DUI Arrest When You're Not Driving
We often hear of DUI arrests that occur when the suspect is
not actually driving a car. These arrests are sometimes logical, such as after
the vehicle has struck an object and come to a stop, the driver is passed out
behind the wheel while at a stop or has taken off on foot after a crash.
In other cases, it's a bit more bizarre.
DUI Arrest by Proxy
In Tennessee, two adults and two children were in a vehicle
reportedly driven by a 10-year old child at speeds of up to 90 miles per hour. The
child crashed the van and it overturned. One of the adults in the vehicle,
Randy Lewis, was charged with his third Tennessee
DUI as a result of the accident.
DUI Dine and Dash
An Oklahoma man with a head injury was arrested for DUI
while having a meal at a Waffle House restaurant. Police say the man crashed
his truck into a tractor-trailer on the interstate, bounced off and hit the
center wall and kept right on going. Hey, when you need a waffle, you need a
waffle. After receiving medical treatment, the man was arrested for Oklahoma
DUI.
DUI Arrest Lessons
Daniel Winsky was arrested for DUI in Salem, Massachusetts
after the driving instructor allegedly gave driving lessons to two students
while his blood alcohol content (BAC) was approximately three times the legal
limit. Police pulled over the student driver and questioned Winsky, who
reportedly denied that he had been drinking. The smell of alcohol and glassy
eyes gave it away though, and after failing a field sobriety test, he was
arrested for Massachusetts
DUI.
Drunk Pushing
Two women in Indiana were arrested for DUI after pushing a
stalled vehicle, causing it to crash into a parked car. Both women reportedly
had BACs of more than twice the legal limit. They were taking turns pushing and
steering the vehicle, which apparently constitutes operating a motor vehicle in
Indiana.
Can You Really Be
Convicted of DUI if You Were Not Driving?
While DUI is the acronym for “Driving Under the Influence,”
the truth is a person does not actually have to be driving to be arrested and convicted
of DUI. In some states, the intent to operate a motor vehicle is enough to
secure a conviction. Intent to operate a motor vehicle can mean sitting in the
driver’s seat, putting the keys in the ignition or giving any other indication
that you intend to take control of a vehicle.
DUI Conviction Upheld By State Supreme Court
Michael Cyr of Andover, Connecticut was arrested for DUI in
Feb. 2005 while sitting in his car in a parking lot. Cyr started his car
remotely and was sitting behind the wheel when police discovered and arrested
him.
The Hartford Courant
reports the Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled 5-0 that Cyr's actions
constituted the first steps in the operation of a motor vehicle and upheld the
conviction. The ruling directs the state Appellate Court, which had overturned
Cyr's conviction, to reinstate it.