Recent Blog Posts in March 2010

mercurynews.com
CONCORD — The Concord Police Department will conduct a DUI checkpoint this weekend, the department said.

The DUI checkpoint will be held from 7:30 p.m. Saturday to 3:30 a.m. Sunday. The location was not made public.

The goal of the checkpoint is to arrest impaired drivers and educate others on the dangers of driving drunk or under the influence of drugs.

All vehicles will be stopped for a few seconds while officers check for signs of intoxication.

The operation will be paid for by the California Office of Traffic Safety.

foxnews.com
Jason Wahler has been charged with two counts of DUI after two alcohol-related arrests in one month.

swrnn.com
The Menifee Police Department conducted a DUI checkpoint Friday night with the goal of removing impaired drivers from the highway and to bring awareness to the public of the dangers of DUI.

The checkpoint was one of many conducted throughout the year in the City of Menifee.

The results of the checkpoint were:

• 1300 Vehicles passed through the checkpoint
• 2 DUI arrests
• 12 Citations were issued to unlicensed drivers
• 8 Citations were issued to drivers with suspended licenses
• 22 Vehicles towed
• 1 Child safety seat violation citations
• 25 Field sobriety checks completed

This checkpoint was funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

ocregister.com
LAGUNA HILLS – An Orange County Sheriff's deputy – who last year single-handedly arrested three-quarters of the city's DUI drivers – will be honored for his diligence Tuesday night.

City Council members and representatives from Mothers Against Drunk Driving will pay tribute to the work that Laguna Hills Police Services Deputy Scott Watson has done in the past year.

Laguna Hills deputies made 109 arrests for DUI in 2009, compared with 97 in 2008. Watson made 76 of those arrests last year.

According to the city's Chief of Police Services Lt. Steve Doan, Watson – a 12-year veteran in the department – holds the record for the city's highest drug and alcohol arrests. Watson is a patrol deputy so his arrests are made in addition to handling calls for service and other duties typically done by deputies.

Watson, 41, credits Doan and his fellow deputies with his success saying he could never get the amount of DUI drivers if it weren't for their support and collaboration.

While Laguna Hills doesn't have a lot of bars, Doan said that most drunk drivers are caught driving through the city from venues in nearby towns on their way to other locations.

"Their presence poses a hazard because impaired drivers can cause all sorts of property damage and injury to the people of Laguna Hills," said Doan. "Thankfully, we have deputies like Scott Watson who make it their own personal crusade to find and arrest drunk drivers."

Q. Lt. Doan said you've made catching DUI drivers a personal crusade. Why?

A. I want to reduce death, injury and property damage associated with DUI's. I also want to educate people on the dangers. You see many accidents in our city but people often underplay DUI's thinking it's a victimless crime. Many people don't realize how bad DUI drivers can be maybe because they haven't been personally impacted.

Q. What is the worst DUI-related accident you've witnessed?

A. There have been several. We had a car cut in half on Oso Parkway. The front end was chopped off to the firewall and the passenger and driver had their feet completely severed. A recent arrest involving a prominent attorney's son in Nellie Gail had a passenger that was fortunate she still had her head intact. She was just starting her life and now she'll be horribly scarred for life because of one guy's drinking and driving. People fight tooth and nail to get their licenses back after that. I think California doesn't enforce the DUI laws enough.

Q. Is there a tell-tale sign when you've followed an impaired driver?

A. There's always the Hollywood scene people think about with cars weaving in and out of lanes. But you have different levels of intoxication. Someone used to high levels of alcohol may just go side to side, hesitate at a green light or brake past signal limit lines. It's not always the obvious signs you see on commercials.

Q. What is the most ridiculous things you've seen from someone driving drunk?

A. About a year ago I had a DUI from a milk delivery truck. The top was shredded and completely gone parked at a 7/11 making a delivery. Then the guy drives into the street and the front axle breaks. I stopped him and he was completely intoxicated with probably a dozen of beers in the cab. We had to send out a search party to see what else he may have hit. In the end we figured out he'd delivered milk at a 7/11 in Lake Forest and gone through some tunnels with low clearance along Ridge Route that were clearly marked. It was absolutely amazing to me that he continued delivering milk like that.

Q. What is the best thing a motorist can do when he/she think they are driving near an impaired driver?

A. Dispatch will tell you to get the description of the car and the license plate. As a patrol officer, we get those calls a few minutes later. If it's safe, I would like people to follow at a distance maybe keeping the rear lights in view and staying on the line with dispatch until we can get to the exact location.

The City Council meeting starts at 7 p.m. in City Council chambers at 24035 El Toro Rd.

oclnn.com
An Orange County Sheriff’s deputy has been charged with DUI after losing control of his car in December and crashing into the front yard of a Villa Park home – the home of OC Supervisor Bill Campbell.

Deputy Mark Wayne Hewlett, 30, of Orange, is charged with one misdemeanor count each of DUI and possession of Xanax without a prescription, prosecutors said. If convicted, he could face up to a year in jail. Hewlett is scheduled to be arraigned April 29.

Prosecutors allege that early in the morning of Dec. 13, 2009, Hewlett drove home from a friend’s house after drinking several alcoholic beverages. At about 1:45 a.m., Hewlett allegedly lost control his vehicle in Villa Park, drove over a curb and across the grass and crashed into a planter in Campbell’s front yard.

When police arrived, prosecutors said, Hewlett smelled of alcohol, had watery eyes and lacked balance. At about 3:30 a.m., nearly two hours after the crash, Hewlett allegedly had a blood alcohol level of 0.13.

The state legal limit is 0.08 percent.

Officers also allegedly found Hewlett in possession of Xanax, an often-abused anti-anxiety medication, without a prescription.

Sheriff’s Department spokesman John McDonald said Hewlett is on “full duty status” and a personnel DUI investigation is pending.

yumasun.com
More than 500 Yuma drivers had contact with police officers on St. Patrick's Day, and one police spokesman said the  DUI checkpoint was a great educational tool for the public.

Officers with the Yuma Police Department (YPD) hosted their first Impaired Driving Checkpoint on a St. Patrick's Day Wednesday night. The checkpoint was from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. in the westbound lanes of the 700 block of East 24th Street. The DUI checkpoint was the first one the department has hosted, though YPD officers have been a part of others.

YPD Spokesman Sgt. Clint Norred said the checkpoint offered a greater educational component than what the department usually does: a "saturation" patrol, or adding additional officers on the street, targeting impaired driving.

With more than 500 encounters Wednesday night, Norred said they were able to reach more people and educate them about the dangers of drinking and driving. Every driver that passed through, after a brief interaction with an officer, received an educational hand-out, he said.

"I think it's a really great tool to provide that additional public awareness and education," Norred said.

During the checkpoint, officers arrested one driver for aggravated DUI, one person for possession of dangerous drugs, one person for possession of marijuana and one person for driving on a suspended license, Norred said.

"What saturation patrol lacks is that educational component," he said. "The checkpoint offers the same notification via the media (before hand) ... but they don't know where it's going to be."

According to a news release from YPD, officers made an additional 16 traffic stops on vehicles that either failed to stop or attempted to exit the traffic zone prior to the checkpoint.

The DUI checkpoint was funded through a grant from the Arizona Governors Office of Highway Safety for impaired driving enforcement education.

greenbaypressgazette.comTwo misdemeanor DUI charges will be sought against Spencer Havner after his weekend motorcycle accident, but it will be up to a local district attorney’s office to decide whether to prosecute the Green Bay Packers’ third-string tight end.

Heather Blancarte, public information officer for the California Highway Patrol’s Grass Valley office, said Tuesday that charges of  DUI and driving with a blood-alcohol level greater than 0.08 percent will be sought against Havner, who sustained a broken shoulder blade and several minor injuries in the crash near his hometown of Grass Valley, Calif.

The district attorney’s office in Nevada County, Calif., is awaiting the CHP report before deciding whether to file any DUI charges against Havner. It said Wednesday it hadn't received the report.

According to the CHP: Havner, 27, was driving a 2007 Kawasaki motorcycle on a private road in an unincorporated part of Nevada County about 2:45 a.m. Saturday when he lost control and crashed. He was alone of the cycle and was not wearing a helmet.

He was taken to Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital in Grass Valley before police were contacted. He was found to be under the influence and was arrested at the hospital. Blancarte said Havner was not taken to jail because of his injuries.

Havner later was transferred to Sutter Roseville Medical Center in Roseville, Calif., which did not release any information on his condition.

The Packers released a one-sentence statement from spokesman Jeff Blumb: “We have spoken to Spencer Havner about the injuries he sustained in a recent motorcycle accident near his home and we are monitoring the situation.”

The NFL is unlikely to discipline Havner until any  criminal case is resolved.

Punter signs

The Packers added a former Australian rules football player to their wide-open punting competition.

Chris Bryan signed with the team on Tuesday, one week after he reportedly auditioned for NFL scouts in Los Angeles.

Bryan, 28, played four seasons with two Australian Football League teams before being de-listed by Collingwood last year. The 6-foot-5, 210-pounder left-footer told the Sunday Herald Sun last month he can "can consistently kick hang time of 4.5 seconds, which is about 50 yards. I've also got the bomb there. That's about a hang time of 5.4 seconds, but it's the consistency that's the key."

The Packers severed ties earlier this month with incumbent punter Jeremy Kapinos, who wasn't tendered as an exclusive-rights free agent. The only other punter on the roster is Tim Masthay, who went to camp with Indianapolis last summer and was out of football last year.

Two punters in the NFL last year — Philadelphia’s Sav Rocca and Arizona’s Ben Graham — are former AFL players.

Tauscher can earn $8.7 million

The two-year contract right tackle Mark Tauscher signed over the weekend could pay him as much as $8.7 million in salary and bonuses.

Tauscher will receive a $1.8 million roster bonus this year in addition to $1.4 million base salary. In 2011, his base salary jumps to $4.1 million. In each year, Tauscher can earn a $200,000 workout bonus and $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses.

That basically matches the compensation Tauscher, 32, was receiving before he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in December 2008, costing him a chance to cash in as an unrestricted free agent last year before re-signing with the Packers during the season. He made about $3.4 million in 2007 and $5 million in 2008.

content.usatoday.com
The Chicago suburb that BusinessWeek ranked as the best place in America to raise children has been reeling since a school bus driver was arrested last week for allegedly being  DUI on the job.

Today the Chicago Tribune reports that a school bus supervisor in Mount Prospect District 57 was placed on leave for allowing Betty Burden to finish her route despite reports the day before of possible DUI.

Burden, 54, dropped off 50 children before she was arrested last Tuesday for aggravated DUI. Police said her blood-alcohol level was nearly three times the 0.08 legal limit, although it is illegal for school bus drivers to have any alcohol in their systems.

Her boss, Vincente Ramirez, was placed on administrative leave while school authorities investigate, the district superintendent said.

Burden is expected to be fired Thursday.

auburnjournal.com
Green Bay Packer Spencer Havner’s fall in a motorcycle accident has resulted in more than just physical injuries.

The former Nevada Union High School football star is also facing  DUI charges after the California Highway Patrol was called to the hospital where he was being treated after a  DUI crash Saturday.

Officer Heather Blancarte of the Grass Valley Highway Patrol reported that an officer met with Havner at Nevada City’s Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital after learning he had been brought in after a motorcycle collision Saturday.

Havner, best-known this past season for a game-tying touchdown catch in a losing playoff game against the Arizona Cardinals, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. He was subsequently released from custody to the care of the hospital.

The Highway Patrol reported that Havner made an unsafe turning movement and lost control of his Kawasaki motorcycle on Woods Ravine Road, south of Indian Trail Road. The accident occurred at 2:45 a.m. Saturday, Blancarte said.

Havner was ejected from the motorcycle and suffered major injuries as a result of the collision, the report said. Havner, 27, wasn’t wearing a helmet at the time of the  DUI crash, Blancarte added. Born in Grass Valley and now living in Nevada City, Havner played tight end and linebacker for the Packers. Havner was a four-year starter at UCLA.

kktv.com
The power is back on in several Colorado Springs homes, after a suspected  DUI driver crashes into a major power pole.

Around 1 a.m. on Sunday, police say a drunk driver crashed into a light pole on Nevada Avenue at Cheyenne Road. Power was out for about 6 homes in a one block area. Colorado Springs Utilities tells 11 News that power was restored before 7:30 a.m. Crews had to wait to replace the power pole until police wrapped up their investigation.

Colorado Springs police say the driver, Chris Zazo, was speeding when he lost control and hit the pole.

"From the damage to the vehicle you can see the impact was pretty significant. It would take quite a force to shear that thing off," said Sgt. Lonnie Spanswick with Colorado Springs Police.

The driver and three passengers were transported to Memorial Central and treated for minor injuries. Cops say the driver potentially faces  DUI and reckless driving charges.

"This is another example possibly of somebody who felt like they could drive after they've been drinking and once again didn't get a designated driver and this is the aftermath," said Sgt. Spanswick.

miamiherald.com
Miami Heat forward Dorell Wright was suspended Friday for two games by the team in the wake of his arrest on a  DUI charge in South Beach.

Wright, 24, missed Friday's home game against the Chicago Bulls and will also sit out Sunday's home game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Heat announced the suspension Friday afternoon after the team completed its morning shootaround.

In addition to the  DUI charge, Wright also was cited for a second offense of knowingly driving with a suspended license. Wright's driving records show numerous violations since 2007.

According to the DUI arrest report, Wright was stopped at 3:37 a.m. Thursday in his 2005 Bentley near the intersection of Alton Road and Eighth Street. Officers said they saw Wright driving erratically and, when they approached his car, observed red, watery eyes, an odor of alcohol and slurred speech.

Wright also was accused of driving 52 mph in a 25-mph zone and operating his vehicle without proper proof of insurance.

He was arrested about five hours after he played 22 minutes in the Heat's 108-97 victory Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers at AmericanAirlines Arena.

``This is out of character for Dorell,'' Heat president Pat Riley said Friday. ``We feel he is a good person and that he will learn from this mistake.''

BEASLEY SITS OUT

Team-imposed suspensions and injuries left the Heat with 11 available players Friday.

There was no change in the status of guard Rafer Alston, suspended indefinitely last week after he abruptly left the team following his demotion from the starting lineup.

Alston has not responded to the team's attempts to reach him the past seven days.

Second-year forward Michael Beasley was on the active roster but was held out against the Bulls with a thigh bruise he sustained Wednesday against the Clippers. Beasley hopes to return for Sunday's home game against Philadelphia.

``It's gotten a whole lot better,'' Beasley said before Friday's game. ``When I first did it, I couldn't lift my leg and almost had to walk out of here on crutches. Now, I've got my full range of motion, but I just can't take any hits right now.''

journal-topics.com
A school bus driver for Mt. Prospect Elementary School Dist. 57 has been suspended without pay and will be recommended for termination at the next board of education meeting on Thursday, Mar. 18 for allegedly driving a bus while DUI.

On Tuesday, Mar. 9, at 3:45 p.m., Mt. Prospect Police Sgt. Michael Eterno received a telephone call from Dist. 57 Transportation Coordinator Vincente Ramirez. Police said Ramirez stated one of the district's school bus drivers, 54-year-old Betty A. Burden of Mt. Prospect, was operating Dist. 57 school bus 11.

Burden was transporting approximately 50 children under the age of 18 from Lions Park Elementary School in Mt. Prospect to various bus stops within the village, according to police.

Ramirez said a coworker of Burden's reported to him that she had smelled alcohol on Burden's breath at around 2:30 p.m., police said.

Eterno and another officer arrived and checked the projected route of bus 11. Eterno located the bus traveling northbound on River Road, just north of Euclid Avenue and performed a  DUI traffic stop. Burden was on her way to drop off the bus at bus station north of Chicago Executive Airport. That is where the district houses its buses on a daily basis.

Eterno spoke to Burden, who police say was operating the now empty bus. Mt. Prospect police said Eterno immediately smelled the odor of alcohol beverage on Burden's breath. Eterno also made additional observations concerning Burden's physical state that were consistent with alcohol impairment, according to police.

Burden allegedly admitted to having consumed an alcoholic beverage during the course of the day and consented to performing a variety of standard field  DUI sobriety tests. 

Police said Burden failed all field DUI sobriety tests administered to her and was placed under arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Burden was transported to the Mt. Prospect Police Dept. where she consented to a breath alcohol test, which registered her blood alcohol concentration at 0.226, police said. The legal limit in Illinois is .08.

The Cook County Stateís Attorney's Office approved a felony charge of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol for being under the influence while transporting passengers under the age of 18.

According to Dist. 57 Supt. Dr. Elaine Aumiller, Burden was employed with the district from 1991-99, and returned to employment in the district in August 2008.

Aumiller said Burden has a clean disciplinary history and has passed each of the random drug tests the district requires of all bus drivers. She said criminal background checks are conducted on all bus drivers prior to being hired.

"However, it is clear to us that our trust has been betrayed and we offer our deepest apologies to the families affected by the incident," Aumiller said in a written statement. "We are outraged that our students were subjected to this misconduct, and we are grateful that no one was injured as a result."

Aumiller said the offense is so severe it does not warrant giving Burden a second chance.

"Childrenís lives were put at risk, which is inexcusable and not tolerated," Aumiller emphasized.

The district owns 15 school buses with a maximum of 13 running at one time. Aumiller said some bus drivers perform a single route while others conduct multiple trips. A driver's average salary ranges from $13.50-$20 per hour based on the number of routes they complete and seniority.

Aumiller said she has received phone calls from parents regarding this incident. She said some were angry but others thanked the district for acting quickly and keeping them informed.

Aumiller said she has tried to reach out to Burden, but phone calls are not being returned,

Burden's bond was set at $10,000. She is expected to appear back in a Rolling Meadows courtroom on Thursday, Apr. 1 at 10:30 a.m.

vvdailypress.com
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Victorville and Hesperia stations will be conducting  DUI and license checkpoints over the next week, authorities said.

Victorville officials will be checking for  DUI  drivers on Saturday and Hesperia’s checkpoint will take place on Wednesday, St. Patrick’s Day evening.

Victorville’s DUI checkpoint will begin at 7 p.m. and will continue until early Sunday morning in an effort to take dangerous drivers off the roadways.

Hesperia’s operation will take place on St. Patrick’s Day.

Authorities advise anyone who plans on going out drinking to have a designated sober driver. They also ask anyone who believes they see an  DUI driver to call 911.

            That’s the advice from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) National President Laura Dean-Mooney, who is urging state legislators to enact stiffer  DUI laws.

            In a March 9 letter to Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona, and Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Finance, Dean-Mooney urged the lawmakers to hold a public hearing on Assembly Bill 547 in the Joint Committee on Finance.  

           A spokesman for Miller, however, says it doesn't make sense to move ahead with the costly bill before another proposal toughening  DUI penalties passed last year takes effect. No fiscal estimate has been released yet.

            Dean-Mooney said AB547 would help prevent drunk driving by legalizing the option of sobriety checkpoints and making a first  DUI offense a misdemeanor crime in Wisconsin, just like it is in 49 other states.

            “Drunk driving is a taxpayer subsidized violent crime,” MADD’s national leader wrote. “Between 1998 and 2008 in Wisconsin, 3,196 people died in drunken driving crashes. In that same period, 67,588 people were injured in alcohol related crashes. For these 100 percent preventable deaths and injuries, the state and taxpayers have paid at least $6.7 billion. AB547 is necessary as it aims to prevent drunk driving from occurring and lifting the taxpayer subsidy of drunk driving.”

            Allow law enforcement the option of performing sobriety checkpoints, which are funded by federal grants in other states, can help find and charge those endangering public safety, she said. As a result, people who drink are deterred to drive because increased enforcement heightens one’s fear of being arrested. According to the Centers for Disease Control, well-publicized sobriety checkpoints translated to a 20 percent reduction of crashes and fatalities.

            Dean-Mooney said studies show that a first time convicted  DUI offender has driven drunk an average of 87 times before they’re caught. Wisconsin DOT reports that most drunk driving deaths and injuries are caused by drunk drivers with no prior convictions.

            “Please let the sunshine of open government to shine in and allow for AB547 to receive a public hearing and an up or down vote in committee. MADD believes AB547 is critical to help prevent drunk driving . . . " Dean-Mooney said.

            Rep. Peggy Krusick, D-Milwaukee, who co-sponsored the bill, has called for swift action, saying the proposed measure was written over the course of last year with significant input from a bipartisan legislative workgroup that was created in November 2008 that included law enforcement officials, district attorneys, public defenders, judges, university researchers, health care providers, victims’ families and others.

            She said in a recent newspaper column that a recently enacted law that makes fourth-offense drunken driving a felony and requires ignition interlocks for repeat offenders was a “positive first step.”

            Krusick said sobriety checkpoints would raise chances that a drunken driver would get caught, and that the bill would require counties to seek reimbursement from DUI offenders for their jail costs, and make jail mean jail (instead of house arrest or electronic monitoring) for offenses that carry mandatory minimum sentences.

            AB547 was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Criminal Justice on Nov. 5, 2009, and subjected to five fiscal estimates, none of which were determinative, and then withdrawn from the committee and referred to the Joint Committee on Finance Feb. 5, 2010, where it now sits.

nypost.com
TAMPA — Mark Newman, a Yankees senior vice president in charge of the minor leagues, was charged with a DUI late Monday night.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Web site, the 60-year-old Newman was arrested for DUI at 10:56 p.m. on northbound Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa.

Newman, who has been with the organization for 22 seasons, was released after posting a $500  DUI bond.

The team released a statement last night.

“The New York Yankees do not condone this kind of  DUI behavior,” the statement said. “We take this situation seriously and we are looking into the matter. We will have no further comment at this time.”

GM Brian Cashman or Newman didn’t immediately return phone calls.

About 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, Mount Prospect police Sgt. Michael Eterno got a call from Vincente Ramirez, transportation coordinator for Mount Prospect School District 57, according to a release from police.

» Click to enlarge image

Betty A. Burden
(Courtesy)

A co-worker had reported smelling an alcoholic beverage on Burden’s breath about 2:30 p.m. and Ramirez wants police to investigate, the release said.

Sgt. Eterno and Officer Hoskinson from the Traffic Unit checked the projected route of the bus and found it traveling north on River Road, just north of Euclid Avenue. The sergeant spoke to Burden, who was operating the now-empty bus, and immediately smelled alcohol on Burden’s breath, the release said.

Sgt. Eterno reported Burden’s physical state was consistent with  DUI impairment, the release. Burden allegedly admitted consuming an alcoholic beverage and consented to standard field sobriety tests, all of which she failed, police said.

She was then arrested and taken to the police department, where she consented to a breath alcohol test, registering a .226 blood alcohol content, the release said. Burden was charged with aggravated  DUI for being under the influence while transporting passengers under 18.

District 57 administrators are cooperating with police and prosecutors, the release said.

Burden's was ordered held on $10,000 bond and a preliminary DUI hearing was set for April 1 at the Rolling Meadows Courthouse, according to police.

The  DUI checkpoint will take place in the 1500 block of Kanawha Boulevard from 4 p.m. until midnight. It's an initiative in conjunction with the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, continuing the "Checkpoint Strikeforce" mobilization in order to enforce the state's  DUI laws.

argusleader.com
More than 5,800 people across South Dakota have signed up to receive DUI sobriety checkpoint information through the text messaging.

"The goal is to encourage people to think twice about drinking and driving,'' said James Carpenter, director of the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety.

Sobriety DUI checkpoints are an attempt to raise awareness of the dangers of drunk driving, not to arrest as many people as possible, Carpenter said.

"By providing people information about drunk driving enforcement activity, we hope to influence them to make responsible decisions and avoid drunk driving,'' he said. "Text messaging delivers that information when those people need it most.''

People can sign up to receive sobriety checkpoint text messages by visiting www.actcivilized.com.

gothamist.com
In 2008, police accused state Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV of  DUI when he was spotted driving erratically on the West Side Highway. But after two years—and multiple delays—his  DUI trial still hasn't begun, raising questions about whether his case has been adjourned repeatedly because of his political clout as the son of a famed Harlem lawmaker. "It certainly has all of the bells and whistles of 'Hmm,'" a DUI defense lawyer told the Times. "I would think that the typical client who is not attending to, quote unquote, state business does not get the courtesy to put his sink in or perhaps go to a trade show."

Unlike most people accused of DUI, the Assemblyman—who was twice accused of sexual assault in 2004—says he wants his case to go to trial. He has turned down a plea deal that would have given him a $300 fine, a 90-day license suspension, and enrollment in a drunk-driving program. His DUI lawyer insists he wants the case to proceed in court, but due to Powell's busy schedule including special legislative sessions and a 10-day overseas business trip, the politician has missed multiple court dates.

The trial has also been delayed due to a dispute over the exchange of evidence and scheduling conflicts involving defense lawyers and witnesses. If found guilty of the misdemeanor charges, it's doubtful that Powell will receive any jail time and equally unlikely that he would get booted from office. Powell's lawyer says the politician doesn't want to delay the case—in fact, he wants to wrap it up. "It's not a situation where there's any type of avoidance," said attorney Stacey Richmond. "This ongoing situation is more of an inconvenience to him." The next scheduled court date is Monday, but the  DUI trial probably won't begin then because one of the police officers involved in the case is busy.

myfoxphoenix.com
According to court documents, a Phoenix Police Officer that was arrested for  DUI in Gilbert, has been arrested for DUI before.

FOX 10 has obtained court records that show officer Seth Castillo was arrested 8 years ago for DUI, when he was 19 years of age.

Records show Castillo plead guilty to the charge back in 2002, well before he began working for the Phoenix Police Department.

Phoenix Police tell FOX 10 that a DUI arrest doesn't stop them from hiring an officer, and a DUI arrest for an officer on the force doesn't guarantee they'll be placed on administrative leave.

Officer Castillo is still patrolling city streets, just days after his latest  DUI arrest.

foxnews.com
A California state senator who reportedly has voted against every gay rights measure since he took office eight years ago was charged with  DUI on Wednesday, reportedly after leaving a gay nightclub in Sacramento.

Sen. Roy Ashburn, a Republican from Bakersfield, was spotted driving erratically at about 2 a.m. Wednesday in downtown Sacramento, officials said. He was arrested after taking a  DUI sobriety test, and he was taken to Sacramento County Jail, where he was administered a blood-alcohol test prior to being booked and released. 

He was charged with two misdemeanors:  DUI and driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 percent or higher.

Ashburn, a 55-year-old father of four, apologized for his actions.

"I am deeply sorry for my actions and offer no excuse for my poor judgment," he said in a statement. "I accept complete responsibility for my conduct and am prepared to accept the consequences for what I did. I am also truly sorry for the impact this  DUI incident will have on those who support and trust me -- my family, my constituents, my friends, and my colleagues in the Senate."

He was arrested after leaving Faces, a gay nightclub in midtown Sacramento, according to cbs13.com. A male passenger, who was not identified as a lawmaker, was also in the car but was not detained, the TV station reported.

A spokesman for Ashburn declined to comment to FoxNews.com regarding the nightclub allegations.

Ashburn, who served in the state Assembly from 1996 to 2002 before he was elected to the Senate, has voted against every gay rights measure since he became a senator, according to Project Vote Smart, a Web site that tracks voting records.

ocregister.com
COSTA MESA An intoxicated pedestrian who walked up to a DUI sobriety checkpoint to see what was taking place was among five arrested Monday, police said.

Police arrested Rodrigo Sajvin Cumes, 37, of Costa Mesa, on a public intoxication charge after he went up to the  DUI checkpoint held on Harbor Boulevard at Fair Drive, said Costa Mesa police Sgt. Phil Myers. Cumes was so intoxicated that he could not care for his safety, according to police.

Three people were arrested on suspicion of DUI and 15 citations were issued, police said. Police screened 633 cars out of 2,055 that went through the checkpoint.

Also, police said two drivers switched seats with passengers out of fear of being arrested for DUI. Those drivers were not arrested, Myers said.