Recent Blog Posts in April 2010

http://www.napavalleyregister.com/news/local/article_388a9c4e-53f5-11df-a17a-001cc4c03286.html
The Napa Police Department will conduct a checkpoint Friday as officers look for those driving under the influence or without a license.

The checkpoint will be in an area of the city where police have seen a high number of DUI arrests or drunk-driving-related collisions, police said.

Officers hope to educate the public on the dangers of impaired driving, while removing impaired and unlicensed drivers from the road, they said.

The Police Department is working with the Napa County DUI Task Force to address drinking and driving.

A grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through the California Office of Traffic Safety is paying for the DUI checkpoint.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/2206402,Lake-County-Judge-DUI-arrest.article
A Lake County judge battling a drunk driving charge contends Vernon Hills police officers used excessive force when they pepper-sprayed him during his 2008 arrest.

Judge David Hall claims in a federal lawsuit that his actions — including allegedly rolling up his car window after he was stopped by police — didn’t justify an officer using pepper spray to subdue him.

Hall, his lawsuit contends, “posed no threat to anyone during his interactions’’ with police who curbed his car early on April 26, 2008 in the northern suburb.

The 57-year-old Hall — whose suit names two officers, including one who died of a heart attack six weeks later — also contends the disabling spray left him with injuries that required medical attention.

Vernon Hills police officials defended the actions of the two officers named in the suit, saying they followed proper DUI procedures in stopping and arresting Hall, then Lake County’s chief judge.

“We’re very comfortable with it,’’ said Vernon Hills Deputy Police Chief William Price. “It truly was a routine traffic stop.’’

He also disputed claims that Hall was injured during the stop. Price contended the judge suffered only “minor’’ eye irritation after Officer Jesse Goldsmith used pepper spray to prevent Hall from rolling up his window after he was asked to step out of his car.

“There was no evidence of any injury,’’ Price said.

The suit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Chicago, seeks unspecified financial damages from the Village of Vernon Hills, as well as from the estate of Goldsmith. Hall also seeks damages from a second officer who assisted Goldsmith in making the arrest.

Hall stepped down as chief judge after his arrest, but remains on the bench in Lake County.

He is awaiting trial on DUI and resisting arrest charges, though his attorneys earlier succeeded in blocking prosecutors from telling jurors that his blood-alcohol level following his arrest allegedly exceeded the .08 legal limit.

Prosecutors from the Illinois attorney general’s office, though, have appealed that ruling, delaying Hall’s trial.

Hall declined today to comment on the suit. His attorney couldn’t be reached for comment.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-04-27/news/ct-met-chicago-cop-dui-20100427_1_police-officers-chicago-police-officer-john-ardelean
For more than two years, the families of two young men killed in a Thanksgiving Day DUI collision with an off-duty Chicago police officer have fought to prove the officer was drunk and responsible for the deaths.

But Tuesday, a Cook County judge handed them their latest setback, saying the officer was arrested and detained without probable cause, a ruling the families fear guts the prosecution's case. Several relatives of one victim erupted in anger at the decision, shouting obscenities and scuffling with court deputies, creating a scene that revealed the raw emotions behind the long and controversial DUI case.

Three relatives of Miguel Flores, 22, who was killed in the 2007 crash, were taken to a holding cell in the Criminal Courts Building but later released. The sheriff's office said it would not press DUI charges even though two deputies were taken to the hospitalwith minor injuries.

http://www.kpsplocal2.com/Content/Top-Stories/story/Several-Arrested-at-DUI-Checkpoint/EGo6X1JZhUqsVgGUK7y1RQ.cspx
Four people were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Coachella, Saturday night.

A DUI checkpoint was held where more than 900 vehicles were screened.

One person was arrested for an outstanding DUI warrant.

Eight people were cited for license related violations.

Police encourage everyone to dial 9-1-1 if they see anyone driving believed to be under the influence.

http://www.ydr.com/crime/ci_14953852
A couple hours into the DUI checkpoint, the operation is humming: Handcuffed people wait to get their blood drawn, the paddy wagon is nearly full and other suspects are walking heel-to-toe.

Then officers stop a car heading north, with two brothers inside. The diminutive pair stagger out of the car, and officers notice the driver has blood trickling down the right side of his face.

A West Manchester Township officer asks him to put away his cigarettes. The man responds by flicking one of them in the officer's face. He is quickly handcuffed and later charged with harassment.

Police also charge the driver with DUI and tow away his car. His brother is warned he too will be arrested, for disorderly conduct, if he doesn't keep quiet.

"I cracked him in the one eye; he's lucky I didn't crack him in the other," the driver's brother said.

Organized by Pennsylvania State Police, the checkpoint was set up from 11 p.m. Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday on the Interstate 83 Business Loop, both north and south.

The operation netted 12 DUI, along with a host of other charges, including drug offenses and child safety-seat violations.

Despite massive public awareness and education, DUI remains a significant problem, said law enforcement officials. York County averages between 500 and 600 alcohol-related crashes per year, said Wayne Harper, director of the York County Center for Traffic Safety. Last year, there were 43 vehicular deaths in York County; 15 of those were alcohol-related, Harper said.

"One hundred percent of DUI crashes are preventable," Harper said.

Harper's agency helped provide the overtime money for officers from West Manchester Township and York Area Regional, who assisted 11 state troopers at the checkpoint, said State Police Cpl. Brian Torkar.

Torkar organizes DUI checkpoints during holidays, but also schedules them in between.

"For every DUI arrest we make, it makes the highways that much safer," he said.

Those arrested at

York County Sheriff's Deputy Benny Lopez prepares to handcuff a man who was arrested for DUI at a checkpoint on the I-83 Business Loop. (Daily Record/Sunday News - Kate Penn)

Police ask a man in his 20s how much he had had to drink.

"A shot and a 40 (ounce beer)," he said. He adds it was actually about three-quarters of the 40.

He blows into a portable breath test device and registers a 0.151 percent, nearly twice 0.08 percent, the limit at which a driver in Pennsylvania is considered drunk.

A woman in her mid-30s, with bobbed dark hair, stands opposite West Manchester Township Officer Michael Jordan. Her husband is in their car at the end of the checkpoint.

"Ma'am, watch me," Jordan tells her but, just after that, her head slowly swivels to the far left.

"Do you need me to start over so you understand the test?" he asks her.

Shortly after that, the woman begins sobbing and cries out for her husband as she is led into an ambulance to have her blood drawn.

Torkar said that, at nearly every checkpoint he's run, someone tries to speed through the checkpoint without stopping. This rule holds true when a gray car slows, then hits the gas heading north.

"He's got weed in that car," one officer yells.

Police scramble to intercept the vehicle, but it has the jump on them and loses them in the city, Torkar said. He might not have escaped the long arm of the law entirely, as one of the officers was able to get part of the registration.

Toward the end of the checkpoint, a man stops his car cockeyed and sways as he gets out, eyes bloodshot. Wearing an AC/DC T-shirt and sporting a gray mullet, he can't believe he is being arrested.

"I haven't done nothing wrong. What have I done wrong?" he asks.

On breaks, officers munch on elk burgers provided by Steve Reichard of S & S Crabhouse and Produce in Red Lion, and they are served by members of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Missy Sweitzer, whose son Zac died in 2008 after an I-83 crash in which the driver was drunk, joined MADD and has been going to checkpoints since the fall.

"It's mind-blowing to think about the number of impaired drivers out here on the roads," she said. "What's it going to take, for people to realize it's not just you that you could impact?"

Sweitzer said that, for her, it's therapeutic to help the officers, "to feed them, just thank them for what they do."

What happens

Here's what happens at a DUI checkpoint:

The two arrests were on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and and nine of the citations were for driving without a license.

The DUI checkpoint is funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Two more sobriety checkpoints are planned for May.

Bach, 46, was sentenced to 30 days for a DUI charge she received last November. However, because Bach was already on probation from a DUI arrest in March of 2009 when she was pulled over, she was sentenced to an additional 60 days behind bars.

David Hasselhoff's ex-wife arrested

"She made a mistake. She wants her fans to know she's a changed person," Bach's rep said in a statement. "She will turn herself in, she just wants the public to know she has done everything she was asked to do." Bach also tweeted that her family is "doing great."

Bach plans to surrender and begin serving her sentence on May 3, according to TMZ.

Bach and Hasselhoff divorced in 2006 after 16 years of marriage. The couple has two daughters together, 19-year-old Taylor and 17-year-old Hayley.

Calls to the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office were not immediately returned.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/traffic/dui-checkpoints-friday-in-suburban-lake-worth-north-606550.html
South Florida law enforcement agencies will be on alert for DUI and law-violating drivers on Friday night and early Saturday.

A DUI checkpoint is planned Friday night in suburban Lake Worth in Palm Beach County. The Florida Highway Patrol will be conducting a "Safety and Sobriety Checkpoint" along the 4400 block of Lake Worth Road. The checkpoint will be set up Friday evening and continue until Saturday morning.

The North Miami Beach Police Department also will be conducting a DUI checkpoint starting 7 p.m. Friday at 160th Street and West Dixie Highway. The multi-agency effort to curb impaired driving will be operating until 1 a.m. Saturday.

According to officials, police officers will show zero tolerance for drivers who violate traffic laws and will be on alert for those who are DUI, with an invalid license or in violation of the state's seatbelt laws.

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/20100422-resigns-dui-city-car
Chicago - The city's deputy commissioner in charge of helping Chicago's homeless is accused of DUI in a city car.

James Lobianco has resigned from his job after being charged with DUI while driving a city-owned car.

Chicago police say he rear-ended a car at a red light last Thursday.

Lobianco was driving a car registered to the city and refused to take a DUI breathalyzer test.
Officers say they smelled alcohol on him.

Lobianco made $119,000 a year to provide shelter and emergency services for the city's homeless.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2010/04/ex-patriots-bengals-rb-corey-dillon-arrested-on-dui-charge/1
Former NFL running back Corey Dillon was arrested on Wednesday morning after police alleged he was DUI in Los Angeles.

Dillon was released after DUI bail was set at $5,000, the AP reported.

Dillon hasn't played in the NFL since 2006. He played 10 seasons for the Bengals and Patriots.

TMZ reported that Dillon's wife, Desiree, filed for divorce this month in Los Angeles.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7394620
April 19, 2010 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- The arrest of Illinois Senate President John Cullerton's son on DUI charges has raised questions about the personal use of state-owned vehicles as Illinois faces a $13 billion deficit.

Garritt Cullerton, 26, was cited early Sunday with driving under the influence after being pulled over while behind the wheel of the senator's state vehicle that is suppose to be used for legislative business.

Police stopped the 2009 Ford Escape after midnight Sunday in the 800-block of North Dearborn in the Near North Side's tony Gold Coast neighborhood. Garritt was given a breathalyzer test that estimated his blood alcohol level at 0.188, which is over twice the legal limit for DUI drivers.

Phelon told ABC 7 the Escape is one of six vehicles purchased by the state for conducting legislative business. The elder Cullerton parks his SUV in Chicago and uses it for trips from his North Side home to his Chicago office at the Thompson Center. Cullerton--according to Phelon-- usually flies to Springfield on a state-owned airplane.

Cullerton, Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan and Republican House Leader Tom Cross also have personal use of vehicles purchased by their respective chambers.

Republican State Senator Matt Murphy says the situation is symbolic of why the general assembly is not trusted by taxpayers.

"They hear these things and say 'And you really want me to risk my job for a tax increase when you're spending it on that?' And it really fuels the lack of credibility that's already there," said Sen. Matt Murphy, (R) Palatine.

Mayor Richard Daley-- who announced more city government cuts Monday -- would not comment specifically on the Cullerton matter. But he did say that state and federal officials are not doing enough to reduce the sizes of their governments.

"We're doing everything here and the state and federal governments are not doing that. And like anything else, it does get you upset. Why are they immune to the economy?" said Mayor Daley.

Cullerton's spokeswoman says the Ford Escape was impounded by the Chicago Police Department Sunday and that President Cullerton himself paid the fee to get the vehicle released from the auto pound. He will not press charges against Garritt, who lives at home with his parents, for the unauthorized use of the SUV.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/dui-244274-department-checkpoint.html
A series of DUI sobriety checkpoints and patrols will be held in Orange County cities this weekend.

In Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente, Orange County Sheriff's Department deputies will be conducting DUI roving patrols on Friday.

The DUI teams will target areas that have a high incidence of DUI-related arrests and collisions.

In Costa Mesa, the police department will be conducting a DUI and driver's license checkpoint on Friday from 6 to 11 p.m. The checkpoint will take place on Bristol Street between Bear Street and Randolph Avenue.

All vehicles may be checked and drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs will be arrested, according to a Costa Mesa Police Department news release.

On Saturday, the Cypress Police Department will conduct a DUI and driver's license checkpoint from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Lincoln, west of Valley View.

From 8 p.m. Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday, the Anaheim Police Department is hosting their DUI sobriety and driver's license checkpoint on Ball Road – the fourth in a series of six checkpoints for the year.

In addition to the checkpoints, officers are doing weekly saturation patrols and DUI warrant sweeps.

Funding for these operations is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration .

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/04/17/DUI-arrests.html?sid=101
A sobriety checkpoint in Gahanna Friday night resulted in four arrests and 13 traffic citations along Hamilton and Johnstown roads, according to the Franklin County DUI Task Force.

The DUI checkpoint operated from 9:35 p.m. Friday to 1:40 a.m. today by officers of the Gahanna police department, the Ohio State Highway patrol and the Franklin County Sheriff's Office. Officers stopped 687 vehicles at random, according to a news release. Of those, police found an open container of alcohol in one vehicle and illegal drugs in three others.

Traffic citations were issued to seven motorists for having no driver's license. Three vehicles were impounded out of the four arrests.

The task force operates various sobriety checkpoints with federal grant money throughout Franklin County as a deterrent to drunk driving. Locations are often based on alcohol-related arrest data, hit-skip crashes and complaints from the public. More checkpoints are expected between Memorial Day and Labor Day, including the first checkpoints inside Columbus city limits since 1993.

http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local-beat/Reality-TV-Beauty-Busted-for-DUI-in-Miami-91043944.html
Perhaps feeling a bit overshadowed in Miami by fellow outrageous reality stars the Kardashian sisters and the kids from "Jersey Shore," "Megan Wants a Millionaire" star Megan Hauserman got arrested Thursday morning for DUI in Miami Beach.

Hauserman, 28, a former Playboy Cyber Girl and long-time reality show contestant, was busted around 3:15 a.m. driving her black BMW 75 mph in a 50 mph zone, weaving between lanes and driving extermely close to other cars on the MacArthur Causeway, according to a police report.  

The report said blonde-haired beauty had slurred speech, watery, bloodshot eyes and reeked of DUI.

When she failed a balance test, she was arrested on the spot. She later blew a .102 on a DUI breathalyzer.

http://www.thebaynet.com/news/index.cfm/fa/viewstory/story_ID/17466
As the summer travel season nears it is once again time to remember that the number of motorists will increase as many folks take to the roads to go on vacation, visit historic sites, or just enjoy a weekend ride.  More motorcycles and bicycles will be joining cars on the roadways of Calvert County. The Calvert County Sheriff’s Office reminds all drivers to be courteous towards fellow motorists and remain vigilant when operating their vehicles.

In the month of April Calvert County will host many events that will attract visitors from all over the United States.  The events such as the Tiki Bar Opening Weekend in Solomons, Celtic Festival in St. Leonard are just the highlights of the busy month in Calvert County. 

The Calvert County Sheriff’s Office participates in the Checkpoint Strikeforce initiative and will be conducting a DUI checkpoints as well as continued DUI enforcement and patrols between April 15th and April 30th, 2010.  The Sheriff’s Office will distribute information about Maryland laws and penalties for driving while intoxicated or while under the influence of alcohol and drugs.  Motorists who are driving while impaired by alcohol and/or drugs will be caught, arrested and prosecuted.

Many county residents are motorcycle riders and enjoy riding on Calvert’s and Southern Maryland roadways.  The Calvert County Sheriff’s Office continues enforcement efforts to ensure motorcycle safety.  Remember, that operating a motorcycle takes additional coordination and fine motor skills that are impaired by alcohol and/or drugs.

“I would like to remind our residents and visitors that Traffic Safety remains our top priority”, said Sheriff Mike Evans,  “We do not take drunk driving lightly in Calvert County, the enforcement will continue to be aggressive and those who choose to drink and drive will face the consequences.”
 
The Calvert County Sheriff’s Office asks you to report drunk driving by calling 911.  If you see a drunk driver on the road, call police as soon as possible and be sure to provide a description of the vehicle including its make, model, tag number, color, location and direction of travel.

Additional information can be found on the Maryland Impaired Driving Coalition’s new website “DUI is for Losers,” which is designed to raise awareness of the negative outcomes from the decision to drive drunk.  To learn more about the “DUI is for Losers” campaign

cape-coral-daily-breeze.com
A DUI sobriety checkpoint is scheduled for this weekend, beginning Friday, April 16. The operation will take place at an undisclosed location in Lee County as the Sheriff's Office continues its commitment to getting impaired drivers off our roadways and in support of education efforts such as the national "DUI. Over the Limit. Under Arrest." campaign.

Checkpoint emphasis is placed on the following: remove impaired drivers from the roadway; reduce the likelihood impaired drivers will operate their vehicles on our roadways; heighten awareness and educate the public on the dangers of drunk driving.

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, in 2008, 24 DUI fatalities and 464 injuries in Lee County were alcohol related.

Daily enforcement, DUI sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols by deputies with the Sheriff's Office are a part of on-going efforts to curb traffic fatalities, injuries and crashes in Lee County.

seattlepi.com/
TACOMA, Wash. -- A former Tacoma firefighters was found not guilty of DUI vehicular homicide for a crash that killed a motorcycle rider.

But a Tacoma jury found 48-year-old Joseph Mondau guilty Monday of drunk driving.

KOMO-TV reports he faces up to a year in jail when he is sentenced later this month. Mondau resigned from the fire department after the DUI crash last year that killed Mark Kaytna.

Strickland, 43, was arrested at about 3 a.m. after an officer saw him run a red light, according to court documents. The officer administered tests for alcohol intoxication and Strickland failed, the police report said. The officer reported that Strickland smelled of alcohol and that he refused a DUI breath test.

Strickland has had three previous DUI arrests, the most recent coming in 2001 in Virginia, according to ABC News.

sltrib.com
Former Utah Senate Majority Leader Sheldon Killpack -- arrested in January for allegedly DUI and failing to signal -- apparently plans to challenge the legality of the traffic stop in court.

On Monday, before Salt Lake County Justice Court Judge Shauna Graves-Robinson, Killpack's attorney, Ed Brass, said he plans to file a motion "with respect to the stop."

DUI Attorneys will argue the motion before the judge on May 25.

After the hearing, Brass declined to answer questions regrading the motion. But in court documents challenging the suspension of Killpack's driver license, Brass claims Utah Highway Patrol troopers "lacked reasonable grounds to request" a blood test from Killpack.

The blood test showed Killpack's blood-alcohol content measured 0.11, which is above Utah's legal limit of 0.08, according to charging documents.

Killpack gave a similar argument in a 3rd District Court petition to have his driver license reinstated after the state Driver License Division suspended it until August 2011.

Killpack was stopped on suspicion of DUI at 12:17 a.m. on Jan. 15, after a UHP trooper observed his vehicle making an erratic driving pattern near 3300 South and 700 East, charging documents state.

Killpack failed field sobriety tests, then refused to take a Breathalyzer test. Officers then obtained a warrant for the blood draw.

Killpack, 41, and Mark Walker, a lobbyist and former state representative,

Killpack resigned his office as Senate majority leader the next day. He was charged on Feb. 2 with DUI, a class B misdemeanor, and failure to signal, a class C misdemeanor. He has entered not guilty pleas to both charges.

Utah law states that someone suspected of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol may have his or her license revoked for refusing to submit to chemical tests.

In addition to the 18-month driver license suspension, Killpack must have an ignition interlock device installed on his car for three years, and will be an alcohol-restricted driver for five years, meaning he may not consume even a drop of alcohol and drive.

Killpack's attorneys responded by filing a petition in 3rd District Court seeking to overturn the suspension. A scheduling hearing in that case is set for April 21 before Judge John Paul Kennedy.

Meanwhile, a May 3 scheduling hearing has been set concerning release of the UHP trooper's dash-cam video of Killpack's arrest.

In February, the state Records Committee sided with The Tribune and other news outlets and ordered the video released. But the Utah Department of Public Safety responded by filing a lawsuit in 3rd District Court claiming releasing the video would deprive Killpack of a fair CRIMINAL trial. The suit also claims there is no overriding public interest in disclosing the video at this time.

google.com
RENO, Nev. — Police pulled over one SUV and took two men into custody on suspicion of DUI. A motorist reported a driver committing several traffic violations from Sparks into Reno on Saturday night. The caller suspected the driver was DUI and followed the vehicle to a fast food restaurant.

Sgt. Rob VanDiest said the witness told police he watched the passenger pull a man from the driver's seat and carry him to the passenger's side, then got behind the wheel and began to drive away when officers arrived.

VanDiest said both men were found to be at least three times over the legal limit and were arrested forDUI.

washingtonpost.com
SPRINGFIELD, Vt. -- Police said a Massachusetts man headed to a Vermont prison to serve a two-day sentence for DUI was intoxicated when he drove himself to prison.

Anthony Hunter, 35, was pronounced dead late Wednesday at the crash scene in San Pablo. Juan Manuel Ruelas, 43, ran from his smashed pickup truck but was identified by a witness and arrested early this morning at his Richmond home, authorities said.

"It's senseless," said San Pablo police Lt. Jim Creekmore.

As Hunter's grief-stricken mother visited the Contra Costa County coroner's office this morning, Ruelas sat in a Martinez jail cell, booked on suspicion of three felonies: DUI, hit and run and vehicular manslaughter.

The tragedy unfolded at about 9:15 p.m. Wednesday as Hunter was riding his motorcycle on the 2500 block of Church Lane. He was trying to make a left turn into a trailer park, Creekmore said, when he was struck by Ruelas, who had failed to yield.

Ruelas, who was arrested at 3 a.m. today, has a 2005 conviction for driving with a suspended or revoked license stemming from a DUI, as well as a separate drunken driving conviction from February of this year, according to the state Department of Motor Vehicles. His bail was set at $200,000.

sports.espn.go.com
Prosecutors dropped a DUI charge against Chris Chelios, but a judge convicted the former Chicago Blackhawks defenseman of improper lane usage and speeding.

Chelios

Chelios, who was arrested in late December in Westmont, Ill., was sentenced Wednesday to six months of conditional DUI discharge. He also received a $500 fine.

"I want to put this behind me and learn from it," Chelios said Wednesday, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Chelios also was ordered to attend a DUI victim impact panel within six months, the newspaper reported.

Now with the Atlanta Thrashers, the 48-year-old Chelios was assigned to the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League later Wednesday. He appeared in seven games with the Thrashers after being recalled from Chicago on March 10.

Chelios has played in more NHL games than any other American-born player. He won three Stanley Cups and was a three-time winner of the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman.

seattletimes.nwsource.com
I want to commend State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn for pleading guilty to his recent DUI charge. [“School chief Dorn pleads guilty to DUI charge,” NWSaturday, April 3.]

It truly is a teachable moment and he is in a position to help young people learn from his mistake. Responsibility and accountability really need to be taken into account for those who choose to drink and drive.

— Diane Egan, Renton

School superintendent’s charge doesn’t compare to socially acceptable drinking

Randy Dorn should be admired for pleading guilty to his DUI charge instead of trying to “lawyer” his way out of it. However, with a blood-alcohol level of .011, it is obvious Dorn had a minimal amount to drink before driving as opposed to, say, the thousands of basketball fans who drank themselves into a stupor while watching the Final Four and then drove home.

We live in an odd society where motorists arrested for DUI are demonized, yet our social structure almost requires club-goers, bar-hoppers and live-music fans to drink and drive.

Pop into Pioneer Square, Ballard or Capitol Hill on a weekend morning at 1:45 a.m. and witness hundreds of seriously drunk young adults slide behind the wheels of their cars and weave their way back home, with nary a cop to be found.

Councilman Thomas Buckley's lawyer entered the pleas Tuesday to DUI and driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher. The 44-year-old councilman didn't appear for the DUI hearing in Southwest Justice Center in French Valley.

Buckley, who survived a recall election two months ago, was sentenced to six days in jail or work-release and he was placed on three years' probation. He must also pay a fine and fees and enroll in a first-time DUI program.

Buckley was pulled over Nov. 6 near a near a DUI checkpoint because he had no front license plate on his vehicle.

seattletimes.nwsource.com
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn pleaded guilty Friday to one count of drunk driving and will serve one day in jail.

Dorn, 56, entered his plea in Orting Municipal Court in Pierce County, where Judge John Curry sentenced him to 365 days in jail, but suspended all but one day of the sentence. He was also fined $866 plus costs and assessments.

Dorn is expected to report to jail on Monday. He also has surrendered his driver's license for 90 days and will spend two consecutive Saturdays in DUI- and alcohol-awareness classes, according to his attorney, Tom Ellington, of Milton.

Dorn was arrested early on March 21 about 15 miles from his Eatonville home while driving home from a crab feed and dance in Bonney Lake in rural Pierce County, where he said he drank some beer.

The State Patrol said a breath test found Dorn's blood-alcohol content was 0.11 percent. The legal limit for DUI in Washington is 0.08.

In a written statement Friday, Dorn again apologized and said he decided to plead guilty to put the incident behind him and accept the consequences.

"First, I want to apologize for my actions and the distraction they have caused. I drank alcohol and got behind the wheel of a car. That is a mistake, no matter how much you drink. I apologize to my family, the students and the educators across our state," he said.

As part of the legal proceeding, Dorn took an alcohol assessment, which he said confirmed what he already knew: alcohol is not a problem in his life.

Ellington said he told Dorn he thought there was a 90 percent chance he would get his charge reduced to DUI if he fought it.

"But he overruled my advice and chose to take the high road and take full responsibility for his conduct," Ellington said.

Dorn said alcohol does not affect his ability to serve as head of Washington's education department.

"I will continue to work hard to move my agenda forward, especially as it relates to achieving real reform of education funding," Dorn said, adding that he wants to work to earn back the public's trust.

"For me, as a career educator, this is a teachable moment," he said.

Dorn said he would seek out opportunities to help young people learn from his mistake.

suntimes.com
A Chicago teen was charged with one count of aggravated DUI and eight other charges and citations after allegedly blowing a stop sign and crashing into a Chicago Police squad car, injuring two officers early Saturday in the South Side Back of the Yards neighborhood.

Rakeem H. Roach, 18, of the 600 block of West 54th Place, was also charged with two counts of DUI, failure to stop at a stop sign, driving without a license, operating a vehicle without insurance, failing to reduce speed, negligent driving and requiring headlights in addition to one count of aggravated DUI, according to police News Affairs Officer Michael Fitzpatrick.

» Click to enlarge image

Rakeem H. Roach is accused of blowing a stop sign and crashing into a Chicago Police squad car, injuring two officers.

A vehicle broadsided a police squad car at 12:58 a.m. Saturday in the 5200 block of South Racine Avenue after disobeying a stop sign, Fitzpatrick said.

The accident happened just east of Sherman Park, on the 5400 block of South Racine Avenue.

The vehicle was eastbound on 52nd street when he blew through a stop sign at a high rate of speed and broadsided a marked police squad car that was traveling south on South Racine Avenue, Fitzpatrick said. The vehicle did not have its headlights on, he said.

The officers were on routine patrol and not en route to a call, Fitzpatrick said.

Two officers were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, police said. The officers have since been treated and released, Fitzpatrick said.

It was not known if the motorist was hospitalized, but the driver did stay on the scene, police said.

Roach is expected to appear for a DUI bond hearing later Sunday.

Wentworth Area detectives are investigating.

google.com
SANTA ANA, Calif. — Jason Wahler, a former reality TV star who has struggled with alcohol use, has been charged with DUI in Southern California.

The 23-year-old former star of "The Hills" was charged Monday with misdemeanor driving under the influence and having a blood-alcohol level over the limit of .08 percent.

It could not be immediately determined if Wahler had a DUI lawyer or spokesperson.

District attorney's spokeswoman Farrah Emami says Wahler could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted.

Emami says Wahler had a blood alcohol level of .19 percent when he was stopped by Newport Beach police on March 19 after officers saw him make an abrupt turn and stop in a traffic lane.

Wahler told US Magazine he's ashamed of the latest DUI arrest and has resumed attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.