Recent Blog Posts in February 2010

helenair.com
For the past 40 years, I have witnessed firsthand the evolution of Montana’s  DUI laws.

In 1969, when I entered law practice, the legal limit for driving while intoxicated was 0.15. The 0.15 legal limit was established because a person was deemed to be drunk or intoxicated at 0.15. In 1977, our Legislature amended Montana’s law by lowering the legal limit to 0.10, which was designated as  DUI (impaired driving). In 2003, our Legislature again amended the  DUI laws by lowering the legal limit to 0.08, now commonly known as buzzed driving. The legal limit for commercial drivers is 0.04. Underaged drivers are deemed to be under the influence at 0.02.

Despite all of the foregoing, Montana has always remained at or near the top of our nation’s list for  DUI traffic fatalities per capita.

For the past several months, I have watched extensive press support for more changes in Montana’s DUI laws, including stiffer penalties, new felony laws, new crimes and fines for failure to test, etc. Frankly, this entire subject has approached what I term “DUI hysteria.”

I suggest a simple solution. The Legislature should simply pass a law that makes it a crime to drink and drive period. The legal limit should be .0000 (zero tolerance). The very first offense could be a felony, punishable with mandatory imprisonment. This is an extreme suggestion to make a point, that even if such a law were passed, Montana would probably remain at or near number one in our nation’s  DUI traffic fatalities per capita.

In conclusion, we simply cannot afford to continue on the same ineffective historical course that has been pursued over the past 40 years.

Hopefully, the Interim Law and Justice Committee will question skewed statistics that have consistently ranked Montana No. 1 in the nation for DUI deaths for the past 40 years. The statistics fail to factor in the vast number of Montana highway miles, Montana’s highway conditions, sparse population, lack of mass transit (most cities don’t have cabs) and other statistical information which details location of many DUI fatalities in Montana.

Hopefully, the Interim Law and Justice Committee will recommend passage of new DUI legislation that emphasizes treatment programs, drug and alcohol courts, diversion programs, and decriminalization of first offense DUIs which don’t involve accidents, death or injury to others.

signonsandiego.com
Chargers Pro Bowl receiver Vincent Jackson will receive four days in a work-release program, possibly roadside trash pickup, plus a likely NFL suspension this fall, after pleading guilty to his second drunken-driving offense since 2006.

Jackson, 27, also was sentenced to five years’ probation, a $2,408 fine and 15 days of community service stemming from his DUI arrest in January 2009. Because it’s his second  DUI offense, Jackson likely will be suspended by the NFL, according to the league’s substance-abuse policy.

The suspension could be about two games, but his overall punishment could have been much worse. The San Diego City Attorney’s Office asked a Superior Court judge to punish him with “substantial custody” — as much as 180 days in jail — after hearing Jackson make comments in a local radio interview last month that prosecutors apparently considered irreverent, according to court documents.

In that interview with Darren Smith of XX Sports Radio, Jackson was making reference to a different incident: his traffic stop a few hours before the Chargers playoff game against the New York Jets on Jan. 17.

In that interview, Jackson said, “I’m sure that once it’s all said and done, we’ll definitely get the last laugh and hopefully our law enforcement will definitely continue to support us in the way that they have.”

Jackson’s attorney, Cole Casey, was advised that City Attorney Jan Goldsmith was “upset by the radio interview,” according to court documents that Casey filed. “Specifically, he was apparently upset about Mr. Jackson indicating in the interview he would ‘have the last laugh,’ insinuating, at least in the minds of the city attorney, that Mr. Jackson was laughing directly at the prosecutor’s office and law enforcement.”

As a result of that traffic stop, Jackson was charged with driving with an expired registration and a suspended license. (His license had been suspended as a result of his second  DUI arrest.)

Jackson will plead not guilty next week to charges stemming from that traffic stop, Casey said.

Casey said “there’s a genuine issue in that case as to whether Vince knew his license was suspended versus whether it was restricted.”

Jackson’s DUI sentencing was standard punishment for a second DUI, Casey said. Court records show that Jackson didn’t get a jail sentence but is to serve 96 hours in a Sheriff’s work-release program, which in similar cases often constitutes roadside trash pickup over two weekends.

“Although the city attorney attempted to punish him for being a celebrity and making comments on the radio, he was treated as any other second offender,” Casey said. “He wasn’t given any special treatment, nor did he ever ask for any.”

Casey’s court filings also state that in the 14 years of his  DUI law practice, including more than 7,500 cases handled with the City Attorney’s Office, he has “never experienced, on a misdemeanor case, a request to the Judge, by the City Attorney’s Office, for additional custody due to statements made by a defendant in contrary or in criticism to the city attorney’s positions or beliefs.”

Judge David Danielsen’s only remark about the case, according to the City Attorney’s Office, was that he was going to treat Jackson “like everyone else.”

“In light of the fact that Mr. Jackson still has a case pending our lawyers are unable ethically to discuss this beyond simply stating what occurred in the courtroom,” Goldsmith said in an e-mail.

Casey had fought the second DUI case last year on the basis that Jackson’s rights were violated after his arrest when his blood was drawn against his will with his arms handcuffed behind his back. Jackson had requested a breath test instead, as was his right, but a California Highway Patrol officer considered him to be slow-moving and recalcitrant with the breath test, so he administered the blood test instead.

The case was delayed by two continuances since November, helping Jackson avoid a conviction until after the football season. Casey’s court filing also says the city attorney wanted additional custody for Jackson because of the “amount of continuances that were requested.” However, the city attorney did not oppose any of the continuances at the time.

Jackson’s blood-alcohol content in January 2009 was measured at 0.17 percent, more than double the state limit. Jackson’s previous  DUI conviction stemmed from his arrest in June 2006. For that conviction, he received five years of probation and a $1,750 fine.

modbee.com
Officers statewide received about $30 million in overtime pay for the  DUI crackdowns funded by the state Office of Traffic Safety, according to the study.

Modesto police received $73,000 in state grants to fund checkpoints this year and $37,000 for saturation patrols, in which officers drive around looking for impaired drivers.

About $3,000 is needed to fund a Modesto police checkpoint. Blom said the department plans to conduct about 20 checkpoints this year.

The local police agencies say they can't afford to pull officers from regular patrol duty to operate the checkpoints. They don't want to reduce patrol staffing, so they're forced to have officers earning overtime at the checkpoints.

In some cases, officers assigned to DUI units can work at the checkpoints earning their base salary, but local police officials say that's a rarity.

Blom said Modesto police has a minimum of eight officers at each checkpoint but prefers to have 10 to 12 officers.

When drunken drivers are arrested, officers have to step away to start paperwork and take the suspect to jail.

"You got a lot of things going on at once, and you have to keep the line moving," Blom said. "We're dealing with a whole bunch of cars moving through the checkpoint."

According to the study, an average of 18 officers worked at each checkpoint statewide. The federal traffic safety agency advises that police can set up checkpoints with as few as six officers.

"I don't see how you can do a checkpoint with six officers," said Vierra of the Ceres Police Department, which has 10 to 13 officers working at each checkpoint.

Ceres police received an $80,000 state grant this year for anti-DUI operations, and $27,000 from the grant will be used for checkpoints.

Ceres police will conduct four checkpoints this year and spend about $3,500 to $5,000 on each checkpoint.

Riverbank police services received $150,000 in state grants for  DUI enforcement operations, including sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols.

Kimbrough said Riverbank police has 18 checkpoints scheduled this year, and it takes $3,200 to $3,400 to fund a checkpoint.

Sometimes, Riverbank police will decide not to tow a vehicle from an unlicensed driver. At a recent DUI checkpoint, Kimbrough said, officers came across a man driving with a license that had expired six days earlier.

The driver admitted he had forgotten about the expiration date, so Kimbrough said they had the man's wife pick up the vehicle instead of towing it.

"It's not a money venture," Kimbrough said. "It's about educating the public."

Those job changes were decided before his turnpike resignation and had nothing to do with his revelation of the  DUI convictions, Carson said yesterday.

Carson, a former president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and former finance chairman of the Republican State Committee, said he left the Center City law firm of Saul Ewing on Dec. 31. He had been a partner there since 1981.

Carson said he resigned on amicable terms after he and the Saul Ewing compensation committee could not agree on his compensation for 2010.

Leslie Gross, a spokeswoman for Saul Ewing, agreed.

"Tim's leaving the firm had nothing to do with the DUI," Gross said. She said firm management had been unaware of the convictions until Carson made them public in his resignation letter to Gov. Rendell.

She said Carson and firm management agreed last summer that he would end his association with the firm Dec. 31. But there was no public announcement at the time, and Carson's biography remained on the firm's Web site until after his turnpike resignation.

Carson also ended his role as a partner of the lobbying and government-relations firm CHH Partners L.L.P. on Jan. 1, said Richard W. Hayden, the Saul Ewing lawyer and former state legislator who founded CHH with Carson and Lois Hagarty, another former state legislator, who is also a Saul Ewing partner.

Carson, 61, is serving as a consultant to CHH until about March 1, Hayden said.

CHH operates out of Saul Ewing's offices, but is a separate corporation that has a "strategic alliance" with the law firm, Hayden said. The firms refer work to each other, he said.

Carson's place as an owner of the lobbying firm has been taken by Jeffrey Sharp, a veteran Harrisburg lobbyist and former legislative aide, Hayden said.

"I'm reducing my commitment there," Carson said of the lobbying firm, but added that he hoped to remain active in public-finance issues, especially transportation finance.

"I have no interest in retiring," said Carson, a former board chairman of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. "At a certain point in the future, I expect I'll announce some new affiliations."

Carson resigned Feb. 8 from his $26,000-a-year job on the Turnpike Commission. In his letter to Gov. Rendell, he divulged that he had had two  DUI accidents while operating official vehicles.

Carson said in the letter that he had not reported the incidents in 2003 and 2006 to turnpike officials as required by turnpike rules. He said he paid all repair costs and received two  DUI convictions.

He said he had not had a drink since the 2006 incident.

Carson said yesterday that he had been required to spend five days in an alcohol-treatment facility, in lieu of jail, and that he lost his driver's license for a year. He regained his driving privileges last month, he said. The suspension had not occurred at the time of the 2006 accident because of court appeals, he said.

While his license was suspended in 2009, he traveled between his Rosemont home and Harrisburg by train or in a car driven by turnpike coworker Mimi Lindelow, he said.

Lindelow is a "public-involvement specialist" for the turnpike's public-relations department. She previously served as a legislative aide to Hagarty and other lawmakers. Lindelow lives in Haverford, near Carson's home, and he said, "We had carpooled before my suspension, too."

Lindelow's boss, turnpike public-relations manager Carl DeFebo, said that the driving arrangement was informal and that Lindelow was not directed to be Carson's chauffeur while he was unable to drive. DeFebo said Lindelow drove Carson to Harrisburg "on eight to 10 occasions."

"She was never assigned to that role," DeFebo said. "They would on occasion ride up together. But if it was not convenient for her to drive, she wouldn't do it. More often than not, he took the train."

Carson said yesterday that "obviously, this isn't the way I wanted to go out the door . . . but I'm trying to do what I tell my kids to do: admit I made a mistake and address the behaviors that led to it."

miamiherald.com
Miami Dolphins cornerback Will Allen was arrested and charged with a DUI early Saturday morning after revving his engine and refusing to get out of his car at a police barricade near South Beach.

Allen, 31, was arrested at 3:30 a.m. where the MacArthur Causeway connects to Alton Road, according to a  DUI arrest affidavit filed by investigators.

In the affidavit, police said Allen was in his car -- a Ferrari, according to NBC Sports -- and drew the attention of officers after he revved his engine.

When an officer approached, Allen lowered his window, and was quoted as saying ``I gotta get through.''

When the officer explained the road was closed due to a  DUI accident, Allen insisted that he needed to bypass the police barricade saying, ``You don't understand. I gotta get through.''

The officers then noticed Allen's ``bloodshot eyes'' and ``constant sleepy look,'' and had to ask him four times to step out of his car before he finally complied.

He was given two Breathalyzer tests, as required under Florida law.

The result of one  DUI test showed his blood alcohol level at more than twice the limit of .08. The other test registered .152, the affidavit noted.

Allen was booked into the Pre-Trial Detention Center in Miami and later released on $1,000 bail, according to a Miami-Dade County Corrections spokeswoman.

Court records in Broward and Miami-Dade counties show Allen had no previous arrests. He got a speeding ticket last June in Broward.

National Football League officials could not be reached for comment, but Allen's arrest is expected to be reviewed under the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy.

Implemented in 2007, the policy requires that all ``persons associated with the NFL,'' including the players, ``avoid conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the National Football League.'' Athletes can be punished even if their alleged criminal behavior doesn't end in a conviction. Previously, the NFL withheld punishment until the case was legally resolved.

Allen, who is married with three children, lives in Davie.

He has been playing pro football since 2001 after leaving Syracuse University, where he started as a cornerback during his last three seasons. He was originally drafted in the first-round by the New York Giants, where he played five seasons before being signed as a free agent by the Dolphins in 2006.

Allen began the 2009 season as the Dolphins No. 1 cornerback, with a contract extension signed early in training camp. An erratic season followed, which ended after the sixth game when he tore knee ligaments. Still, Allen insisted to The Miami Herald recently that he would be one of the Dolphins' starting cornerbacks next season.

Allen has been very active as a volunteer in the South Florida community, working mostly with kids, according to the Miami Dolphins website.

As a Dolphin, he has been part of the ``All-Community Team'' each of the last three years, a program in which players donate tickets to local charitable organizations. He also tours and speaks to kids in elementary schools, including ``Take a Player to School'' events, where he promotes the NFL's Play60 fitness program.

azstarnet.com
Local police will be staffing  DUI checkpoints the next two weekends in an effort to cut down on drunk driving.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department will hold a DUI checkpoint somewhere outside the Tucson city limits this evening, while the Tucson Police Department will hold a checkpoint within city limits on Saturday night.

Both checkpoints, as well one to be conducted by Pima County on Feb. 26, are being funded by grants received from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, authorities said.

In addition to the checkpoints the Southern Arizona DUI Task Force has scheduled a full-fledged DUI deployment for the upcoming Rodeo weekend next week.

ocregister.com
HUNTINGTON BEACH – The Huntington Beach police traffic bureau arrested nine people on suspicion of  DUI at a recent sobriety  DUI checkpoint at Beach Boulevard and Slater Avenue.

Of the 1,600 vehicles that went through the DUI checkpoint, 563 were screened for DUIs. In addition to the  DUI arrests, 10 cars were impounded and one criminal arrest was made during the Feb. 13 DUI checkpoint, the report said.

Huntington Beach police conducted a sobriety checkpoint Feb. 13.

Officers also handed out more than 550 educational pamphlets about drinking and driving.

The  DUI checkpoint began at 9:30 p.m. and ended at 2:30 a.m.

dailybreeze.com 
The Gardena Police Department will conduct a  DUI and driver's license checkpoint from 7:30 p.m. Friday to 3:30 a.m. Saturday in the eastbound lanes of El Segundo Boulevard at Halldale Avenue.

Los Angeles. Police officers will conduct a  DUI checkpoint from 8 p.m. Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday on Slauson Avenue between Alsace and Verdun avenues.

Los Angeles. Los Angeles police officers will conduct a  DUI and driver's license checkpoint from 7 p.m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday on Vermont Avenue between Pico Boulevard and 11 th Street.

Funding for the  DUI checkpoints is provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

Police also ask motorists to help them catch suspected drunken drivers by calling 911 and providing a description of the vehicle and location.

Why publicize checkpoints?

Gardena. Gardena police say  DUI checkpoints are a proven method for increasing awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and to encourage sober designated drivers..

By publicizing the checkpoints, police officers believe motorists might be deterred from drinking and driving.

During DUI checkpoints, all vehicles may be checked and drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs will be arrested

lcsun-news.com
LAS CRUCES - At least one DUI sobriety checkpoint will take place in city limits between Thursday and Sunday, according to the Las Cruces Police Department.

LCPD DUI checkpoints are part of the department's efforts to reduce and eliminate the number of motorists who drive while intoxicated. The DUI enforcement activities also may include saturation, underage and party patrols.

LCPD encourages those who plan on consuming alcoholic beverages to arrange ahead of time and use a designated driver - someone who will not be  DUI - for their transportation needs.

edhat.com
SANTA BARBARA, CA - The Santa Barbara Police Department will be conducting DUI Checkpoints in the City of Santa Barbara on the following dates and times. Driver's licenses will be checked at this  DUI checkpoint.

Thursday February 18th, 2010 6 pm to 2 am

Sunday February 21st, 2010 6 pm to 2 am

The Santa Barbara Police Department encourages everyone to drink responsibly, pre-arrange for a ride home, designate a driver and understand that every officer will be diligently looking for the impaired driver. Additionally,  DUI enforcement officers will be on patrol throughout the weekend and we would prefer to arrest the  DUI driver than to find them in a collision.

Funding for this DUI program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Additionally, we encourage everyone to report the suspected impaired driver by calling "911." Doing so could save the life of a loved one. Don't drink and drive!

kgun9.com
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Tucson-area authorities are implementing several special  DUI enforcement programs aimed at curbing DUI and enforcing seat belt and child safety seat use.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department will have two special  DUI checkpoints this week. At the same time, enhanced DUI and liquor license compliance patrols will be conducted.

The Tucson Police Department began a safety restraint enforcement program on Sunday. It will run throughout this week.

istockanalyst.com
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 15, 2010  A local investigation has found  DUI sobriety checkpoints in California are turning into cash cows for some local police departments.

The investigation, conducted by the Investigative Reporting Program at UC Berkeley with California Watch and released on Monday, said that impoundments at  DUI checkpoints in 2009 had generated an estimated total of 40 million U.S. dollars in towing fees and police fines.

The investigation also found that police officers manning these DUI checkpoints received some 30 million dollars in overtime pay for " DUI" crackdowns in 2009.

These crackdowns, funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety, were found to be more likely to seize cars from unlicensed motorists than to catch drunk drivers.

Sobriety checkpoints frequently screened traffic within or near Hispanic neighborhoods. In South Gate, a Los Angeles County city where Hispanics make up 92 percent of the population, police confiscated an average of 86 motor vehicles per  DUI crackdown operation in the last fiscal year, the investigation found.

Local police departments often overstaffed DUI checkpoints with officers, in violation of a 2005 federal appellate court ruling that bans police officers from seizing vehicles just because their drivers are unlicensed, the investigation pointed out.

In 2009, more than 24,000 motor vehicles were impounded at these checkpoints but only 3,200 drivers were detained for DUI, the investigation said.

ocregister.com
SEAL BEACH – Police arrested seven drivers suspected of  DUI on Saturday during a checkpoint on Pacific Coast Highway.

Police conducted the DUI checkpoint from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. to check for impaired drivers or those driving with an invalid license, police said.

Fifteen citations for other violations were handed out and police impounded 10 cars, police said. The DUI checkpoint was set up at the intersection of PCH and 1st Street.

Sgt. Steve Bowles of Seal Beach police said DUI checkpoints also serve as an opportunity to educate drivers of the dangers of drinking and driving.

"A major component of these checkpoints is to increase awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and to encourage sober designated drivers," he said. "A  DUI checkpoint is a proven effective method for achieving this goal."

The DUI checkpoint was funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic and Safety.

mercurynews.com
APTOS - A Watsonville girl already on probation was arrested on suspicion of  DUI  near Seascape Village on Saturday night, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The 16-year-old and two other teenage girls allegedly stole the vehicle on Dolphin Drive, but then crashed into a stop sign about 150 yards away, according to CHP officer Sarah Jackson.

The girls ran away, but were caught nearby. Jackson said the girl who was driving at the time of the crash and the main suspect in the theft was on probation for similar DUI offenses.

The vehicle was released to its owner, who arrived at the crash scene with his passenger, and the girl was arrested on suspicion of felony vehicle theft, DUI, hit and run and driving while her license was suspended because of a prior DUI, according to Jackson.

The girl was released into the custody of her parents

ocregister.com
NEWPORT BEACH – Police will stage a  DUI sobriety checkpoint from 9 p.m. Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday on northbound Dover Drive at 16th Street, a location bordered by several nightlife hotspots.

Cars passing the  DUI checkpoint will be chosen to move through screening lanes on a pre-determined basis designed to ensure the process is objective and random.

ktvn.com
Local law enforcement agencies stepped up their patrols on Super Bowl Sunday, to keep drunk drivers off the road. They held a  DUI checkpoint at Los Altos Parkway and Ion Drive in Sparks, and here are the results:

• 4  DUI arrests
• 27 seat belt violations
• 1 open container arrest
• 5 car seat citations
• 6 equipment violations
• 3 driver's license violations
• 6 no insurance violations
• 5 registration violations

Officials screened nearly 1,700 vehicles. The Sparks Police Department says except for one man who refused to talk to them, everyone was very cooperative and polite.

"We do get a lot of people thanking us for being out here, and those guys and gals would prefer to be home with their families watching the Super Bowl too, but you know we have to be out here because of the people who don't use good judgement and DUI, explains Sergeant Pat Dyer with the Sparks Police Department.

While these checkpoints can be a bit of an inconvenience for drivers, police hope they educate everyone about thinking twice before driving drunk.

This  DUI checkpoint was made possible by a grant from the Department of Public Safety.

benningtonbanner.com
BENNINGTON -- Local police are stepping up efforts to combat DUI this weekend because of two high-profile sporting events.

Bennington Police Lt. Paul Doucette said the department will be joining with the Vermont State Police, Bennington County Sheriff’s Department and other municipal agencies to increase DUI patrols because of the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Doucette said police are hoping area residents and visitors who plan on consuming alcohol during these events will use good judgment and designate a sober driver. "We’re working overtime conducting  DUI sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols to remind all fans to play it safe on Super Bowl weekend. We want everyone to remember that wherever you are watching the Super Bowl, if you plan on using alcohol, hand off your keys to a sober, designated driver before the big game begins," Doucette said.

Doucette said Super Bowl Sunday has become the country’s biggest and most entertaining national sporting event, with friends and families gathering to watch the game and enjoy the festivities surrounding it. However, he said it has also become one of the year’s most dangerous days on roadways because of impaired driving related crashes.

Designating a sober driver before Super Bowl parties begin, and making sure friends don’t drive drunk, are two simple steps to avoid crashes or an arrest for DUI, Doucette said.

"If impaired,

Area police are increasing patrols because of the Dew Tour at Mount Snow, Doucette said. Thousands of winter sport fans are flocking to the mountain to watch many of the best skiers and snowboarders this week, he said.

Those watching the events and celebrating at the mountain should also designate a sober driver, Doucette said.

" DUI or riding with someone who is impaired is simply not worth the risk because the consequences are serious and real," he said. "Not only do you risk killing yourself or someone else, but also the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for  DUI can be really significant."

vvdailypress.com
APPLE VALLEY  • The Apple Valley sheriff’s station plans a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday on Kiowa Road, officials announced.

The announcement comes after the Victorville sheriff’s station announced  DUI saturation patrols on  the lookout for drunken drivers on Super Bowl Sunday.

The crackdowns are aimed at reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol involved crashes,  DUI checkpoints are conducted to identify offenders and get them off the street, as well as educate the public on the dangers of impaired driving, officials said in a news release.

A DUI checkpoint is a proven effective method for achieving this goal. By publicizing these enforcement and education efforts, the Apple Valley Police Department believes motorists can be deterred from drinking and driving.

Traffic volume and weather permitting, all vehicles may be checked and drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs will be arrested. Our objective is to send a clear message to those who are considering driving a motor vehicle after consuming alcohol and/or drugs - DUI, Over the Limit, Under Arrest. The public is encouraged to help keep roadways safe by calling 911 if they see a suspected impaired driver.

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

washingtonpost.com
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- A Jefferson County jury has awarded a former stripper $100,000 in a DUI lawsuit in which she claimed the club that employed her failed to stop her from driving home after her on-the-job drinking. Patsy Hamaker of Bessemer was injured in a wreck after leaving work at The Furnace on Oct. 17, 2007. She said she can no longer dance because of her DUI injuries.

washingtonpost.com
BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. -- A Tennessee sheriff's deputy arrested on a  DUI charge wound up in a dog house before he was taken to the big house.

sltrib.com
Former Utah state Sen. Sheldon Killpack has been charged with  DUI after police stopped him for driving erratically after leaving a South Salt Lake bar early Jan. 15.

When pulled over, he performed field sobriety tests but refused to take a Breathalyzer test. Charging documents say he lost his balance, stumbled and had to outstretch his arms to keep his balance several times during the field sobriety tests. He was booked into Salt Lake County Jail on suspicion of DUI.

Police obtained a warrant to draw his blood for alcohol-content testing, and it came back at .11, above the legal limit of .08, the documents state.

Tuesday, he was charged with a class B misdemeanor for DUI and with a class C misdemeanor for failure to signal.

The Senate majority leader had earlier been at Republican fundraiser, where no alcohol was served. He later went to see the band Metal Gods at Liquid Joe's with lobbyist and former Rep. Mark Walker, who was a passenger in Killpack's vehicle and was not charged with DUI. Killpack resigned from the Legislature a day after being booked into jail.

locksmithsportspicks.com
Yahoo! Sports reports that Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga has pleaded guilty to   DUI. Maualuga was arrested four days ago in northern Kentucky after he hit a parking meter and two parked cars. A court hearing has been scheduled for February 25th.

Maualuga has been handed a suspended seven-day jail sentence and had his driver’s license suspended for 90 days. He has also been instructed to go to an alcohol and drug education program. And that’s not all. The rookie linebacker has also been put on two years  DUI probation and ordered to pay $884 in fines plus the damage he caused to the meter and parked vehicles.

Here’s what Maualuga had to say on the matter.  He apologized “for letting everyone down and making a terrible decision to DUI. I wanted to acknowledge fault quickly and accept the consequences for my actions, which are the same that anyone else facing these charges would receive.”

He went on to say he was sorry “for bringing such great humiliation and embarrassment to the team. … I will learn from this and become a better person and a better man from all this. And I will assure you that this will never happen again.”

Maualuga is just the latest Bengal in a long line to get in trouble with the law. Luckily no one was hurt, and hopefully he can put this DUI incident behind him and go on to have a great career.