intoxicated

Published on: September 28, 2017

Off-duty Officer Arrested in DUI Crash Leaving 3 Dead

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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Published on: September 11, 2017

Family Shattered When Father Is Killed By 18-Year-Old Drunk Driver

by Staycie R. Sena

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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Published on: September 8, 2017

Suspect Arrested 8 Months After 19-year-old Dies in Car Accident

by Staycie R. Sena

Authorities reported that after an eight-month investigation, police arrested 25-year-old Matthew Ryan Wood of Seal Beach for allegedly causing a car accident while intoxicated, resulting in the death of a 19-year-old woman.

The crash took place on the afternoon of December 9, 2016. Wood was driving a pick-up truck eastbound when he passed over a painted center median resulting in a collision with a westbound traveling minivan driven by Lisa Shelhorn. Shelhorn was declared dead at the scene and Wood was in critical condition and treated at a local hospital.

Wood faces charges for suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence while intoxicated, transportation for sale of a controlled substance, and possession of a controlled substance with a firearm.

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Published on: July 3, 2017

Avoiding a DUI this July 4

by Staycie R. Sena

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:

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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Published on: March 21, 2017

A Fatal DUI Becomes Murder

by Staycie R. Sena

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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