case will have to put her celebrity status aside. The public expects nothing less.
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Copyright © 2013 TotalDUI, LLC. All rights reserved.
By admin
By John Clark
A drunk driver allegedly struck and killed two homeless people who were sleeping on a sidewalk in downtown Los Angeles, according to a report this week from the Los Angeles Times.
Sources say that 19-year-old Carmen Elena Chavez was arrested on Sunday on a charge of vehicular manslaughter after she lost control of her Mercedes-Benz while trying to make a right turn at a high speed.
When Chavez lost control of her car, she ran over two homeless people, who were dragged behind the car for several feet, which led to their deaths. The two victims had been sleeping in the infamous Skid Row area, which serves as a shelter for thousands of people without homes.
The victims were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, sources say, although their identities have not yet been released by Los Angeles officials.
In addition to the vehicular manslaughter charge, police have also charged Chavez with driving under the influence of alcohol.
According to sources, Chavez had been drinking with friends on a Saturday night before she and four passengers got into her car and headed downtown.
She was reportedly trying to make a speedy right turn at an intersection when she lost control of the car and jumped a curb, which led her into the path of the victims, who were sleeping against the wall of a nearby building.
Somehow, Chavez continued to drive for at least 50 feet, dragging the man and woman behind her, before she finally crashed to a stop, according to the police report.
According to one witness who spoke with local reporters, the car was smoking when it came to a stop, and the woman who was trapped under the car was “bleeding bad.”
Before police arrived, some of the passengers in the car fled from the scene, but both Chavez and the owner of the car stayed at the site of the accident until police arrived.
Sources say that Chavez was booked later that night into Los Angeles County Jail, and her bail was set at the lofty sum of $100,000.
In the next few days, Chavez will have an opportunity to consult with a DUI attorney, who will likely begin the process of reducing Chavez’s potential punishment.
But if she is convicted of vehicular manslaughter or a felony DUI, Chavez could be facing a serious fine, a likely suspension of her driver’s license, and a significant prison sentence.
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Copyright © 2013 TotalDUI, LLC. All rights reserved.
By admin
By John Clark
Carlton Fisk, a Hall of Fame catcher who played for both the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox, was arrested for a DUI this week after he was allegedly found unconscious behind the wheel of his car, according to an ESPN report.
The arrest gets more bizarre. Sources say that police in New Lenox, Illinois arrested Fisk after they discovered him passed out in the middle of a rural corn field.
According to New Lenox Deputy Chief Bob Pawlisz, the police “received a couple of calls about a vehicle in a field” around 7:20 p.m. on Monday night. When they responded to the calls, they discovered Fisk and his car in the middle of the field.
The officers who arrived on the scene, not surprisingly, “had reason to believe he was under the influence,” according to the understated Pawlisz.
After discovering the 64-year-old baseball celebrity, police “contacted local paramedics in New Lenox, had him examined” and transported the Hall of Famer to the local hospital.
Sources say that Fisk was eventually charged with several different criminal counts, including a lane violation, driving under the influence of alcohol, and illegally transporting an open container of alcohol in his car.
After Fisk was treated and released from the hospital, police took him to a Will County jail. Shortly after he was booked, Fisk posted bond and was released from jail. Fisk is scheduled to appear in court for his first hearing in late November.
The arrest was an embarrassing moment for the former baseball star, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame just a few years ago.
Sources say that Fisk’s career started in 1969 with the Boston Red Sox. Fisk played for Boston for 11 years before signing as a free agent with the Chicago White Sox. After a remarkably long career, especially at such a grueling position, Fisk finally retired in 1993.
On a poignant note, sources say that Fisk’s DUI arrest happened one day after the 37th anniversary of his miraculous home run in Game 6 of the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, which remains an important part of his legacy.
For his crime, Fisk could potentially face jail time, a suspended driver’s license, or a severe fine, depending on the number of previous DUI arrests he has on his record.
The severity of the incident, and the fact that he was so intoxicated he drove into a corn field and fell asleep, will not help mitigate his potential punishment.
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Copyright © 2013 TotalDUI, LLC. All rights reserved.
By Mike
By John Clark
An ambulance driver in Ohio with a previous DUI arrest on his record who was involved in a fatal accident a few weeks ago was allegedly driving without a license at the time of the crash, according to a Columbus Dispatch report.
Sources say that, before causing the recent accident, 31-year-old Todd Picken had failed to recover his license after being convicted for drunk driving in July 2011.
The fatal crash took place on September 18, when the ambulance struck an SUV head-on after the SUV reportedly crossed the center line on a rural highway. The woman behind the wheel of the car, 53-year-old Marcia Frederick, was killed instantly.
Sources are quick to note, however, that the accident was probably caused by Frederick’s medical condition. She was battling cancer at the time of the accident, although sources do not say how her disease caused her to drive erratically.
Still, even though he may not have caused the accident, Picken is facing a lot of heat from officials in Madison County, Ohio. Local prosecutors have charged the ambulance driver with failing to reinstate his license and driving without an operator’s permit.
Picken, according to sources, pleaded not guilty to the charges, and is scheduled to make his first court appearance in mid-November.
County records show that Pickens was arrested in July 2011 for driving under the influence, and was later convicted on his DUI charge. After the conviction, Pickens had his license suspended for one year, according to sources.
Picken apparently failed to take the steps necessary to recover his license, and as a result, Jefferson Township, the entity for which he was working when the ambulance accident occurred, could be on the hook for a large financial loss.
According to one critic of the township, any city officials that believed “someone without a license should be driving a $200,000 (ambulance)” should be punished for their actions.
In addition, the critic notes that Picken’s DUI arrest was not the only red flag. Sources say that Picken has been charged twice with reckless driving, once with driving 90 miles per hour on a small highway, and once with tampering with a traffic-control device.
And because of Picken’s prior DUI conviction, as well as his failure to obtain a proper license, neither he nor Jefferson Township will likely be able to pay for the accident using insurance funds.
So the lesson here is that DUI convictions do not have to spell the end of someone’s driving career, but if you have your license suspended, you must take active measures to recover it after the suspension is lifted.
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Copyright © 2013 TotalDUI, LLC. All rights reserved.
By Mike
By John Clark
After originally arresting a man for causing a fatal DUI accident last week, police in Fresno, California, have switched their tune and arrested the man’s son, according to a report from the Fresno Bee.
Sources say that 50-year-old Mark Marin was originally suspected to be behind the wheel of a vehicle that ran a red light, made a speedy turn, and hit another vehicle that was driving in the opposite direction on a Fresno road.
The accident occurred early last Thursday morning, and after Marin’s vehicle hit the car, it careened into a cinder block wall, according to sources.
Tragically, the impact of the collision killed 27-year-old Morgan Santor, a resident of Fresno who was a passenger in Marin’s car at the time of the accident.
After the accident, the Marins made two very poor decisions. First, Mark Marin reportedly fled from the scene of the accident, which is a serious offense in most states, particularly if the accident involves death or bodily harm to another person.
But Marin, as is typical for people who flee from the scene of a DUI accident, did not elude police for long. Sources say the man was arrested by alert police officers at a nearby home shortly after the accident.
Meanwhile, Marin’s son, Randy, had remained at the scene of the accident, and apparently took full advantage of the opportunity to speak with the police first.
At the scene, Randy Marin allegedly told crash investigators that his father, who has had previous drunk driving incidents, was behind the wheel of the car when the fatal accident occurred.
The 26-year-old’s story was apparently fairly convincing, as police promptly arrested Mark Marin and left his son free to roam the streets of Fresno telling more tall tales.
One day after the arrest, however, police received new information from several witnesses who claimed that Randy Marin, not his father, was driving the car when it struck the cinder block wall.
This testimony proved to be convincing, which led police to arrest Randy Marin Friday night in Los Banos, California. Sources say the son is being held in Fresno County jail on one felony DUI count and one count of vehicular manslaughter.
Interestingly, the father, Mark Marin, will remain in custody indefinitely because he was in violation of a his probation, which certainly explains why he felt compelled to run from the police.
To add further intrigue to the bizarre accident, the other driver involved in the accident, a 24-year-old woman from Fresno, was also arrested for a misdemeanor DUI. She did not, however, pin the accident on an illusory driver.
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Copyright © 2013 TotalDUI, LLC. All rights reserved.
By Mike
By John Clark
A 25-year-old South Dakota woman was arrested for her fifth DUI this week in stunning fashion, as she reportedly led police on a high-speed chase that left one state trooper in critical condition, according to a report from the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.
Sources say that police officers began pursuing Rachel Lee Coleman late Wednesday night after her car sat through an entire green light and then sped across the center line at a busy intersection in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Officer Andrew Steen tried to pull her over, but she sped away into traffic. During the chase, police officers claim that Coleman drove in the direction of two officers who were trying to stop the chase.
When she intentionally steered towards them, the police reportedly fired three shots to try to stop her car, which finally ended the pursuit, according to sources.
But not before Steen, a 34-year-old highway patrol officer, was struck by Coleman’s car during the pursuit. The accident fractured Steen’s skull, and he remains in critical condition after having emergency surgery.
According to a report from the hospital where Steen is being treated, “the first 72 hours are the most critical for swelling of the brain, so we are hoping that his pressures will start to drop within the next 24 hours.”
For her role in causing the DUI accident, Coleman has been charged with attempted first-degree muder, vehicular battery, driving while intoxicated, aggravated assault on a law enforcement official, felony eluding, and causing a hit and run accident, sources say.
The laundry list of serious charges adds to Coleman’s already lengthy criminal history. Sources say the young driver has been charged with a DUI 5 times since 2009, and has also faced several more driving citations.
Witnesses who spoke to police after the shocking accident told them that Coleman had been drinking at a bar for a long period of time before launching the dangerous chase.
If the police report is true, Coleman could spend a large portion of her life behind bars. Sources say that Steen was walking towards Coleman with his gun raised, after Coleman had struck his car, when the young driver allegedly accelerated towards Steen and drove into him.
The impact of the collision sent Steen flying several feet, although the bullets he fired did not hit Coleman. According to a police affidavit, the car accelerated so fast “that it left acceleration marks on the pavement while striking trooper Andrew Steen.”
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