Criminal Law

Bar Owners Annoyed by DUI Checkpoints in Florida

Posted on November 20, 2009
When it comes to DUI, police are concerned primarily with the safety of drivers. However, when that goal starts to impinge upon the interests of local bars and restaurants that depend upon a steady flow of happy customers, a compromise might be in order...

10th Time Is Not a Charm: Illinois Man Charged with His 10th DUI

Posted on November 17, 2009
Richard Niemczyk, a resident of Hanover Park, Ill., was recently arrested for and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, according to The Courier-News. The DUI charge was Niemczyk?s tenth such charge since 1991. Niemczyk was arrested following an Oct...

Man Pleads Guilty to Drunk Driving in His La-Z-Boy

Posted on November 14, 2009
There are many strange stories involving driving under the influence. Some are tragic, changing the lives of those involved, while others, like a recent story out of Minnesota, simply boggle the mind. In the town of Proctor, Minn., a man was stopped for driving drunk after he collided with a parked car, according to the Duluth News [...

Pennsylvania Woman Jailed As a Result of a Deadly DUI

Posted on November 12, 2009
A recent Pennsylvania court case further proves that driving under the influence can have a profound impact on an individual?s life. We all know that celebrity DUI arrests make headlines, but too often it is the ordinary citizen whose life takes a wrong turn as a result of an error in judgment...

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Report Stolen Marijuana, Get Arrested for DUI? Yep.

Posted on November 08, 2009
In Salem, Ore., that’s exactly what happened to a man who dialed 9-1-1 to report his stash of pot missing, according to an Associated Press article. Salem resident Calvin Hoover, 21, made an emergency call from his cell phone while he was driving down the road vomiting...

Mel Gibson?s DUI Expunged

Posted on November 05, 2009
Famous actor Mel Gibson recently had his drunken driving conviction expunged, the Los Angeles Times reported. Gibson was pulled over back in July 2006 by a sheriff?s deputy on the Pacific Coast Highway in Los Angeles, Calif. Gibson was driving his Lexus Sedan over 85 mph...

Boo! 39 DUI Arrests in Delaware

Posted on November 02, 2009
Over the Halloween holiday weekend, law enforcement outfits nationwide cracked down on intoxicated drivers by implementing special DUI checkpoint locations on roadways. Across the state of Delaware, law enforcement officials reported 39 DUI-related arrests just this weekend alone, according to Delaware’s Daily Times...

Fighting a First DUI Offense

Posted on September 25, 2009
It does not matter your age, economic status or vehicle when you are in the turmoil of your first DUI offense. It is scary. The fear of realizing what could have happened and the fear of what will happen, these are legitimate concerns when trying to understand your DUI arrest...

Troubles with Tow Trucks

Posted on September 22, 2009
Many weird circumstances can surround a DUI offense. One?s inhibitions are down and one thing leads to another. In some instances, people break into establishments or end up stealing, not realizing their actions will be dealt with and there are consequences...

Future Ignition Interlocks for all Drivers a Possibility

Posted on September 19, 2009
Drinking and driving is a universal problem and many are searching for solutions. Although most people start out with good intentions, one drink leads to another. Before you know it, you hit the brick wall and attempt to figure out how the night took a turn for the worse...

Tight Budgets for Colorado DUI Enforcement

Posted on September 10, 2009
In a surprising move, Colorado?s Governor Bill Ritter plans to divert more than $1.3 million intended to fight drunken driving to help fill the state?s budget gap estimated at $318 million. A recent Denver Post article stated that the $1.3 million, which is raised by a surcharge imposed on everyone convicted of a DUI offense in [...

Labor Day Weekend in Review

Posted on September 08, 2009
Labor Day weekend is a time when families are to get together and celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of fall, the school year and the ever closing holiday season. Unfortunately, some find themselves eye-to-eye with the law as they are charged with DUI...

Study Suggests Gender Specific DUI Road Tests

Posted on September 03, 2009
The long standing jokes about women who are pulled over by police and how they get out of tickets may have even less merit than before. Sure there are cases where a woman may flirt to get out of a ticket or bat her doe eyes innocently at the officer in the hopes of avoiding a [...

New Program: Calling Relative after DUI Arrest

Posted on September 01, 2009
There are certain aspects to a night out on the town which most people consider before leaving for the festivities. “Did I bring enough money?” “Do I have clean underwear on?” “Did I find a designated driver?” All are completely legitimate questions...

New DUI Laws for SC Mean Tougher Penalties

Posted on August 31, 2009
One of the more heavy handed aspects to the new South Carolina DUI laws is that the state now counts DUIs (or similar convictions) from other states as previous convictions under South Carolina law- as long as they happened within 10 years of the current DUI offense...

DUIs with Star Status

Posted on August 26, 2009
Living above the crowd, when privilege supersedes hindrance, and abundance is as common as the rising sun, it’s no wonder that Hollywood?s enrolled often find themselves against the common grain of law and regulation. It could be the grandeur of stardom or the void of economic distress which breeds impaired judgment...

Montana Man Pleads Guilty to 11th DUI

Posted on August 19, 2009
On Tuesday, August 18, James Dean Lessard pleaded guilty to his 11th DUI offense. The man from Billings, Mont. has 10 previous DUI convictions in Wyoming and Montana from 1990 to 2001. Currently, a plea agreement would sentence Lessard to 10 years in prison as a persistent felony offender...

University Requires Class in Alcohol Education

Posted on August 18, 2009
Kansas University will be adding another requirement this year for some students. New students under the age of 22 will be required to take a two hour course on the affects and dangers of alcohol. The class is part of the initiatives the University is taking after two students died in unrelated alcohol incidents last spring [...

NY Governor Wants Stricter Penalties for DWIs with Kids

Posted on August 15, 2009
On August 13, New York Governor David Paterson submitted legislation to increase penalties for drivers convicted of DWI with children in the car. The Child Passenger Protection Act would make drinking and driving a felony if there were passengers under the age of 16 in the car, according to a statement released by the Governor’s office...

Seeking BOTB Bloggers on DUI

Posted on August 05, 2009
Fellow DUI Bloggers: Total DUI is looking for submissions for our first 50 Best of the Best Blogs on DUI. People facing charges for driving under the influence search the Internet for useful information on how to handle their DUI offense. DUI bloggers are all over the Web to help those in need find out what they [...

City Cop Exhibits Less Than Exemplary Behavior

Posted on July 31, 2009
On the night of Saturday, July 25, the Chief of Police of Alexandria City, Virginia was arrested and charged with a DUI after he hit another vehicle near Interstate 66 and North Fairfax Drive. David P. Baker had been driving a city-issued green Ford Explorer in Arlington County when he caused roughly $900 in damage to [...

Push for Ignition Interlock Laws in the US this Fall

Posted on July 30, 2009
Since 2005, when New Mexico became the first state to pass a law requiring ignition interlock devices for all people with DUI convictions, 10 other states have enacted DUI laws mandating DUI offenders install ignition interlock devices. The ignition interlock law campaign is gaining momentum...

Costs of Refusing a Breathalyzer Increasing

Posted on July 27, 2009
As of Sept. 1, people in Louisiana who refuse to take a breath test will have their driver’s license suspended for one year. The penalty is twice as long as the current penalty for breathalyzer refusal. “Now … it’s worse if you refuse the test,” said DWI attorney Robert Fleming...

Zero Tolerance for all Drivers Purposed in OK

Posted on July 22, 2009
Oklahoma State Rep. Harold Wright believes DUI laws need to get tough to cut down on drunken driving deaths. The Republican lawmakers from Weatherford, Okla. wants zero tolerance laws for DUI. People enjoying glass of wine at dinner or a bottle of beer after work could wind up in jail...

?Burn Notice? Star Arrest for DUI

Posted on July 21, 2009
“I really think I’m only borderline and not too drunk,” Jeffrey Donovan told officers during his DUI arrest, according to a report. The “Burn Notice” star allegedly told police the only mistake he made was drinking Benadryl and three glasses of wine on the night of July 11...

Court Commends Drunk Teen for Doing the ?Right Thing?

Posted on July 20, 2009
Travis Peterson decided he was too drunk to drive home after attending a Dave Matthew Band Concert. The 19-year-old tried to sleep off his buzz in his car, but was awoken by a state trooped who ordered him to clear the lot. After Peterson left the lot, just south of Milwaukee, to drive to his house [...

Washington Court Restores $14 Million Award

Posted on July 17, 2009
On Thursday, July 16, the Supreme Court in Washington unanimously reinstated a $14 million award to a DUI accident victim. In April 2000, Hawkeye Kinkaid was drinking at the Bellingham Moose Lodge, where is girlfriend, Alexis Chapman, was serving him as a bartender...

California DUI Deaths Continue to Decrease

Posted on July 16, 2009
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, California DUI deaths have dropped 9.1% for the third year in a row. In 2007 nearly 1,132 people died in DUI accidents, while in 2008, the number decreased to 1,029...

Drunk Driving Decreasing but Drug Use Increasing

Posted on July 15, 2009
According to a survey released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, fewer Americans are drinking and driving, but one in six drivers are driving while on drugs during the weekend. The data was released on Monday, July13 from a survey conducted in 2007...

Stricter DUI Penalties for Delaware

Posted on July 14, 2009
Recently Gov. Jack A Markell signed two new bills into law to create stricter DUI penalties for people convicted of a DUI offense in Delaware. House Bill 152: Increased Fines and Jail Time House Bill 152 increases DUI fines for subsequent offenders, especially drivers with five previous DUI convictions...

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