Hey Sonic Employee… I Mean, Officer. Oops.

By admin

In DUI-related news, it seems that a good number of strange stories tend come out of the woodwork.

Poor decisions have a tendency to lead to more poor decisions, and sometimes the results can be pretty weird.

The variety of odd cases is remarkable, from a motorized recliner and a self-propelled barstool to a man charged with DUI while wearing a breathalyzer costume – and another who claimed to be his own country.

A recent story out of Tennessee is the latest entry into the log of strange DUI arrests and incidents.

According to the Johnson City Press, Veletta Cuba Newman from Elizabethton, Tenn., suffered an embarrassing case of mistaken identity after passing out in her car at a Sonic Drive-In.

Moments before, a passerby noticed Newman slumped behind the wheel of her car in a market parking lot. The witness watched as Newman awoke and proceeded to start her engine and drive erratically out of the parking lot, and then the witness called police.

By that time, Newman had parked her car in a spot at the Sonic Drive-In, where she presumably expected a food order to arrive at her window.

When Elizabethton Police Officer Sarah Ellison arrived at the scene, she knocked on the window of Newman’s car. Newman was again slumped behind the wheel.

Newman woke up and attempted to hand Officer Ellison a twenty dollar bill, mistakenly thinking that the cop was a car hop and attempting to pay for an order. Ellison explained that she was not a Sonic employee, but Newman persisted, continuing to hold out the money to the officer.

The story did not end well for Newman, who was arrested for DUI. Officer Ellison searched the car and found drug paraphernalia, including, according to the report, “a used syringe, a spoon with white powdery residue and numerous bottles of prescription medicine.”

Newman recently appeared in Sessions Court following the incident, under charges of a second offense of driving under the influence and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. A hearing for Newman was set for April 6.

Tennessee State Senator Turns Himself in on DUI Charge

By Mary Ann

Tennessee State Senator Jerry Cooper turned himself in on a DUI charge at the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department.

The charges stem from a wreck in February. Cooper lost control of his SUV when he was driving home. He suffered severe injuries and had to be airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

The senator was charged with DUI last month after the Tennessee Highway Patrol found he had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.18 percent, more than double the legal limit for DUI in Tennessee.

Prior to the crash, Cooper had attended three lawmaker receptions in Nashville where alcohol had been served. The crash had postponed his federal land fraud trial.

Mike Tyson DUI Charge Not Filed: Felony Drug Possession Stands

By Mary Ann

Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson was released from jail without bond on a felony drug possession charge following his December 29th arrest for suspicion of DUI in Scottsdale, Arizona.

After leaving a nightclub in the early morning hours of the 29th, Tyson was pulled over by police when his BMW blew a stop sign and nearly hit a sheriff’s vehicle. An arresting officer found cocaine in the car and two bags of the drug on Tyson, who showed signs of impairment and failed field sobriety tests.

Tyson was arrested and booked at Maricopa County Arizona Sheriff’s jail, where no alcohol was found in his system. The Mike Tyson DUI charge was not filed pending toxicology tests. Tyson did admit to using cocaine on the day of his arrest. A January 16th preliminary hearing has been scheduled for the Tyson felony drug charge.

To follow the latest developments in the Tyson case and other celebrity DUI arrests, visit our Celebrity  DUI Spotlight.