Indiana DWI judge arrested for DWI

Indianapolis, IN

What's good for the goose is god for the gander...and it looks like this gander got goosed!

Allen Circuit Judge Thomas Felts, who handles the lion’s share of Allen County’s alcohol-related criminal cases, was arrested in Indianapolis early Friday on drunken-driving and public-intoxication charges.

When an Indiana Capitol Police officer pulled Felts’ black Lincoln over for failing to use a turn signal on West Market Street, the 53-year-old judge backed into the police car, according to a report from the Indiana State Police.

After Felts failed a field sobriety test, he provided two invalid breath tests and was charged with refusal, according to the report.

Police obtained a search warrant from a Marion County Superior Court judge and took a sample of Felts’ blood at Wishard Memorial Hospital in Indianapolis. The blood sample will be turned over to the Indiana University Department of Toxicology for analysis, according to the report.

No information about his blood-alcohol content was available Saturday.

Felts was booked into the Marion County Jail’s Arrestee Processing Center about 4:40 a.m. Friday on misdemeanor charges of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and public intoxication. He was then released 11 hours later on his own recognizance.

When reached at his Fort Wayne home Saturday, Felts said he regretted the situation.

“I defer to and respect the system that has been set up to resolve these matters,” he said.

Elected to the bench in 2002 after serving as the Circuit Court magistrate since 1989, Felts is again running for the Circuit Court seat. As the county’s sole Circuit Court judge, Felts handles both civil and criminal cases. In Allen County, most of the drunken-driving cases and other alcohol-related offenses are handled through Felts’ court.

His legal trouble comes just days after Allen Superior Judge Kenneth R. Scheibenberger was formally charged with official misconduct by the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications for allegedly cursing at the family of a defendant in another courtroom. Scheibenberger believed the defendant sold his late son drugs.

The Indiana Judicial Canons require judges to avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all their actions, which includes violations of the law, court rules or other specific rules of the judicial canons, according to the Indiana Code of Judicial Conduct.

The judicial nominating commission cannot act on its own, rather needing a formal notification to begin the disciplinary process. But judges in each county are obligated to report attorneys who violate the law, Allen Superior Court Judge Fran Gull said.

“I would assume the folks in Indianapolis have the same obligation,” she said Saturday.

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Ohio DWI cops caught cheating on breathalyzer competency certification test

Cleveland, OH

Ohioans should feel more than a little bit less safe knowing that their cops have neither the brains to pass a minimal competency test nor the integrity to refrain from cheating, cheating, cheating.

The good guys in Ohio really are the bad guys.

Police officers administering tests used to determine whether a motorist is guilty of a serious drunk driving offense may not actually know what they are doing. The Ohio Inspector General yesterday released a scathing report that accused a state highway patrol post of cheating on tests used to certify proficiency with breathalyzer units.

"This is not solely about cheating on a test that admittedly the vast majority of law enforcement officers can pass, it is about the public's expectation that public safety officials should maintain the highest levels of integrity at all times," the report stated. "Cheating, no matter the circumstances, has no place in a law enforcement agency. It cannot be tolerated, encouraged, or condoned."

Conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) carries harsh penalties that can cost more than $10,000 in fines and attorney fees. Under current law, a guilty or not guilty verdict often rests solely on the results produced by machines that estimate the amount of alcohol in the blood based upon a breath reading. Police in Ohio may only use these machines if they have up-to-date certification from the state Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Testing, which requires an annual written renewal exam.

On March 2, 2007, Trooper Anthony Maroon took that fifty-question multiple choice test. When the test giver, Craig Yanni, left the room, Maroon photocopied the booklet along with his answer sheet. Although the test is easy enough that few troopers ever fail, Maroon passed his answers to other state troopers in the Canton Patrol Post. During a test Yanni administered a year later, Yanni noticed that a trooper using a 2 inch by 3 inch reduced photocopy of the question book. Yanni went to Sergeant William Bower to report the incident and noticed that Bower already had his own copy of the answer sheet on his desk.

The discovery kicked off an investigation that reviewed 22,000 answer sheets to find how many got questions 30 and 47 wrong -- the only mistakes that Maroon made, but ones "any senior operator would and should recognize as incorrect." Investigators also interviewed with every officer who took the test on April 4. The inspector general criticized the lax testing conditions.

"We found that there are no written, standardized procedures addressing how inspectors should administer exams," the report stated. "For example, the inspector who administered the exam on April 4, 2008, pointed out questions to test takers that were answered incorrectly and gave them an opportunity to change their answers."

In total, Maroon's answer sheet was used by test takers on at least five testing occasions. This cheating was so blatant that five sergeants knew about it, but failed to take any action. Although the inspector general's report only covered the actions of state troopers, allegations have already surfaced that local police in Blue Ash, Jackson Township and Montgomery have also cheated.

"We believe that the sergeants' collective and individual inaction allowed Trooper Maroon to feel comfortable enough to carry out this scheme in front of everyone, regardless of rank, and without regard to any consideration of the consequences. It is our determination that the sergeants' failure to properly intercede with regard to Trooper Maroon's conduct represented a breakdown of leadership."

In response to the investigation, the state has changed the test and its answers and insisted that test givers remain in the room during testing. Some of the cheating law enforcement officials have been given either an oral reprimand or a three-day suspension.

A full copy of the report is available in a 465k PDF file at the source link below.

Source: PDF File Cheating by State Troopers on a State-Administered Exam (Inspector General, State of Ohio, 7/16/2008)

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Texas cop fired after alleged drunken driving

Dallas, TX

It is so rare nowadays that a cop is fired for driving while intoxicated, I guess this cop was fired for being passed out drunk behind the wheel of his stopped cop car.

Poor guy. If only he hadn't parked and passed out and just was sloshed and driving, he probably wouldn't have been fired.

A Fort Worth police officer accused of drunken driving is no longer on the job.

As the result of an Internal Affairs investigation, the Fort Worth Police Department on Thursday indefinitely suspended former Officer Clinton Wyatt, according to a news release.

The move stems from an April 5 incident in which Burleson police said they found the 32-year-old passed out behind the wheel of his marked patrol car.

Wyatt can appeal the decision through arbitration, the release stated.

Wyatt's DWI trial in Johnson County is still pending.

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Deputy convicted of DWI after crashing into house rehired in Lincoln County, NC

Lincolntown, NC

A former Lincoln County Sheriff's deputy convicted of drunken driving has been rehired by the department.

Bruce White was rehired as a lake patrol officer on July 3, the Lincoln Times News reported.

White, a former narcotics officer, resigned in 2007 after he crashed his vehicle into a home. His blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit.

He was off-duty at the time of the crash.

Lincoln County Sheriff Tim Daugherty told the Lincoln Times News that he rehired White after he completed his court-ordered community service, settled with the homeowner and was granted a limited license, which allows him to drive to work.

“... Some people will question [White’s] ‘credibility;’ however, he did not shun responsibility for his actions. He admitted his mistake and immediately began working hard to correct his mistake,” Daugherty told the Times News. “I believe he deserves a second chance. I have personally spoken with Deputy White and he understands my position.”

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Disabled man riding electric mobility scooter arrested for DWI

Watertown, NY

If the legal definition of "driving" now includes the use by a disabled person of an electric wheelchair for mobility, it also should include the use by an able-bodied person of their own feet and legs for mobility.

Walking is driving.

This exemplifies the insanity of the DWI industry.

A Massena justice isn't so sure a suspect deserves a DWI charged for driving his battery powered scooter while allegedly drunk, according to the Daily Courier Observer.

The paper reports that 34 year old Bernard Phillips II was arrested about 1:30 a.m. Sunday for an incident on West Orvis Street.

Police saw Phillips stop his mobility scooter in the middle of an intersection and walk about 30 feet to a car, demanding cigarettes.

The car was an unmarked police car and the officer charged the Massena man with drunk driving.

Massena justice Eric Gustafson adjourned the case on Monday so he could research precedents. He noted that if one were to walk in an intersection while drunk, the charge would be disorderly conduct.

The District Attorney's office had offered to reduce the charge to driving with ability impaired.

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Daughter of anti-DWI crusading Senator arrested for aggravated DWI following crash

Albuquerque, NM

hyp·o·crite [hip-uh-krit]

–noun

1. a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.

2. a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, esp. one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.

[Origin: 1175–1225; ME ipocrite < OF < LL hypocrita < Gk hypokrits a stage actor, hence one who pretends to be what he is not, equiv. to hypokr(nesthai) (see hypocrisy) + -tés agent suffix]

The daughter of a state senator who has led the crusade against drunken driving has been arrested on a charge of aggravated driving while intoxicated.

Kady Cravens, 21, was arrested Sunday after crashing her car into a median. Police said her blood-alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit.

Cravens is the daughter of Sen. Kent Cravens of Albuquerque, who has pushed for tougher DWI laws since becoming a state legislator in 2001. His sister-in-law and her three daughters were killed by a drunk driver on Christmas Eve 1992.

The senator said his daughter was going to enter rehabilitation, according to a copyright story published Tuesday by the Albuquerque Journal.

"We offer our sincere apologies to the people of the state of New Mexico," Kent Cravens said in a statement. "If there is anyone who should have been equipped to make better choices, it is Kady. She is extremely distressed at present and understands the full gravity of this situation. She has resolved to do what is necessary to reconcile this indiscretion."

Cravens also said he's committed to the fight against DWI.

"This incident underscores the fact that alcohol abuse is still very prevalent and that

Click Here to watch the local NBC television station's story on Kent Craven's daughter's arrest.

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New York man arrested twice in hour for drunk diving

Rome, NY

This New Yorker must have read my blog earlier this month about the man from Sheboygan, WI who was arrested for DWI twice in two hours and been inspired to compete in the worst judgment competition. We have a new Champion!

Authorities say they arrested an upstate New York man twice in less than an hour for driving drunk. Oneida County deputies said the man was initially stopped Monday at about 1:26 a.m. near Westmoreland for moving from his lane unsafely.

After he was charged, he was released to another person. Deputies said the man's blood-alcohol level at the time was .25 percent—more than triple the state's legal limit of .08 percent.

About 30 minutes later, deputies spotted the same man's vehicle in Rome and stopped him for failing to keep right.

The man was charged a second time with driving while intoxicated after his BAC registered .23 percent. He was arraigned in Floyd Town Court and is being held in the Oneida County jail on $1,500 bail.

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DWI education in high school: Cops lie, tell students several classmates killed in DWI crash

El Camino, CA

This story is undisputed proof that the drunk driving industry is proud to inflict classic brainwashing techniques on our children to further their cause. What other political advocacy group would be invited into public schools to subject our children to lies, scare tactics, and extreme emotional abuse?

On a Monday morning last month, highway patrol officers visited 20 classrooms at El Camino High School to announce some horrible news: Several students had been killed in car wrecks over the weekend.

Classmates wept. Some became hysterical.

A few hours and many tears later, though, the pain turned to fury when the teenagers learned that it was all a hoax - a scared-straight exercise designed by school officials to dramatize the consequences of drinking and driving.

As seniors prepare for graduation parties Friday, school officials in the largely prosperous San Diego suburb are defending themselves against allegations they went too far.

At school assemblies, some students held up posters that read: "Death is real. Don't play with our emotions."

Michelle de Gracia, 16, was in physics class when an officer announced that her missing classmate David, a popular basketball player, had died instantly after being rear-ended by a drunken driver. She said she felt nauseated but was too stunned to cry.

"They got the shock they wanted," she said.

Some of her classmates became extremely upset, prompting the teacher to tell them immediately it was all staged.

"People started yelling at the teacher," she said. "It was pretty hectic."

Others, including many who heard the news of the 26 deaths between classes, were left in the dark until the missing students reappeared hours later.

"You feel betrayed by your teachers and administrators, these people you trust," said 15-year-old Carolyn Magos. "But then I felt selfish for feeling that way, because, I mean, if it saves one life, it's worth it."

Officials at the 3,100-student school officials defended the program.

"They were traumatized, but we wanted them to be traumatized," said guidance counselor Lori Tauber, who helped organize the shocking exercise and got dozens of students to participate. "That's how they get the message."

The plan was to tell the truth to the students at an assembly later in the day. But word that it was all a hoax began to spread before the gathering. Tauber said some counselors and administrators revealed the truth to calm some students who had become upset.

Oceanside Schools Superintendent Larry Perondi said he fielded only a few calls from parents, while the PTA chapter said it had not heard any complaints. Perondi said the program would be revised, but he would not say how. And he said he was glad that students seemed to have gotten the message.

"We did this in earnest," he said. "This was not done to be a prankster."

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24 year-old Wisconsin man arrested for drunken driving twice in two hours

Sheboygan, WI

If he hadn't been arrested for the first DWI, he probably wouldn't have been in such a hurry...

A Sheboygan man is behind bars after being arrested twice for drunken driving within two hours early Tuesday. Police say the 24-year-old driver was stopped by an officer about 1:50 a.m. after he was spotted driving the wrong way on a one-way street in Sheboygan.

The man was arrested, cited for driving drunk and released to his brother about 3 a.m. at the police station.

Police say about 40 minutes later, an officer saw the same man, driving the same vehicle at 20 mph over the 30-mph speed limit.

He was pulled over and cited again for operating while intoxicated. This time he was taken to the Sheboygan County Detention Center.

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New York man riding on a Cruzin Cooler, a motorized cooler scooter, arrested for felony DWI

Whitehall, NY

Are you looking for the perfect novelty gift for a drinker on the go? Consider the "Cruzin Cooler" motorized cooler on wheels. Just make sure you warn the lucky recipient to stay off the thing after drinking.

In case you were wondering, a motorized cooler on wheels is a motor vehicle under state law.

A Whitehall man learned that on Memorial Day, when he was charged with driving while intoxicated after police pulled him over for swerving and driving on the sidewalk on a four-wheeled, motorized cooler known as a "Cruzin Cooler."

Leslie J. "Bomber" Marr, 57, could face felony DWI and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle charges because of prior arrests and convictions in drinking-and-driving cases, said Whitehall Police Chief Richard LaChapelle.

The electricity-powered Cruzin Cooler that Marr was riding contained 14 beers, the chief said.

LaChapelle said Whitehall Police Patrolman Andrew Mija stopped Marr at about 7:45 p.m. after the officer saw Marr swerving and preparing to cross William Street on the motorized cooler.

The machine has handlebars, and its operator sits on a seat atop the cooler, LaChapelle said.

"We were told it can do up to 12 mph," the chief said.

Marr had apparently just left the nearby American Legion Post 83, but it was unclear where he was going, LaChapelle said. He was not headed toward his Lafayette Street home, and he refused to take a breath test, the chief said.

Marr had apparently been working at the American Legion post earlier in the day, according to police.

Marr was charged with misdemeanor counts of DWI and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, and also was cited for operating an uninsured motor vehicle.

He was released pending prosecution in Whitehall Village Court.

The Cruzin Cooler was seized by police, the chief said.

No listed phone number for Marr could be found Monday.

Washington County District Attorney Kevin Kortright said the scooter is considered a motor vehicle under state law.

"They tell us he's been riding around town on that cooler for years," Kortright said. "You can't cruise around on your cooler if you're intoxicated."

Cruzin Coolers generally run on 300-watt to 500-watt motors similar to those used on other motorized scooters, but there are some models that run on gasoline.

The company's Web site boasts the vehicles can travel up to 13 mph and pull up to 400 pounds. Price-wise, they begin at about $300.

They are legal in New York, according to the company's Web site.

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Minnesota Supreme Court authorizes non-consensual, warrant-less DWI blood tests

Minneapolis, MN

The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled that it's okay for cops to draw and test blood from unwilling DWI suspects without a warrant. Does it make sense that the cops need a warrant to search the inside of your house, but don't need a warrant to search the inside of your body? You tell me.

When authorities have reason to believe that a drunken driver has caused a serious or fatal accident they have a right to draw the driver's blood to test its alcohol content without their consent and without a search warrant, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Friday.

The ruling was greeted with relief by law enforcers.

The high court reversed a ruling by a Dakota County district judge in the case of Janet Sue Shriner, 48, of Burnsville.

Charges of drunken driving and criminal vehicular homicide were dismissed against Shriner involving a 2006 accident in Burnsville because the lower court ruled that police should have at least tried to obtain a warrant before taking her blood without her consent.

In a 5-2 decision, the Supreme Court said that the "rapid, natural dissipation of alcohol in the blood creates ... a circumstance [requiring immediate attention] that will justify police taking a warrantless, nonconsensual blood draw from a defendant" provided the officer has probable cause to believe that the defendant has committed criminal vehicular homicide or operation.

The case against Shriner has been on hold pending the Supreme Court ruling, but will now move forward.

"This decision in the Shriner case is very much appreciated," Dakota County Attorney Jim Backstrom said. "It's very positive news for law enforcement across our state."

State Patrol Maj. Mike Asleson, who was messaging all patrol staff about the ruling Friday afternoon, said it "will keep us from having to go through what we sort of felt were unnecessary hoops that just delayed the inevitable, which was getting the blood draw from the driver.

"We're grateful to the court for their ruling," Asleson said. Read more, Minnesota Supreme Court authorizes non-consensual, warrant-less DWI blood tests

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New York blames kiss for her drunken driving arrest

Manhasset, NY

It is said that a lover's kiss can be intoxicating. In this case, a New York teen took the old saying very literally, blaming her breath alcohol test results on the spit she swapped with a drunk boy she has been kissing.

Gianna Vigliotti, who was pulled over by police as she swerved in and out of her lane on Northern Boulevard in Manhasset Friday night, said that's exactly what happened to her, according to court documents.

After the 17-year-old from Glen Cove recorded a .15 percent blood-alcohol level in a portable breath test - nearly the twice the legal limit of .08 percent - she told the officer who pulled her over, "I didn't drink! I was kissing a boy who was drunk," according to the police report.

It made no difference to Officer Michael Pallazzo whether Vigliotti's speech was slurred from smooching or from swigging. When he found four full beer bottles under the passenger seat of her Volkswagen and an empty beer can in her purse, he placed her under arrest, court documents said.

She pleaded not guilty the following day, and was released to probation without bail. She is next due in court June 18.

Vigliotti's attorney, Dennis Lemke of Mineola, said his client and her family are devastated by the charge.

"To now have it publicized is not only embarrassing, but demeaning as well," he said. "We expect it to be resolved in the near future."

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DUI suspect charged with offering officer $50 bribe

Lewiston, ID

Trying to bribe the cop who just arrested you for DUI with $50 is like trying to sell Laura Bush a gold-plated nipple ring. Call me a cynic, but I'd be willing to bet a dollar to a donut that if he'd had $20k in his pocket, the bribery charge would not have been issued...nor would the DUI charge have been issued...nor would he have been taken to the station and booked.

A Lewiston man arrested for drunk driving faces a felony charge after he allegedly offered an officer $50.

Second District Court documents show 23-year-old Scott M. Hayward faces a felony count of bribery of municipal or county officers after he allegedly offered the money in his pocket to an arresting officer.

Hayward was arrested early Friday morning on misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated and possession of marijuana.

Reports indicate Hayward was placed in a patrol car where he allegedly offered $50 to an officer.

A probable cause hearing is scheduled June 4.

If convicted, Hayward faces up to 14 years in prison.

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Driver arrested for DWI after hitting cop car while officer writes warning ticket to another motorist

Brooklyn Park, MN

Hitting an empty cop car while the officer is writing someone else a ticket must be among the dumbest things of which a mammal with opposed thumbs is capable.

A Brooklyn Park police officer was injured Monday night when a suspected drunk driver hit her squad car during a traffic stop.

Officer Bandy Gelle was on the shoulder talking with a driver she pulled over around 10:00 p.m. on the 8600 block of Sane Avenue when a pickup truck hit the back of the squad car, which was pushed into the other car.

Gelle was only hit in the leg, avoiding serious injury. She is back on the job, though encouraged to take a few days off. The driver of the pulled over car was treated for injuries at the scene.

Robert Donald Vessey, 37, of Andover, was arrested and booked for criminal vehicular operation, third degree DWI, and third degree DWI alcohol concentration over .20. All three charges are gross misdemeanors. Vessey’s first court appearance was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.

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Tucson judge tosses out alcohol breath tests in 49 DUI cases

Tuscon, AZ

Kudos to Judge Berning for requiring the curtain be pulled back so defense lawyers can expose the Wizard...

A judge in Tucson has tossed out alcohol breath tests in 49 DUI cases and a defense attorney says the ruling could have widespread implications.

City Court Judge Thomas Berning's ruling says the breath tests are inadmissible because the company that makes the machine hasn't made its inner workings available to the defense.

James Nesci, one of the defense attorneys involved in the cases, says there are 50 to 70 pending cases before other judges that were waiting for Berning's ruling.

The ruling doesn't dismiss the cases entirely, just the breath tests.

The Tucson Citizen reports on its Web site that the ruling also could potentially affect every alcohol breath test conducted in the state since Dec. 1, 2006. That's when Arizona adopted the Intoxilizer 8000 machine made by CMI.

Deputy City Attorney Laura Brynwood says prosecutors will appeal Berning's ruling within the next 14 days.

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12 year-old boy from Arkansas arrested for DWI

Harman, AK

Upon seeing this headline, my first thought was that he must have been pulled over while driving home from his bachelor party.

A Johnson County 12-year-old now holds the distinction of being one of the youngest Arkansans to face a charge of driving while under the influence.

County prosecutor Bruce Wilson said Friday that he will charge a Hartman preteen with the violation and several other misdemeanor charges in district and juvenile court in Johnson County.

The trouble began when the boy had a 10-year-old friend sleep over at his home on May 4, Johnson County Sheriff Jimmy Dorney said.

After the parents went to sleep, the boys found some of the adults’ beer and “got liquored up,” Dorney said.

The pair then stole the keys to the 12-year-old’s stepfather’s company-owned truck, Dorney said, and set out to find a girl they had met at a rodeo.

The boys made it about 10 miles before the 12-year-old lost control of the vehicle and wrecked along Arkansas 352, about one mile from the Johnson-Franklin county line.

The accident happened along a stretch of road in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains near the Dirty Creek overpass. Tire marks show where the truck struck the guardrail and jumped it, then careened 50 feet down a steep hill into a forest. There the truck hit a fence and rolled onto its side.

This week, a headlight was still wrapped in the barb wire of the broken fence. Two bottles of Coors Lite and an empty Cheetos bag sat nearby.

The sheriff’s deputy who responded to the accident estimated that there was at least $ 12, 500 in damage to the truck. He had to call a wrecker to pull it out of the forest.

Clark James, 46, who lives down the road from the accident site, said he answered the boys ’ banging at his front door with shotgun in hand about 2: 30 a.m.

“I opened the door and the first thing [the 12-year-old ] said to me was, ‘I’m drunk and I had a wreck, ’” James said.

“I looked at him and I thought ‘ You’re kind of young to be out drinking. And you sure shouldn’t be driving. ’” James said he called the police immediately.

The Hartman boy later told a sheriff’s deputy that he had two or three drinks. His eyes were red, bloodshot and glassy, Dorney said.

The 10-year-old was bleeding, James said, and the 12-year-old complained of chest pain. Neither of the boys was seriously injured, however.

Paramedics took the pair to Johnson Regional Medical Center, where nurses drew blood to test blood-alcohol content. The test results were not released Friday.

The 12-year-old was not arrested that night because of his age, Dorney said.

But he will be charged with driving under the influence in addition to careless driving, driving with no license, driving with no seat belt and the unauthorized use of a motor vehicle — all misdemeanors, Dorney said.

The 10-year-old will face a misdemeanor charge of public intoxication.

News reports suggest the Hartman boy isn’t the youngest in the nation to face DUI charges.

The Associated Press reported that an 11-year-old was charged with DUI in July 2007 after leading Alabama police on an eightmile chase at speeds up to 100 miles per hour.

The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration Office of Driver Services keeps a database of DUI convictions dating back 50 years. But officials hadn’t determined Friday whether the Hartman child is the youngest Arkansan to face such charges.

But Teresa Belew, executive director of the Arkansas chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said the 12-year-old is the youngest person she’s heard of to face a DUI charge in the Natural State.

The case should serve as notice to parents who haven’t had frank discussions with their children about the dangers of alcohol, Belew said.

The average age of first alcohol use among Arkansans is about 12 years old, according to the Arkansas Department of Human Services Office of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention.

“It’s both a teachable moment and a wake-up call,” Belew said. “On so many levels, there were scary things happening that night.” Wilson said the 12-year-old could face a variety of sanctions ranging from probation, to courtmandated community service and alcohol rehabilitation, to commitment to the state Department of Human Services’ Youth Services Division.

In addition, James bets that both Johnson County boys are grounded for life.

“If not, then they should be,” he said.

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Officers’ time wasted at DWI checkpoints

Houma, LA

Ms. Longwell definitely has a point. It would seem ridiculous for the cops to try to catch bank robbers by standing on the street outside a bank and stopping everyone going inside...after publicizing their plan to catch bank robbers by standing on the street outside the bank and stopping everyone going inside.

Houma police spent a lot of officers’ time and taxpayers’ money last weekend to arrest just nine drunken drivers out of 330 cars stopped and inconvenienced at a DUI checkpoint ("Checkpoint in Houma results in DWI citations for nine drivers," May 10).

That is a meager 2.7 percent success rate.

In the fight to get drunken drivers off the roads, Louisiana law-enforcement agencies would likely make far more arrests if they spent their available patrol time roaming the streets looking for drunken drivers, rather than standing at roadblocks waiting for these drivers to come to them.

Because they are highly visible by design and publicized in advance, roadblocks are all too easily avoided by the chronic alcohol abusers that comprise the core of today’s drunken-driving problem.

Houma residents and taxpayers would benefit from employing the most-effective tactics to catch drunken drivers: roving police patrols.

Sarah Longwell
Managing director
American Beverage Institute
Washington, D.C.

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Woman pleads guilty of DWI on way to bible study, license revoked for 18 months

Portsmouth, NH

Mary Lou's argument that the water in coffee had turned to wine was not found to be persuasive and her prayers for leniency went unanswered. Carpool will never be the same...

An intoxicated Fremont woman who failed to negotiate a Dunkin' Donuts drive-through on her way to a Bible study class had her license to drive revoked for 18 months.

Scheduled for a Monday probable cause hearing on a charge of aggravated driving while intoxicated, Mary Lou Kohlhofer, 53, of 848 Main St., waived that hearing and her right to a trial by instead pleading guilty. Represented by attorney Ryan Russman, Kohlhofer was court-ordered to surrender her driver's license, fined $1,000 and agreed to participate in a seven-day driving program.

According to court records, at the time her arrest, Kohlhofer's blood alcohol concentration was measured at .18, allowing for the more serious aggravated DWI charge. She was arrested at 10:45 a.m. April 6 after driving into a fence at the Islington Street Dunkin' Donuts drive-through, causing what police described as significant damage to her car.

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Ohio man arrested for 13th DWI

Newark, OH

He apparently has a drinking problem, but does he have a driving problem?

The man has been arrested for DWI 13 times. His license had been suspended 45 times before being revoked for life in 1995. Yet, to his credit, he never has injured himself or anyone else driving drunk.

Could that be why 2,588 percent more people die from cigarettes each year in the U.S. than in accidents in which someone was drinking?

A man convicted of drunken driving a dozen times was ordered held under $50,000 bond on Tuesday after police said he committed the same offense again.

On Sunday morning, Jeffrey Moore was pulled over for driving 45 mph in a 35 mph zone, 10TV's Patrick Bell reported. Moore ran from the officer, but was arrested moments later.

Moore, 40, refused all sobriety and breath tests, according to records. This was Moore's 13th drunken driving arrest.

Since the late 1980s, Moore's license has been suspended 45 times. In 1995, his license was suspended for life, Bell reported.

Donna Maines of Mothers Against Drunk Driving said he never should have been behind the wheel.

"Thank God he hasn't killed anyone or injured himself," Maines said. "But we have to get this stopped. He knows he's not supposed to be drinking, let alone driving."

Calls to prosecutors were not returned on Tuesday morning.

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Police: Drunk tuxedo-clad man took mower for ride

Irving, NY

This is an interesting twist on the old got-a-DWI-on-a-riding-lawnmower routine.

Police say a tuxedo-clad western New York man was drunk when he took a riding lawn mower out for an early morning spin.

Chautauqua County Sheriff Joseph Gerace said deputies got a report of an intoxicated person at a home in Irving around 1 a.m. Monday. When they arrived, the man was spotted riding away on his mower.

Deputies who stopped the Irving resident charged him with felony driving while intoxicated and aggravated unlicensed operation.

They say the charge is a felony because the man had a previous DWI conviction.

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Sheriff says he didn't interfere with nephew's DUI case

Lawrenceburg, TN

This County Sheriff says he is innocent of charges that he ordered the cops who pulled his nephew over for DUI to stop their investigation. Is there anyone out there who believes him?!

Monday morning, Lawrence County Sheriff Kenny Taylor will be in court for a plea deal hearing.

Taylor has been indicted on official misconduct charges brought on by a three month investigation by the TBI.

Taylor has been accused of interfering with a traffic stop involving his nephew. Taylor allegedly ordered other officers to stop investigating the DUI case.

Taylor said he is innocent of the charges.

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MADD weighs in on State lawmakers recent DWI arrest

Austin, TX

The local chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving weighs in on the DWI arrest of state Representative Mike Krusee.

The group's, Jackie Collett says 3 out of 10 people will be effected by an alcohol related arrest. Mothers Against Drunk Driving is looking to pass legislation implementing "sobriety check points" in Williamson and Travis counties next year.

Collett says the group understands that people make mistakes and his personal decision to drink and get behind the wheel will something Krusee will have to now deal with.

MADD statistics show that almost 14,000 Americans die from drunk driving.

There are 300,000,000 people in the United State. Therefore, 3 of 10 people in the U.S. (30%) amounts to 90,000,00 people, the numbner of people MADD claims are effected by an alcohol-related arrest (not limited to DWI) and 14,000 will die from drunk driving.

Sound impressive? Consider this: There are 45,000,000 smokers in the U.S. and more than 240,000,000 who are old enough to drive. Last year, 440,000 people in the U.S. died from smoking cigarettes. The number of people MADD claims died from drunk driving is 14,000.

Let's summarize: There are 530% more drivers in the U.S. than smokers, but smoking causes a whopping 3,143% more death than drunk driving.

In short, MADD's efforts divert valuable resources away from areas in which it could be better spent... That is, unless you own an ignition interlock company, alcohol treatment provider, or insurance company. There is a drunk driving industry, folks, which drives the efforts of fake "grass roots" organizations. Don't believe it, follow the money.

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Drunk driving simulator car used to scare kids in driver ed

Salem, VA

Not to be outdone, Shriners and clowns also hit the road...

A DUI simulation for driver's education students using a short driving test with magnified goggles was set up at Lord Botetourt High School Wednesday, April 30 by State Troopers Mason Jordan and Allen Mann.

Since its development by Mann and two other officers a few years ago, the program has grown and spread throughout the State Police’s Area 38, which is made up of 14 counties.

The program began without its own equipment. Mann started out using borrowed high school supplies and borrowed goggles. Thanks to funding through a Mothers Against Drunk Divers (MADD) memorial fund by an anonymous donor, the DUI simulation program has its own goggles, a travel trailer and a custom built mini-police cruiser made out of the body of a golf cart for the students to test drive.

The mini-cruiser was designed and built by Chris Persinger of Jen Fab. It took 240 hours to build the car. Many resources were pooled to make the car look as detailed and as functional as possible. The car contributes to the end result—getting the teenagers’ attention.

"When dealing with teenagers, you've got to get their attention. They love it (the driving test) and they're listening to what you're talking about. It's a serious message," Mann said.

"They (the kids) have fun," Jordan added.

The goal is always to reach as many kids as possible with the important message of the dangers of driving under the influence. The atmosphere is relaxed and fun. The messages are delivered with an easy smile.

But the fun is for the classroom, Mann explained. There will be no more smiling by Mann or Jordan if these kids get arrested.