Springfield, MO

wo local stories in our paper Tuesday are connected in a fashion worth noting.
Advertisement

One cited difficulties faced by the officials running the crowded Greene County jail. They cannot provide safe, private space for attorneys to talk over cases with inmates.

The other told of the successes of the county’s DWI court. It helps rehabilitate people accused of felony-level drunken driving so they don’t have to spend years in jail.

See the tie-in?

Obviously, we cannot continue to incarcerate people at the rate we’ve been going in Greene County, or Missouri as a whole. With costs of jails spiraling and the rate of recidivism high, programs like the DWI court remain bright spots on a bleak horizon.

In Tuesday’s story, proponents of the court relayed high hopes for more funding for expansion.

As it stands, the court only takes defendants accused of their third DWI, cases that rise to a felony. Greene County DWI court Judge Peggy Davis wants to reach down to second-time offenders, seeking earlier intervention in the at-times deadly cycle of drinking and driving.

She said Kansas statistics show recidivism as high as 80 percent for second-time DWI offenders. Meanwhile, the rate of recidivism for those who go through Greene’s program is lower than 7 percent.

Started in late 2003, the Greene court has enrolled 401 defendants, with about 100 presently in the program. A total of 187 graduated successfully. Of those, the court has been able to track only 12 re-offenders.

The program lasts at least 18 months and involves counseling, strict monitoring, lab testing, community service and sometimes short “shock” prison sentences. Often, Davis says, graduates go on to help others fight for sobriety.

Those who don’t complete the program must go back before a judge on a probation violation and often end up incarcerated, Davis said.

Offenders pay $2,000 each to enter the court. For other funding, the court taps into various streams of state monies, for instance funds earmarked for mental health counseling. Court officials say that on average taxpayers pay about $4.42 per day for each court participant. (As a comparison, the state Department of Corrections spends about 10 times that much daily per inmate.)

Still, an expansion of the DWI court will require more funds. We’re glad to see officials make that push, and we support it.

As one of only four programs in the country named as a teaching court, Greene’s effort has been recognized as a success. Finding money to expand it would help keep roadways safer, jails less crowded and would-be inmates functioning in society.

That sounds like a good investment — especially when we cannot even deal with inmates already behind bars.

Springfield, MO DWI Criminal Defense Lawyers

Springfield, MO

A group of Springfield residents wanting alcohol in city parks is growing.

More than 400 people are signed up for the Facebook group titled “Legalize Alcohol Sales in the Springfield, MO Park Board System.”

The group’s organizer says it would be a great way to bring revenue into the strapped-for-cash city.

“Golf courses and the ice rink; events like that. There is certainly going to be some profit realized form the sale of alcohol, and obviously the tax dollars as well,” said Karl Kime.

A similar measure already failed back in 2002, but Kime says he wants to take a different approach this go round.

“It doesn’t even have to be an open deal for all times, it can be venue and event specific,” said Kime.

Here’s something unusual for you. You might not think tortoises at the Dickerson Park Zoo would benefit from alcohol in the parks, but Friends of the Zoo say its biggest fundraiser is currently held off-site because alcohol is not allowed.

The annual “Ball of the Wild” is a chance for the zoo and its donors to come together, but currently those donors can’t see where they are spending their money.

“We can not showcase the beauty, and all of the progress Dickerson Park Zoo has made to the donors and supporters who support us throughout the year,” said Melinda Arnold with Friends of the Zoo.

Yet, while there may be some positives, Greene County Prosecutor Darrell Moore, who is on the DWI Task Force says he’s afraid the idea will get out of control.

“We all know we don’t have enough police officers. So if you want to interject alcohol into softball games, and people already losing tempers, people will get into a brawl or fight, and will expect prompt response from the police. So, I think it’s a dangerous mix,” said Moore.

He says he doesn’t see why anyone playing softball or tennis would need to drink, but is willing to discuss the issue with those in favor of it.

Kime says his group of supporters welcome that and want the effort to be a joint one, no matter which side of the fence you stand on.

The group hopes to present its plan to city council down the line, but is still in its planning stage right now.

To view the group on Facebook click here.

Springfield, MO DWI Criminal Defense Lawyers

Springfield, MO

For some the 4th of July includes a little too much celebration, the kind that can land them behind bars.

And for boaters it’s now easier to end up there.

Last August the blood alcohol content limit for boat operators was dropped from .1 to .08, the same max for drivers on our roads.

Sp far this summer the Missouri Water Patrol has issued over 50 more DWI citations than this time last summer.

And on the first 4th of July since the change, officers geared up for more.

Next to fireworks, an afternoon on Table Rock Lake is the Ozarkers’ act of patriotism.

One boater explains, “I come down here every weekend. There are a lot of people. You’ve got to get out there early to find a spot on the lake.”

Especially on the 4th of July- this 4th of July.

Falling on a weekend, record crowds are expected to be making waves.

Says Corporal Mike McClure with the Missouri Water Patrol, “Recreational boating, tubing, wakeboarding, waterskiing, personal watercraft activities,” you’ll see them all on Table Rock Lake.

You’ll probably also see some of the people doing them down a drink or two.

So McClure expects make a few DWI arrests this holiday weekend, in fact, that expectation has led to an increase in enforcement.
“The potential is there.”

The lowering of the legal drinking limit for boat operators last August has correlated with more DWI citations on the lake.

Drinkers that were legal before are now breaking the law, and that has boaters in favor of the change feeling safer on the water.

“Driving a boat is just as dangerous as driving a car, if not more dangerous because there are no lines out there,” says boater Seth Cross.

Still, some consider cracking open a beer at the helm an act of patriotism too, one that- ironically, and now more easily- could result in a loss of independence.

Says McClure, “If they’re violation of the law and they’re caught, subsequent to being stopped, and they are under the influence of alcohol they’re going to jail.”

The punishment for a boating DWI is identical to a driving DWI, although there’s no license to be lost.

The third offense if felony.

Since there’s no open container law on boats, the water patrol has to see a violation and therefore have a probable cause to stop a boater, not just see an alcoholic beverage.

BWI Criminal Defense Lawyers

Springfield, MO

The Greene County Sheriff’s office took to the streets Saturday night looking to curb drunk driving.

During their saturation patrol, about two dozen deputies ticketed nearly 40 people.

Nineteen of those were for driving while intoxicated and another half dozen for for driving with a revoked license.

They also arrested six minors for possession of intoxicants and another six people were arrested for outstanding warrants.

Springfield, MO

Springfield police and Greene County Sheriff’s deputies arrested almost three dozen people for alleged drunken driving during special enforcement efforts this past weekend.
Advertisement

The crackdown was part of the grant-funded “You Drink & Drive — YOU LOSE” statewide campaign.

Springfield police arrested 23 people for driving while intoxicated between Friday and Sunday through a combination of high- intensity DWI patrols and a sobriety checkpoint near the downtown area.

The Greene County Sheriff’s Office, meanwhile, arrested 11 people for DWI between Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

An additional 16 deputies worked grant-funded overtime patrolling various locations in the county during the effort, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

In addition to the arrests for DWI, deputies arrested seven minors for possession of alcohol, one person for supplying alcohol to a minor and six people for driving without a valid license, the release said. Two people were cited for resisting arrest.

Other arrests included one for felony drug possession, two for misdemeanor drug possession, and two for for active warrants.

The efforts were aimed at taking impaired drivers off the roads, Springfield police said in a news release noting that driving while intoxicated is a top cause of fatal car crashes in Missouri.

In 2007, 243 people were killed and 4,897 injured in more than 7,780 alcohol-related crashes, the release said.

Springfield,MO

A 59-year-old rural Greene County man faces a driving-while-intoxicated charge following an accident Friday that ended with the man’s pickup crashing into a house, Springfield police said.

The man was arrested following a 2:09 p.m. collision at West Calhoun Street and North Brown Avenue that began when the driver of a Toyota Tundra did not obey a stop sign and collided with a car that was in the intersection, Springfield Police Department Lt. Roger Moore said.

The truck ran into the garage of a house at 1306 North Brown Avenue after the initial collision, he said.

Moore said it did not appear the woman driving the car tht the pickup hit was seriously injured.

Waynesville, MO

A Springfield police officer is charged with driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident in Pulaski County after a state trooper stopped him last month. The prosecutor formally charged Joseph Motte of Waynesville on Wednesday with DWI and two counts of careless and imprudent driving (all three are misdemeanors), and leaving the scene of an accident and two counts of possession of a firearm while intoxicated (all three of these are felonies).

Troopers said Motte did not stop his car after it struck an 18-wheeler as he entered I-44 late on Sept. 23. After traveling seven miles, Motte’s car went off the road and struck a cable barrier.

Troopers said emergency workers found a whiskey flask and beer cans in the car. They also said he denied that he’d been in an accident after he was extricated from his car.

The Springfield Police Department started an internal affairs investigation after Officer Motte was cited on Sept. 23. After he was charged, Motte was put on paid administrative leave. Police Chief Lynn Rowe says he may be able to make a decision on Motte’s future with the department next week. He said Motte would lose his state peace officer’s certificate if he’s convicted of a felony.

If convicted of the felonies, Motte could get up to four years in state prison and/or a fine up to $5,000 on each charge. For the misdemeanors, Motte could get up to six months in a county jail and/or up to a $500 fine for the DWI charge, and up to one year in a jail and/or up to a $1,000 fine for the C&I charges. Most people convicted of a first-time DWI don’t get the maximum penalty.

Springfield, MO

The Springfield Police Department and the Greene County Sheriff’s Department will put 25 officers on local roads the weekend to man driving-while-intoxicated checkpoints, the police department has announced.

The operation funded through a Missouri Department of Transportation grant will involve checkpoints where officers will check driver’s licenses and conduct further tests on drivers they believe to be intoxicated.

The department estimates drivers who produce a license and who have not been drinking will be delayed about three minutes.

Springfield, MO

A DWI checkpoint set up on East Sunshine Street netted a dozen arrests, reported Capt. Randy Gibson of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department.
Advertisement

The checkpoint was set up at the 3900 block of East Sunshine from 11 p.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday. Thirty-five off-duty deputies worked the area, paid by a grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Gibson said the effort led to checks on 322 vehicles, eight arrests of those suspected of driving while intoxicated and two arrests related to drugs. There were also two arrests of people who had active warrants.

Officers wrote 12 tickets for traffic offenses.

Springfield, MO

The Greene County Sheriff’s Department helped keep Springfield’s streets safer this holiday weekend by conducting a DWI checkpoint Saturday night.

Thirty-five deputies stopped traffic at the 3900 block of east Sunshine between 11 p.m. Saturday and 3 a.m. Sunday.

Deputies made eight DWI arrests, two drug arrests, two active warrant arrests and ticketed twelve people for driving without a license.

The checkpoint was funded by a grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation.