Kerry Kennedy, daughter of late senator Robert F. Kennedy, was acquitted of charges of driving while intoxicated (similar to California’s DUI charges) earlier this morning in a New York courtroom. Jurors spent just over an hour deliberating the facts before delivering their verdict.
Kennedy was found collapsed over the steering wheel of her vehicle after swerving and sideswiping a tractor-trailer on a New York interstate highway back in July, 2012.
More than one drink may soon be too much and could lead to a DUI arrest. As many know, the legal driving limit in California is a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of less than 0.08%. This level was drastically lowered from 0.15% in the 1980s and may now be lowered again.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended that the limit be lowered to 0.05%. Although the NTSB has no authority to make changes itself, it is an influential agency, and can encourage lawmakers to make changes in their respective states, as well as provide financial incentives for states to adopt their suggestions.
We knew it wouldn’t be long until there would be a tie-in between drinking and dieting. For those of you watching your waistlines, you may want to be extra responsible when thinking about driving, especially if you are inclined to choose a sugar-free mixed drink.
The results are in: a recent study conducted by a cognitive psychologist at Northern Kentucky University shows that if you drink with a sugar-free mixer, your blood alcohol content (BAC) will actually be higher than if you consumed the same amount of alcohol with a sugar-sweetened mixer. We presume that the sweeter the drink, the greater the effect. Margaritas, which are heavily sweetened, can pack a much greater punch when consumed with a sugar-free mix.
A Florida man Lazaro Sopena, wanted to help his new wife carry on her Vietnamese surname, and so decided to change his last name to Dinh when they were married in honor of his wife–opposite the usual custom of women adopting their husbands’ surnames.
After their marriage, he presented his marriage license to his local DMV showing that he had a new last name in effort to obtain an updated driver’s license, just as a woman would. The agency granted his request and issued a new license without any complications.
Let’s face it: If you don’t want to get pulled over by a police officer, you shouldn’t give him the finger as you’re driving by. But in case you do, he’s no longer allowed to pull you over and arrest you for that reason alone.
John Swartz was pulled over and arrested in May, 2006 when he allegedly flipped off a police officer who was using a radar gun to check the speed of passing vehicles. The officer claimed that he “thought there may have been a problem in the car” and “wanted to assure the safety of the passengers.” Swartz was later charged with the misdemeanor crime of disorderly conduct, which was later dismissed.
In a recent juvenile delinquency case, a minor stole a car and damaged it beyond repair, rendering it a total loss for insurance purposes. After admitting to the crime, the juvenile court granted Deferred Entry of Judgment (DEJ), meaning that the case would be dismissed provided the minor complete the terms of probation, which in this case included restitution, or paying the owner of the car for damages.
The court ordered the minor pay $13,000 in damages to the car owner, along with $2,000 in interest on the car loan as part of this restitution. After the criminal defense attorney filed an appeal to challenge the $2,000 interest portion, the court surprisingly denied the appeal. The reason it was denied was because there is no way to appeal a DEJ order, and the restitution is considered part of it.
The Reverend Salvatore Cordileone was driving his mother home from a dinner with some of his friends when he was stopped at a DUI checkpoint in San Diego. Police administered a chemical test and he was “found to be over the California legal blood alcohol level,” Cordileone said. Police arrested Cordileone and booked him into the San Diego county jail on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI).
The bishop posted $2500 bond, was released from jail, and is scheduled to appear in court on October 9. He made a public apology for his “error in judgment” and “feels shame for the disgrace I have brought upon the Church and myself.” He went on to say that “I will repay my debt to society.”
Police in Boulder, CO received a call about a man passed out in front of his car. When they investigated, medics were already tending to him, describing him as “drunk as crap.” The man was George Boedecker, the founder of Crocs footwear.
After telling police officers that he had pulled over to take a nap, he allegedly changed his story to say that his girlfriend was driving the vehicle. Since there was no woman present, officers questioned the identity of the female. Boedecker said she was a “really f—–g famous singer” and asked if they had ever heard of Taylor Swift.
The Huntington Beach Police Department is cutting $1.5 million from this year’s budget. It will cut $1.1 million budget from next year’s budget? Just how are they able to do that and keep us safe at the same time?
The Huntington Beach Police Department in Orange County has already cut 50 positions in the last four years, and more are expected. Desk hours have been reduced. Residents are encouraged to report crime online instead of calling an officer out to their home. (The Department does make an exception to this reporting recommendation for domestic violence cases or other cases where violence may be imminent.)
Just two years ago the Orange County criminal inmate population was low enough that Orange County actually closed down a few criminal jail wards. Coincidentally, the State of California decided at that same time, that its prisons were overflowing and it enacted legislation to send a good percentage of state prison criminal inmates back to the counties from which they were sentenced, to be housed by the local jails.
This would be a convenient use of public resources, except that since this “realignment” in October, 2011, Orange County jail populations have increased steadily- mostly through minor DUI and domestic violence arrests.
The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog