Eight arrested at DUI checkpoint in Kansas City

Kansas City, MO

Kansas City sobriety checkpoint late Friday and early Saturday snagged eight drivers who were charged with driving under the influence, police said.

At the checkpoint set up in the eastbound lane at 3719 Independence Avenue, officers stopped 377 vehicles. In addition to the DUI arrests, officers also made one arrest for possession of methamphetamine and four for driving while revoked.

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Missouri House reiterates need for ignition interlocks for repeat drunken drivers

Jefferson City, MO

The Missouri House wants to increase the use of ignition interlock devices for convicted drunken drivers. Gov. Matt Blunt this year said judges are not doing a good enough job of enforcing Missouri's drunken-driving laws and requiring ignition interlock devices.

A law passed in 2001 requires ignition interlock devices on vehicles of people convicted of two or more drunken-driving offenses. The House bill would require a driver to prove to the Department of Revenue that he has the device to get driving privileges reinstated.

The House also added an amendment that would let Municipal Court convictions for drunken driving count when determining repeat offenders. The state Supreme Court ruled this year that Municipal Court convictions don't count.

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Missouri House approves Bill to increase use of DWI ignition interlock device

Jefferson City, MO

The Missouri House gave initial approval Wednesday to a bill designed to increase the use of ignition interlock devices for drunken drivers.

A 2001 law requires ignition interlock devices on vehicles of people convicted of two or more drunken-driving offenses. The House bill, which needs another vote to move to the Senate, requires motorists to prove to the Department of Revenue that they have the device to get their driving privileges reinstated.

An ignition interlock requires a driver to blow into the device, and if the motorist has a blood alcohol content that exceeds the legal limit, the vehicle will not start.

Rep. Neal St. Onge, R-Ballwin, said states that require ignition interlock devices haven't had as many drunken drivers and even fewer repeat offenders.

Earlier this year, Gov. Matt Blunt called a news conference accusing judges of not doing a good enough job of enforcing Missouri's drunken-driving laws and requiring ignition interlock devices.

The House bill would allow the Department of Revenue to check whether motorists have gotten the interlock devices.

Lawmakers also added an amendment that would allow municipal convictions for drunken driving to count when determining repeat offenders. That was added to close a loophole exposed by a Missouri Supreme Court decision.

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http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifKansas City DWI sobriety checkpoint nabs alleged drunk drivers

Kansas City, MO

Kansas authorities arrested 17 people during a DUI checkpoint Friday night in Overland Park.

Police from Overland Park and several other departments set up the checkpoint at 87th and Farley streets, Overland Park police Sgt. Ray Tisinger said. A total of 466 vehicles went through the checkpoint.

Tisinger said police arrested 11 drivers for DUI, two for drug violations, two for transporting open containers of alcohol and two on other charges.

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Prosecutors have new hurdles from Missouri DWI law changes

Benton, MO

If legislators want prosecutors to get tough on drunk drivers, they are going to have to start being a bit more careful when making and amending driving while intoxicated laws.

On March 4, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that driving while intoxicated convictions in a municipal court with a suspended imposition of sentence can not counted when upgrading a DWI charge to a felony.

Scott County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Boyd explained that according to section 577.023 of the Missouri Revised Statutes, if someone facing a DWI charge has a prior alcohol-related conviction within the last five years, they can be charged as a prior offender with a class 1 misdemeanor. If they have three alcohol-related convictions within a lifetime, they can be charged as a persistent offender with a class D felony; those with four convictions can be charged as an aggravated offender with a class C felony; and five or more convictions means they can face class B felony charges as a chronic defender.

Due to ambiguous language in the statutes, however, the high court ruled that “we can no longer use a prior SIS on a municipal DWI conviction for enhancement purposes,” Boyd said.

While this ruling allows many repeat drunken drivers to avoid felony charges and may even result in some who were convicted with enhanced charges getting out of prison, Boyd said what has been making his job difficult when prosecuting DWIs is coming up with evidence of prior convictions. More >>

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Kirksville man convicted of 10th DWI, sentenced to 10 years in prison

Kirksville, MO

A tenth driving while intoxicated (DWI) conviction has resulted in a 10-year prison sentence for a Kirksville man.

Bobbie M. Phipps Jr., 56, pleaded guilty March 4 to the felony DWI charge and was sentenced Wednesday by Adair County Circuit Judge Russell Steele.

Kirksville police arrested Phipps during a saturation patrol in the early morning hours of April 28, 2007. Adair County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Williams said grant monies from the Adair County Drug Coalition funded that saturation patrol.

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Columbia car chase suspect arrested for DWI, possession of marijuana

Columbia, MO

A Columbia man known for leading officers on car chases failed to stop for authorities again last night, police said.

Officers tried to stop a vehicle at about 11:50 p.m. yesterday for an equipment violation. The driver was also suspected of trespassing in the area of Claudell Lane and West Worley Street. The driver refused to stop and led officers on a 15-minute chase through several central Columbia neighborhoods.

A set of road spikes to deflate the car’s tires was set up at Garth Avenue and Worley Street, but the driver stopped just short of the spikes, police said.

The suspect refused to submit to chemical testing, and a court-ordered search warrant was granted to obtain a blood sample. Results were not available.

The suspect was later arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, possession of less than 35 grams of marijuana, felony resisting arrest, felony driving with a revoked license and multiple traffic infractions. He was booked into the Boone County Jail, where he was being held this morning on $50,000 bond.

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Motorsyclist killed in funeral-procession crash, driver of SUV arrested for drunken driving

Kansas City, MO

A 51-year-old Blue Springs man, injured last week when he was struck by a sport utility vehicle while escorting a funeral procession has died, police said today.

Steven Keith was on a motorcycle and guiding the procession along Woods Chapel Road in Blue Springs when he was struck by the SUV. The impact forced the motorcycle off the road and into a brick pillar.

Keith died this morning, said Blue Springs police spokesman Jeremy Dickstein.

After the collision, police arrested the 20-year-old driver of the SUV on the suspicion of drunken driving.

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Missouri Senate OKs memorial signs for victims of drunken drivers, special license plates for suspended/revoked

Jefferson City, MO

A memorial sign program for drunken-driving victims was among the provisions included in an omnibus transportation bill approved Thursday by the Missouri Senate.

The sign program would allow family members of a person killed by a drunken driver to sponsor a highway sign. The signs would include the phrases “Drunk Driving Victim” and “Who’s Next?” and include the victim’s initials.

Family members would be charged a fee, and the signs would remain for 10 years.

The bill also would require drivers whose licenses have been suspended or revoked to exchange their current license plates for plates that indicate their loss of license. Law enforcement officers would be allowed to stop cars with the plates to verify that the driver has a valid license.

The bill moves to the House.

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Scott Spiezio gets 3 years probation for DUI, hit-and-run

St. Louis, MO

Former Cardinal Scott Spiezio was sentenced in a California courtroom this morning to three years probation after pleading guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and hit-and-run, according to court records.

The charges stem from a car crash Dec. 30 that occurred about 200 yards from Spiezio's luxury high-rise condo in Irvine, Calif.

Spiezio must also pay $390 in fines, attend an alcohol program, go to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, perform 80 hours of community service, and pay an undisclosed amount to a victim-witness emergency fund, according to records filed in Orange County Superior Court.

Charges of battery, assault, driving under the influence while blood is more than 0.08 percent alcohol and assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm were dismissed.

The Cardinals released Spiezio on Feb. 27 after he was charged in the case. The Cardinals have agreed to pay Spiezio's $2.4 million salary for this season plus a $100,000 buyout of next season's option. More >>

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Kansas City, MO lawmaker pushes legislation to enable DWI courts in Missouri

Jefferson City, MO

Special courts allowing drunken-driving offenders to reduce their sentences by participating in treatment programs could get a boost this year from the Missouri legislature.

Sen. Jolie Justus, a Kansas City Democrat, added language enabling DWI courts to a larger transportation bill approved last week.

Typically, a repeat or felony drunken-driving case is heard in regular court, where the offender most likely faces jail time. In a DWI court, incarceration is a last resort, imposed only if a treatment program and extensive probation isn’t effective. The courts are similar to existing drug courts, although offenders could not have their crimes removed from their records.

“We want to make sure this isn’t a way to skirt the system, but to really address those folks who have several offenses,” Justus said. “I look at it as a way to help those folks who have serious substance abuse problems.”

The bill won approval in the Senate on Thursday and now moves on to the House for consideration.

As the legislation moves through the process, it could be tweaked to allow DWI courts to function within existing drug courts, Justus said. The change could reduce the cost of implementing the courts. More >>

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