Articles Posted in Dui

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Officer Edgar Verduzco had been driving down the 605 freeway in Whitter when his car veered to the right into the adjoining lane and made impact with the back end of a Nissan carrying two parents and their child. The mother, father and teenage son were pronounced dead at the scene. Verduzco was suspected of DUI.

26-year-old Verduzco, an Army veteran who has worked at the front desk of the police department for two years, had allegedly been driving approximately 65 mph when he struck the Nissan causing it to combust, and leaving the victims without an escape from their vehicle. They have not yet been identified due to the state of the remains.

Immediately following the initial accident Verduzco’s car continued on and struck another vehicle before he came to a stop. The driver from the second vehicle was reported to have suffered minor injuries, and Verduzco acquired a broken nose.

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Anaheim resident Tarek Hamad was returning home to his pregnant wife and young child before dawn. As 34-year-old Hamad turned his car into the driveway of his apartment complex, he was plowed into by a drunk driver.

18-year-old Jorge Esteban Lunas Martinez was allegedly intoxicated and speeding when he lost control of his car, swerved into oncoming traffic and abruptly pulled into the driveway of the apartment complex where Hamed had just returned home. This caused Martinez to collide with the back of Hamad’s car, and the innocent victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Hamed and his family moved to America a year ago and he was the sole wage-earner in his household. The sudden catastrophe of his death has left his children without a father, and his wife, who is due to give birth in one month, a young widow and single mother of two.

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Although the message of not drinking and driving is a simple one, DUIs account for about 3,200 arrests each day throughout the United States. Additionally, about one third of those arrests are by repeat offenders. The OC Sheriff and local police departments will be out in force on July 4 to nab those who are driving drunk, or even just buzzed. They may set up routine checkpoints to check whether drivers have been drinking, or they may target individuals who are driving erratically. Cell phones allow concerned citizens to act as an enforcement unit of their own, reporting drunk drivers on highways or in their neighborhoods. Those who have been reported may arrive home to find the police waiting for them in their driveway.

Police on patrols may be extra vigilant on holidays, paying close attention to drivers and the way they are driving. If you make an illegal U-turn, fail to completely stop at a stop sign, drive above the speed limit, or weave or drive erratically, they may be more inclined to stop you to check for a possible DUI. Once you are pulled over, there are certain things you should do, and not do, to get the best outcome for your situation:

  1. First, it’s important to realize that you don’t have to be drinking to be found guilty of DUI. If you are tired, drowsy, have taken sleeping pills, allergy medicine, prescribed or unprescribed painkillers, anti-anxiety, anti-depressant medication, have been smoking or vaping pot etc., a police officer may arrest you for generally “Driving while intoxicated.” If you have been drinking alcohol, you may also be arrested for the secondary “Driving while BAC > 0.08%” charge.
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A 32 year old Florida man, Anthony Mendez, was found Monday night allegedly under the influence of drugs and unresponsive with a child in his car. He was arrested on suspicion of child neglect.

Drivers found Mendez unresponsive at the wheel of his car around 7:30 p.m. according to the Collier County Sheriff’s arrest report. The report states that witnesses called 911 and while waiting for deputies to respond, an off-duty firefighter treated Mendez. He had a pulse, but was barely breathing.

A woman that was stopped behind Mendez at a traffic light said that it appeared as though he was sleeping. She tried to wake him but couldn’t. The off-duty firefighter saw the woman pounding on the driver’s side window of Mendez’s car and pulled over to help. The firefighter told officials that when he saw Mendez slumped over the steering wheel, he proceeded to pull the man out in case he needed CPR.

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Herbert Granados Calderon, 26, pleaded guilty this week to causing a fatal collision between three cars while intoxicated. An 18-year-old was killed and five others were injured in this crash. The crash occurred in Santa Ana, when Calderon was speeding on Bristol and ran a red light. He broadsided a Honda Civic thereby killing the person in the back seat.

Calderon pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the 2014 collision.

He was charged with murder because he pleaded guilty in 2013 to another DUI, Driving Under the Influence of alcohol or drugs. In 2013 he was read a Watson Warning. The Watson Warning simply states that drunk driving is dangerous to human life and if the defendant continues drive drunk and someone dies, they can be charged with second degree murder. The warning is usually part of any DUI plea.

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Sherri Lynn Wilkins, a substance abuse counselor in California, hit a man with her vehicle and drove two miles with his body plastered to her windshield. Wilkins was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

The 55 year old Wilkins had pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and two counts of driving under the influence (DUI).

In 2014, Wilkins was found guilty on similar charges relating to the same crime, but an appeals court threw out the conviction based on the fact that her whole life’s criminal history had been admitted into trial and could have possibly caused prejudice with the jury.

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In a Torrance courtroom on Monday, former President Bill Clinton’s half brother Roger Clinton, was sentenced to three years probation, two days in jail, a nine month alcohol program and thousands in fines for driving under the influence of alcohol in Redondo Beach and refusing to take a chemical test after he was arrested.

On June 5th 2016, Roger Clinton was pulled over while driving in Redondo Beach. Officers claimed his eyes were red and watery, his speech was slurred, his car smelled of alcohol and he could barely stand. Clinton’s blood alcohol level was reportedly 0.230 and 0.237, nearly three times the legal limit. (In California it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol level at 0.08 or above.)

Clinton was not required to appear in court on his misdemeanor charges against him as he had an attorney appear on his behalf. His criminal defense lawyer plead “no contest” to one count of driving while impaired and the allegation that he refused the chemical test. A count for driving with a blood alcohol higher than 0.08 was dismissed, according to prosecutors.

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A 24-year old woman, Vrenda Moreno, was allegedly driving north on South Central Avenue in Los Angeles early Thursday morning when she claims another car cut her off. She crashed into the side of an apartment where a 5-year old boy was sleeping with two other children and his parents. The woman’s car is said to have went through the apartment wall, pinning the father and the boy underneath the wreckage and injuring two other people in the home.

Los Angeles firefighters worked diligently to free the boy and his father from under the car and mounds of debris, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey. The boy and his father were freed from the debris and taken to a Southern California hospital where the boy later died.

Investigators claim that the driver was driving under the influence of alcohol or driving while intoxicated. She was taken into custody and faces an arraignment this week.

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Моst реорlе hоре never to be charged with a criminal offense in their lifetime, but thousands of Orange County residents are so charged every year. Fоrtunаtеlу, оur јudісіаl brаnсh hаs а рrеsumрtіоn оf іnnосеnсе untіl рrоvеn guіltу, аnd thіs mеаns thаt аnуоnе сhаrgеd wіth а сrіmе, whеthеr іt bе DUІ оr mаnslаughtеr, hаs thе rіght tо а strоng dеfеnsе. Fоr thе bеst dеfеnsе, thоugh, іt’s nесеssаrу tо fіnd а gооd experienced criminal defense аttоrnеу. When choosing a criminal defense lawyer, be sure to look for the following:

  1. Еduсаtіоn: Тhеrе аrе оvеr 200 lаw sсhооls іn Аmеrіса аррrоvеd bу thе Аmеrісаn Ваr Аssосіаtіоn, but thеу’rе dеfіnіtеlу nоt аll еquаl. In California and Orange County even, there are countless unaccredited law schools. Іnquіrіng аbоut аn аttоrnеу’s еduсаtіоn іsn’t аn аffrоnt tо а lаwуеr. Staycie R. Sena went to Stanford Law School, which is uniformly considered the best law school in California and often ties in ranking for the best law school in the world.

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The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is warning residents of Orange County to plan ahead for Labor Day festivities that involve alcohol. The agency will be deploying multiple DUI checkpoints throughout the area with the intention of arresting anybody who is driving a vehicle who is under the influence of alcohol.

Officials recommend planning ahead to get a safe ride home at the end of the night. Such plans can include designating a sober driver, using Uber or a taxi service, or calling a sober friend or family member to give you a ride home. They also recommend taking car keys away from any individual who appears to be intoxicated so they are unable to drive.

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