Missouri man accused of DWI on riding mower

Iron Mountain Lake, MO

An eastern Missouri man is accused of drunken driving — on a riding lawnmower.

The suspect’s name has not been released. He lives in Iron Mountain Lake, about 60 miles southwest of St. Louis.

The man was suspected of being involved in a disturbance on Sunday. On Monday, police got a tip that the man was at a home. An officer who went to the home saw the man driving down a street on a riding mower, pulling a trailer with a case of beer. Police say the man also had a flask of whiskey in his pocket.

The man’s blood alcohol registered at 0.115, well above the state legal limit of 0.08.

The man was arrested for driving while intoxicated and careless and imprudent driving.

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Five arrested for DWI in Stone County during weekend effort

Galena, MO

Five people were arrested for driving while intoxicated during a weekend enforcement effort in Stone County.

The Stone County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release that, in addition to the five DWI arrests Saturday, deputies made one drug arrest and two arrests for driving with a revoked license. Five people were arrested on outstanding warrants.

Deputies also issued issued three tickets for driving with a license, three tickets for driving without insurance and four tickets to minors in possession of alcohol.

The Saturday arrests occurred at a checkpoint on Missouri 13 north of Kimberling City, the news release said. The effort was funded with grants from the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Division and the Missouri Safety Center and is part of the “You Drink, You Drive, You Lose” campaign.

Friday the department issued two citations for possession of drug paraphernalia and two citations to minors in possession of alcohol.

Saturday morning, deputies worked with the Missouri Department of Conservation during a river patrol on the James River. During that effort two people were arrested for supplying alcohol to a minor, two minors were charged with possessing alcohol and one person was charged with possession of marijuana.

The release noted the sheriff’s department has received $16,684 in grants for additional enforcement of impaired driving.

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Columbia man arrested for DWI after crash

Columbia, MO

A Columbia woman was injured early yesterday in a two-vehicle collision allegedly caused by a drunken driver.

Maja A. Hill, 64, of Columbia was treated at Boone Hospital Center and released after the 1:10 a.m. collision at Route Z and St. Charles Road, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

Hill was northbound on Route Z when a westbound Ford pickup drove into Hill’s path, and the vehicles collided.

The driver of the pickup later was arrested on suspicion of a third offense of driving while intoxicated (DWI), driving while his license was revoked and failure to yield at an intersection, according to a highway patrol arrest report.

He was released from the Boone County Jail after posting a $4,500 bond.

The driver pleaded guilty in July 2006 in Boone County to leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident and excessive blood-alcohol level, according to court records. He received a six-month suspended jail sentence and was placed on two years of unsupervised probation.

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Greencastle woman cited for DWI after one-car accident

Kirksville, MO

A Greencastle woman was arrested for driving while intoxicated after a one-car accident late Friday night.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the woman, 45, drove her 2000 Dodge off the west side of an unidentified road, two miles east of Greencastle. The vehicle struck a fence, and had to be towed from the scene.

The woman, who was wearing a seat belt, suffered moderate injuries and was transported by Adair County Ambulance to Northeast Regional Medical Center in Kirksville for treatment.

In addition to a charge of DWI, she was also cited for careless and imprudent driving and failure to have insurance.

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Saturation nets 10 percent drunken drivers in Camden County

Jefferson City, MO

The Missouri Highway Patrol chose Camden County for a driving-while-intoxicated saturation patrol last weekend because of the high number of fatalities that occur in alcohol-related accidents, according to a press release issued Friday.

Last weekend's efforts further substantiated the problem ' of the 183 vehicles stopped from May 3-5, 17 arrests were made for driving while intoxicated and two were made for misdemeanor drugs.

Four people were arrested on outstanding warrants, 13 speeding citations were issued along with 10 for seat belts along and three for careless and imprudent driving.

There were 220 warnings written by patrolmen.

The special operation was funded from the Highway Patrol budget and a grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation's Office of Highway Safety.

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Deputies arrest trio for DWI in Rolla

Rolla, MO

Deputies from the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department, participating in a statewide effort to crack down on drunken driving, made three arrests for DWI during a three-day period.


Working with other law-enforcement agencies, Sheriff’s Department officials stopped 84 vehicles, which resulted in 61 warnings, 13 citations for various moving violations, two arrests for driving on a suspended license and three arrests for driving while intoxicated.


The officers also arrested one for person for failing to maintain financial responsibility.
The crackdown was between May 2 and 5, and it included extra sheriff’s deputies and a coordinated effort from several statewide policing agencies.


“Hopefully, these efforts, combined with those from other agencies, will make the streets of Phelps County and Missouri a little safer,” said Sheriff Don Blankenship.
“This is the second such program we have participated in this year and if it saves just one life, it will be time well spent,” he said.


Non-traffic arrests included one for possession of methamphetamine, two for possession of marijuana and four warrant arrests.


In 2007, the Sheriff’s Department made 25 arrests for driving while intoxicated. To date this year, that number has increased to 48, as a result of these programs.


Meanwhile, the Missouri State Highway Patrol at Troop I in Rolla, will be conducting sobriety checkpoint in Phelps Count.


The checkpoint will be staged in an area and on a highway where numerous alcohol-related traffic crashes have occurred.


The Patrol urges all motorist passing through the checkpoint to use extra caution by slowing down, keeping eyes on the road and vehicles ahead for any sudden stopping, and to follow the directions of the officers.


Motorists passing through a checkpoint should have their driver’s license and insurance papers ready for inspection by one of the troopers.


“We can all help make our roads safer by simply making the wise decision to not drink and drive,” Capt. Randy Becker said.

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Cinco de Mayo patrol nets 11 DWI arrests in Kansas CIty

Kansas City, MO

Kansas City police made 11 intoxicated driving arrests in a special Cinco de Mayo Day patrol.

The patrol was held from 8 p.m. Monday to 4 a.m. Tuesday. During that sweep, police issued seven tickets for driving with a suspended or revoked license as well as 17 hazardous moving violations and 30 other traffic violations.

Also, one person was arrested for possession of a controlled substance, and four others were arrested on warrants.

An additional DUI crackdown, which was held between Friday and Sunday, netted six DUI arrests, 21 hazardous moving violations and three other traffic violations.

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Man issued DWI summons after inured in one-car accident

Springfield, MO

A 49-year-old man from Success was issued a summons for driving while intoxicated, failure to stop at a stop sign and careless and imprudent driving after he was injured in a one-car crash Friday night at the intersection of Missouri 32 and Route 17, according to a report from the Missouri Highway Patrol.

Tommy L. Sutton was flown to St. John's Hospital in Springfield late Friday with injuries described as serious by the patrol.

Sutton was hurt when he failed to stop his 2000 Dodge Dakota at a stop sign, went off the road, struck a tree and his truck caught fire, according to the report. It was not clear whether Sutton was wearing a seat belt, the report said.

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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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Springfield, MO PD's “DWI Saturation Enforcement” effort results in 5 DWI arrests, 19 traffic citations

Springfield, MO

Five drivers were arrested for driving while intoxicated Saturday, part of the Springfield Police Department’s “DWI Saturation Enforcement” effort, according to a news release.

The effort also resulted in one person arrested for an outstanding felony warrant for fraud and a total of 19 citations issued for other traffic violations.

The operation included seven police officers whose primary objective is to catch drunken drivers, according to the city. The multi-agency operation was citywide and is funded through a Missouri Safety Center grant.

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DWI crash suspect charged with manslaughter

Columbia, MO

A St. Charles man has been charged with manslaughter in connection with a vehicle crash that killed MU professor Charles D. Fulhage.

A man with the intials W.C.D., 33, was arrested Feb. 22, after he crashed into the back of Fulhage’s truck while driving westbound on Interstate 70 near mile marker 122.

Investigators determined the man was under the influence of marijuana, cocaine and prescription drugs at the time of the crash, according to a probable cause statement from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

After searching the man's truck, police discovered a generic form of Valium in his car. At the time of his arrest, the man was serving two years of supervised probation after pleading guilty in October to driving while intoxicated in St. Charles.

Several witnesses dialed 911 before the crash and reported the man was speeding and making abrupt lane changes.

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Man arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated (DWI) after hitting parked car in Columbia, MO

Columbia, MO

A Columbia man was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated after his vehicle hit an unoccupied parked car early Thursday morning, Columbia police officer Alan Hulett said.

[Name witheld], 42, was charged with driving while intoxicated (DWI), operating a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner (C&I) and leaving the scene of an accident.

The driver was driving northbound in the 1700 block of Parker Street when he crashed into the car at about 2:08 a.m., Hulett said. The driver was taken to the MU Health Care University Hospital emergency room with minor injuries. He was driving alone and was not wearing a seat belt, according to a police press release.

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Man seriously hurt in Howell County crash is cited for DWI

Howell County, MO

A West Plains man suffered serious injuries in a Thursday crash in Howell County and received two citations, the Missouri Highway Patrol reported.

Bryan K. Harmon, 37, was injured in a 6 p.m. crash on U.S. 160 five miles west of West Plains when his westbound 1989 Chevrolet truck went off the roadway and hit a tree. Harmon was taken to Ozark Medical Center and then was flown to St. John's Hospital in Springfield for treatment.

The investigating trooper issued Harmon summons for driving while intoxicated (DWI) and careless and imprudent driving (C&I), the patrol reported.

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Springfield DWI sweep after game nets 10 arrests

Springfield, MO

More people were arrested for driving while intoxicated on Super Bowl Sunday than on New Year's Eve, according to the Greene County Sheriff's Department. The department arrested 10 people on suspicion of driving while intoxicated after the Sunday night game, the sheriff's department said in a news release.

The arrests occurred during a "saturation patrol" as deputies worked heavily traveled roads from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.

A similar effort New Year's Eve netted four DWI arrests.

"For a saturation patrol, (10) is a pretty good number," Greene County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Jim Arnott said.

Arnott said Super Bowl Sunday is "one of those known times" like New Year's Eve when a lot of people are expected to be drinking and driving.

"There's a national trend of the highest DWI-related arrests, and one of them is Super Bowl Sunday," he said, adding that New Year's Eve and Cinco de Mayo are also on the list.

Greene County deputies made about 78 car stops, issued 28 summonses for different offenses and served six active arrest warrants after the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Arnott said 14 deputies worked overtime during the saturation patrol. Overtime pay for the deputies was funded by a grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation.

The extra enforcement is part of an ongoing effort to curb alcohol-related crashes, injuries and deaths in Greene County, according to the news release.

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Repeat drunken driver may be charged with murder in fatal crash, whishes was dead

Kansas City, MO

Murder charges could be in store for a man charged with driving drunk, now that a 17-year-old high school senior has died.

The Wyandotte County Prosecutor said Saturday's arrest of Eric Snitz may not be the first time he was arrested for DUI.

The prosecutor said if Snitz has two prior DUI convictions he could be charged with felony DUI instead of the misdeamor he now faces. More >>

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Five arrested in Springfield, MO in driving while intoxicated (DWI) stops Friday night

December 23, 2007 (Springfield, MO)

An effort to stop intoxicated drivers Friday night resulted in five DWI arrests and the issuance of more than 50 tickets, according to the Springfield Police Department.
In all, eight officers made 40 traffic stops that resulted in the DWI arrests and 56 traffic violations.

Overall, the two DWI Enhanced Enforcement sessions this month carried out by police through a Missouri Department of Transportation grant have resulted in 21 arrests.

The Greene County Sheriff's Department took part in the effort by providing transportation and booking officers, according to a police news release.

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Suspected drunken driver hits Clay County patrol vehicle

December 21, 2007 (Clay County, MO)

A Clay County Sheriff’s deputy suffered minor injuries this morning when a motorist suspected of driving while intoxicated (DWI) slammed into his unmarked squad car on Route B near U.S. 69.

The accident was reported just after 8:40 a.m. along Route B in Liberty.

The deputy, Matt Hunter, was northbound and was crossing the intersection at U.S. 69 when his squad car was struck on the driver’s side by a pickup that reportedly failed to stop at the traffic light. The pickup was driven by a 41-year-old Excelsior Springs man, said Sgt. Scott Meyer with the Missouri Highway Patrol. More >>

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Sen. Graham pleads guilty to DWI

December 14, 2007 (Columbia, MO)

State Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, pleaded guilty Friday morning to driving while intoxicated at Callaway County Courthouse.

Graham also paid the maximum fine of $500, as well as $122.50 in court costs, according to the clerk of court’s office.

Graham currently has driving privileges; whether he will keep them will be decided in a future administrative hearing.

Graham was arrested Oct. 20 after he was involved in a three-car accident on Green Meadows Road. Graham refused a Breathalyzer test the night of the accident.

In a statement from his office, Graham said he had “made a major error in judgment” and “learned a valuable and life-altering lesson.”

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13 arrested in DWI project

December 16, 2007 (Jackson, MO)

As part of a Missouri crackdown on people who drink and drive, area law enforcement personnel arrested 13 people late Saturday and early Sunday for allegedly driving while intoxicated.

About 25 officers from the Blue Springs, Independence and Kansas City police departments and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department participated in the project. The statewide effort was coordinated by the Law Enforcement Traffic Safety Advisory Council and was funded by the Missouri Department of Transportation.

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Graham pleads guilty to DWI, gets $500 fine

December 15, 2007 (Columbia, MO)

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Missouri Sen. Chuck Graham pleaded guilty yesterday in Fulton to driving while intoxicated and was fined $500. Appearing before Associate Circuit Judge Carol England, Graham also was ordered to pay $122.50 in court costs on the Class B misdemeanor.

Graham

Graham, D-Columbia, was arrested Oct. 20 at Green Meadows Road and Bethel Street after his Chevrolet Monte Carlo rear-ended an eastbound vehicle at a stop sign, pushing it into a third vehicle. Graham suffered bruises, but no one else reported injuries. more >>

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High school principal is charged with DWI

December 14, 2007

SALEM, Ark. -- The principal of Viola High School is charged with drunken driving.

Salem police were called to check out a car along Arkansas 9 and found it in a drug store parking lot. Officers say they asked Frederick Robinson to show his driver's license and, instead, were given a lottery ticket.

A police report says Robinson failed every DWI test and had a blood alcohol level of .29 percent, nearly four times the legal limit for drivers of .08 percent.

The school district will say only that Robinson is still employed. more >>

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Jackson County deputy charged with DWI

December 13, 2007 (Jackson County, MO)

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has suspended a deputy who wrecked his vehicle and is facing drunken-driving charges.

Police arrested Darrin L. Willoughby, 38, early Wednesday morning after he lost control of his vehicle while on Missouri 291 and ended up overturned on Interstate 70. No other vehicles were involved and Willoughby was not injured. He is charged with driving while intoxicated and unlawful use of a weapon.

Independence police spokesman Tom Gentry said the weapon charge was filed because Willoughby is suspected of carrying his weapon while drunk.

According to the sheriff’s office, Willoughby was placed on administrative leave Wednesday. more >>

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16 Drivers Arrested in Springfield DWI / DUI Sweep

December 9, 2007 (Springfield, MO)

Springfield, MO Saturday night DWI / DUI crackdown nets 16 arrests for driving while intoxicated.

Springfield police officers arrested 16 people for driving while intoxicated Saturday night as the result of a citywide DWI enforcement project, according to a department news release.

The operation ran for five hours, and a total of 11 officers were assigned to the operation. The Greene County Sheriff’s Department provided two officers to help transport and book the DWI suspects, the news release said. More >>

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Tony LaRussa DWI arrest: Field sobriety test video now is online

November 30 2007

Embarrassing. No doubt. But perhaps the worst part, the harshest penalty, in Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa's DUI plea deal this week was not the fine and loss of driving privileges, it was the release of the arrest video.

The video is a cringe-inducing montage of La Russa stumbling and bumbling during a roadside sobriety check in Jupiter, Fla., on March 22. The dashboard camera of a Palm Beach County sheriff's deputy captured La Russa struggling to walk and failing to recite the alphabet: "... T, U, V, V, Z, T, U, V, X, Y, X, Z."

Authorities released the tape Wednehttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifsday, the same day the intensely private La Russa pleaded guilty.

And from there, the video spread far and wide. It was played and replayed and, for good measure, played again on TV newscasts, ESPN Sports Center and across hundreds of websites, including YouTube, sports blog Deadspin.com and this newspaper's STLtoday.com.
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The video gave a second wind to an incident the Cardinals would prefer to see go away. And it graphically displayed the degree of La Russa's impairment, even though he registered a blood-alcohol level (.093) barely above the .08 legal limit.

"He looked completely sauced in the video," wrote one commentator on the official St. Louis Cardinals site. More >>

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Graham Charged in DWI Case

November 24, 2007 (Columbia, MO)

State Sen. Chuck Graham was charged Wednesday in Boone County Associate Circuit Court with driving while intoxicated. The charge stems from his arrest last month after an automobile accident in Columbia.

Graham, D-Columbia, was arrested Oct. 20 at West Green Meadows Road and Bethel Street after police said Graham’s Chevrolet Monte Carlo rear-ended an eastbound vehicle at a stop sign, pushing that vehicle into a third one.

Bob Murray, Graham’s attorney, has filed a motion for a change of venue, stating that the defense and Cole County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Richardson, special prosecutor in the case, have agreed to move the case to Callaway County, according to court records. Murray previously had waived formal arraignment for Graham and entered a plea of not guilty.

Driving while intoxicated is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail. Richardson, Murray and Graham could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.

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Sen. Chuck Graham Charged with Driving while Intoxicated

November 21, 2007 (Columbia, MO)

Just over a month after his arrest, Sen. Chuck Graham has been charged with driving while intoxicated (DWI).

Because this is Graham's first DWI charge, it is a Class B misdemeanor, and punishable by up to six months in jail.

Columbia Police arrested Graham on October 20, after an accident involving the senator and two other drivers.

Police say Graham ran his Chevy Monte Carlo into the back of another car, which then hit another car.

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Boy, driving for dad, charged with DUI

first published Thursday, November 15, 2007

A police officer checking on a truck that got stuck in the mud at a city park was startled to find a 13-year-old boy behind the wheel. The boy's father, who was sitting in the passenger seat, told police he had had too much to drink and let his son drive. The boy had been drinking, too, police said.

"(The boy) even said he didn't want to drive because he was too drunk," McLellan told The Flint Journal for a story published Thursday.

Open containers of beer and liquor were found in the vehicle, said Clio Police Chief James McLellan.

The father, a 41-year-old Flint-area man, is facing several misdemeanor counts, including child endangerment, allowing an intoxicated person to drive his vehicle and allowing an unlicensed minor to drive, police said.

The boy has been petitioned into juvenile court on charges that include driving while intoxicated, police said.

The two were arrested Nov. 8. They apparently were trying to get home when they turned into the park to turn around. The truck rolled off the pavement and became stuck in the muddy soil.

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DWI News Coverage Comparison

first published Monday, November 12, 2007

COLUMBIA - Sarah Hill examined and compared KOMU's coverage of the DWI arrests of Cole County Judge Byron Kinder and State Sen. Chuck Graham.

KOMU's Your View Executive Producer Kent Collins asks: "Why does one public figure get repeated mentions in the news media because he was arrested for DWI and another one gets only one mention."

Two public officials. Two arrests for driving while intoxicated. Two very different news judgments. State Sen. Chuck Graham was on the air night after night, with his mug shot to tell the stories. His DWI arrest received a lot of air time. But Judge Byron Kinder, the Cole County judge arrested earlier this week for DWI, got only two nights of coverage with no mug shot. So what is the difference?

"In the case of Sen. Chuck Graham and the addition to the actual arrest, he was involved in an accident which two other vehicles were damaged. After the accident when he was at the hospital, for an injury he seemed to get into a confrontation with police over some evidence collection. That again seems to take the story in another direction. Finally, all of this is against the backdrop that he is running for re-election," KOMU Executive Producer Holly Edgell said.

"On the other hand, with Judge Kinder we have someone who is semi-retired, not very much in the public eye. Once the aspect of the DWI was over, we didn't hear anything else from police about that case. Basically they arrested him on probably cause on DWI, and that is where it rested," Edgell said. "So really, you had two different men, two different types of stories with two different types of circumstances."

Judge Kinder pleaded guilty to DWI charges Friday. He will serve two years of court-supervised probation.

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