Articles Posted in Driving Offenses

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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.

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Drivers in Newport Beach may want to stay off of Newport Boulevard tonight, where traffic is bound to back up and waits could be up to an hour or more. The Newport Beach Police Department will be conducting a sobriety or DUI check point on Newport (northbound) at Finley Avenue from 8pm until 3am.

This area in particular was chosen for the stop because of its proximity to local restaurants and bars and because of the number of DUI-related accidents in the area, according to the Orange County register.

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A Costa Mesa woman has been charged with driving under the influence and causing injury after she allegedly hit a pedestrian. The pedestrian, 17-year-old Newport Harbor High School student Crystal Morales, was crossing a crosswalk shortly after 2:45pm when she was struck. The high school student was taken to a local hospital where doctors induced a coma so that Morales could recover from internal bleeding, brain swelling, head trauma and other internal injuries.

The 38-year-old driver Marie Lippincott, a fellow classmate’s mother, was driving a Chevy Tahoe northbound on Irvine Ave. when the accident occurred. An officer arrested Lippincott and is currently being held at the Orange County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail. Records show that in 2005, Lippincott pleaded guilty to theft, burglary and obtaining prescription drugs by fraud.

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In an effort to enforce safe driving, several cities within Orange County will be conducing DUI sobriety roving patrols.  The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will be conducting these DUI roving patrols today, Friday December 2nd, within the city limits of Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills and Laguna Woods. The roving patrols are funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to help reduce the amount of DUIs and DUI related collisions.

Unlike standard DUI sobriety checkpoints, roving DUI patrols are not stationary and therefore cannot be avoided by motorists.   These roving patrol officers look for motorists who exhibit obvious signs of intoxication such as swerving, bloodshot or watery eyes and even the scent of alcohol.

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A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy has been accused of driving under the influence after he allegedly caused a DUI-related accident.  38-year-old Richard J. Patterson of West Covina was off duty when he is accused of having crashed the motorcycle that he and his wife were on into another vehicle on the 405 freeway.  Patterson was taken to the local hospital for a hip injury while his wife was hospitalized with a knee injury and abrasions to the arms and hands.

After investigation, it was determined that Patterson’s blood alcohol level was at 0.15 percent, two hours after the accident occurred.  Patterson’s arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday where he faces charges of driving under the influence causing injury and driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent or more causing injury.  If convicted, Patterson could be facing probation or up to several years in state prison.

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This past Halloween weekend was full of scary costumes, lots of candy and many DUI checkpoints and arrests.  The Orange County DUI Task Force, known as “Avoid the 38”, wanted residents to celebrate Halloween safely and therefore had extra DUI saturation patrol officers roaming different cities within Orange County.

While a standard DUI sobriety checkpoint is stationary and often near an area known for frequent DUI arrests or popular bars, a roving DUI saturation patrol is less obvious. These roving drunk driving patrol officers tend to blend into crowds, looking for drivers who show signs of intoxication.

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A 35-year-old Stanton man has been arrested for driving under the influence after he caused a fatal DUI accident that took the life of a 50-year-old man.

The accident occurred at 5:15am on Saturday morning in the 500 block of Beach Boulevard in Anaheim when the driver of a 2000 Chevrolet S-10 pickup, Alexandro Cedillo, failed to notice a pedestrian crossing the road.  Unfortunately, the pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene.  Cedillo stopped and stayed until officers arrived and he was arrested on suspicion driving under the influence and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

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An Orange County Superior Court judge has sentenced a 28-year-old male to seven years in prison for a fatal DUI related accident that occurred in early July.

The accident occurred at 12:50am on July 17th, 2011 when the male driver, Yannis Ismael Galanis, was driving his GMC pickup at high speeds southbound on the I-5 freeway near Disneyland Drive.  After suddenly swerving into a lane, his GMC crashed into another vehicle and continued up a dirt embankment before hitting a concrete barrier; the truck re-entered traffic lanes before coming to a stop on the freeway.  Galanis, whose BAC levels was 0.11 percent, and his passenger Edgar Murillo, were taken to the local hospital where unfortunately, 29-year-old Murillo died hours later.

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A 65-year-old Orange County woman has been arrested on suspicion of felony driving under the influence after she crashed her vehicle into two pedestrians in Laguna Beach. According to the Orange County Register, Sharon Niggemann was driving her SUV, when she failed to see or stop for two pedestrians who were crossing Laguna Canyon Rd near the Festival of Arts/ Pageant of the Masters.

One of the pedestrians, a 65-year-old woman, was taken to OC Mission Hospital with major trauma to her body while Niggemann was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI.  It is unclear whether the second pedestrian was also injured.

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An Orange County man has been sentenced to 20 years and 4 months in prison for a fatal DUI-related accident that he caused last Valentine’s Day.  Gustavo Vega, 24, was driving while under the influence of alcohol on February 14, 2010 when he sped through a red light and crashed into a Toyota Corolla.  The Corolla’s driver sustained minor injuries but unfortunately the passenger, 20-year-old Cara Lee, died at the scene of the accident. According to the Los Angeles Times, Vega fled the scene but was later found by police hiding at a nearby housing complex.

This past Friday, Vega was sentenced at the Orange County Superior Court for murder, felony hit-and-run, driving under the influence and felony possession.  Vega’s blood-alcohol content level during that fatal DUI accident was at .17 percent, more than twice the legal limit.

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