By Erin K
Since 2007, DUI arrests for women has risen almost 30%. We see this increasing trend with many female celebrities who have been arrested for suspicion of drunken driving.
Heather Locklear was arrested back 2007 for suspicion of drinking and driving in Santa Barbara, Cali. A concerned driver on the road called the police stating Locklear was driving erratically on the road.
She plead no contest to DUI but pled guilty to a lesser charge of a misdemeanor of reckless driving. She paid a $700 fine and was sentenced to attend a 12 hour drug education program and placed on three years’ probation.
Lindsay Lohan received her DUI offense in 2007 as well. She pled no contest to driving under the influence and received three years probation. The judge also ordered her to serve 10 days community service, spend 30 days in drug rehab and complete an 18 month alcohol education program.
Her probation was recently extended as a Beverly Hills judge stated Lohan did not complete the required treatment programs because she filmed out of state. Her DUI attorney claims she can finish the required programs and feels they can overturn the extension.
Actress Joyce Dewitt was arrested in July of 2009 under a suspicion of a driving under the influence. She allegedly drove through a barricade attracting the local police department.
When they walked up to her car they could smell alcohol. They gave her the regulated field tests and afterward she was arrested. Dewitt was released after posting $5000 bail.
Is there a connection with female celebs and the increasing percentage of females being arrested for driving under the influence? Many might look up to these famous women and follow the trend. Or could it be the increasing pressure of the economic times as many women are strong in the workforce.
At this point there are many possibilities as to why this is on the rise with woman in the U.S., but it’s only speculation at this point.
By Erin K
Living above the crowd, when privilege supersedes hindrance, and abundance is as common as the rising sun, it’s no wonder that Hollywood’s enrolled often find themselves against the common grain of law and regulation. It could be the grandeur of stardom or the void of economic distress which breeds impaired judgment.
In either event, even the veil of stardom can’t hide the indiscretion of stars such as the star of the USA Network’s Burn Notice Jeffrey Donavan.
Donavan was arrested in Miami for a DUI offense while presumably there shooting his widely popular spy series. Maybe his new notice should be less about being burnt and more about responsible alcohol consumption.
Then there is the similar negligence by Joyce DeWitt who proved three’s a company, but it can be taken too far when drinks are poured at the Regal Beagle.
According to police documents, DeWitt drove right passed a police barricade, and when cops pulled her over, they say she smelled like alcohol. Unfortunately for Joyce she then failed a sobriety test.
Donavan, DeWitt and many other stars and starlets who are arrested for a DUI offense almost on a weekly basis, certainly it could be thought that many believe their personal “star status” will keep them from having to serve jail time or pay hefty fines for their offenses.
The reality is though, police stations in Hollywood, New York and Miami have strong records of treating big screen heroes like average Joes when it comes to drinking and driving.
Even for those premier athletes who take to their city streets in celebration. They too are not above the law. Just ask Brian Bosworth, Michael Phelps and Charles Barkley.
While the nation as a whole might place our entertainment and sports stars on pedestals, which often times blind us to their moral uncertainty, or shade our view from their societal indiscretions, it seems as though they are not released from the laws of responsibility when it comes to DUI.
By Editor
Widely criticized Chicago Bears running back Cedric Benson faced a DUI arrest over the weekend, despite the fact that he wasn’t driving. Of course, you don’t have to be driving a car to be arrested for DUI—usually operating any kind of motorized vehicle under the influence will do the trick.
While out boating with friends in his home state of Texas, Benson’s watercraft was stopped for a safety check by the Lower Colorado River Authority.
Benson’s DUI arrest had an unusual level of drama for a DUI stop, due to the fact that he was reportedly attacked with pepper spray and roughed up a bit after allegedly resisting arrest. Benson claims that others on his boat were drinking, but that he was not, and was not drunk at the time of his arrest.
Benson was charged with resisting arrest and drunken boating. He’ll get his chance to defend his DUI offense; there is no word on how the arrest will affect Benson’s status with his employers, the Chicago Bears.
By Editor
Kiefer Sutherland, who was jailed nearly two months ago for violating a DUI probation by, you guessed it, driving under the influence again, was released yesterday from the Los Angeles County jail.
Sutherland had pleaded no contest to having a blood alcohol level above the legal limit of 0.08, which netted him 30 days in the clink, plus another 18 for the violation of probation.
However, the production of the hit TV show “24,” which features Sutherland as inimitable and intimidating special agent Jack Bauer, has been halted due to the Writer’s Guild of America’s writer’s strike.
By Editor
TMZ.com is reporting that former Yankee player Jim Leyritz has been arrested on suspicion of DUI and vehicular homicide.
Leyritz is reportedly in the Broward County Jail in Florida on $11,000 bond after he refused a breathalyzer test.
He was arrested after he lost control of a Ford SUV and struck another vehicle in an intersection. The impact of the crash caused the other vehicle to roll, ejecting the female driver and killing her.
True to form, TMZ has the photo shot at Leyritz’s booking—truly scary!
By Editor
After we get through the holiday season, we’ll be done with another year here at Total DUI.
Enjoy two of our recent roundup articles, exclusive to Total DUI.
Ever hear that those who can’t do teach? How about a twist on this old saying: those who DUI, teach?
And who could forget those celebrities who have shared this year with us?
Read about Michelle Rodriguez, Kiefer Sutherland and Lindsay Lohan in the top 10 celebrity DUI arrests of 2007.
By Editor
Television and film actress Michelle Rodriguez, popular for her roles as Letty on The Fast and the Furious and Ana Lucia on TV’s “Lost,” has started her jail sentence for violation of probation in a hit-and-run case from June 2004.
As we reported in Total DUI’s Celebrity DUI Spotlight, Rodriguez was nabbed for DUI in Hawaii in 2005 as well as speeding, and spent five days in jail after a guilty plea. She went to jail a second time for this violation of probation, and was released immediately because of overcrowding (a none too rare occurrence in California jails).
However, there was one other stipulation for the DUI probation violation: community service. Rodriguez didn’t do the 30 hours of community service, but claimed she did on court documents. This fabrication didn’t go over well with her judge.
Now, Rodriguez will serve 180 days, and like her fellow actor DUI offender Kiefer Sutherland, will serve jail time with no possible release. On December 23, Sunday, two days before Christmas, Michelle Rodriguez entered jail.
177 days and counting….
By Editor
The manager of the 2006 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals, 28-year veteran Tony La Russa, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence from an incident in Florida during last year’s spring training, in which police found him asleep at a traffic light with a blood alcohol level of 0.093.
This blog earlier reported that La Russa filed a request for a trial by jury. Rather than appear in court, La Russa filed a plea agreement to the misdemeanor charge of DUI.
In a statement he released through his DUI lawyer, La Russa appeared penitent for his actions: “I accept full responsibility for my conduct, and assure everyone that I have learned a very valuable lesson and that this will never occur again.”
As part of the plea agreement, La Russa will be put on probation for six months, pay a fine of $678.50, attend a DUI school and complete 50 hours of community service.
Ironically, La Russa passed the bar exam in Florida after he graduated from law school. I guess that legal training gave him insight into the plea agreement process, which saved him from six months in jail.
By Guest Attorney
Kiefer Sutherland, star of the controversial hit show ‘24’, faces up to 18 months in prison after being charged with DUI and violating his probation from a 2004 DUI.
The L.A. Times reports that Sutherland was arrested for driving with a blood alcohol level (BAC) over the 0.08 percent legal limit for DUI in California. A Los Angeles City Attorney’s spokesman said prosecutors would seek to revoke Sutherland’s probation stemming from his 2004 plea to DUI.
The actor faces a year in jail if convicted on this new DUI charge plus six months for violating his probation. At the least, if convicted under California DUI law, Sutherland would have to serve a minimum of 96 hours in jail.
By Guest Attorney
Lindsay Lohan served one day in jail for her second DUI offense. Nichole Richie served 82 minutes. What an outrage. Celebrities always get off easy. But, is that really true? ABC News recently took a closer look.
ABC’s conclusion is that DUI sentences are more lenient than many think. Ian Drew, of US Weekly, suggests that the real problem with celebrities is the enabling culture in Hollywood; “they’re given free drinks in order to keep going to the clubs.”
According to reporter, Linda Deutsch, officials in the legal system say celebrities are treated no differently than anyone else. L.A. County jails suffer from such overcrowding that Sheriff Lee Baca needs space for more serious offenders.
Under Sheriff Larry Waldie said 50 women serving sentences for charges similar to Richie’s were released on the same day. Loyola University Law School professor Laurie Stevenson said “the answer is there are too many bad girls and not enough cells.”
Stevenson warned that prosecutors may take to overcharging on crimes to enable judges to give offenders longer sentences.