ADAM IS WELL KNOWN FOR HIS TENACIOUS APPROACH TO CHALLENGING IMPAIRED DRIVING CHARGES AND HE HAS ENJOYED TREMENDOUS RESULTS FOR HIS CLIENTS.
Las Vegas lawyer who defends DUI cases facing own DUI charge
A Las Vegas attorney who often defends drunken driving suspects is facing a bench trial after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports 56-year-old John Leo Duffy was arrested March 3 and a bench trial for him is scheduled for July 9.
According to a criminal complaint, Duffy was booked into the Clark County Detention Center and later charged with DUI and failure to maintain a lane.
Duffy was released on his own recognizance.
Because Duffy works closely with the vehicular crimes unit of the county district attorney’s office, the Nevada Attorney General’s Office has been asked to handle the prosecution of the case.
A county commission is scheduled to vote Tuesday on handing the case to the state AG’s Office.
Blue Jays great Kelly Gruber arrested for drunk driving
Former Blue Jays great Kelly Gruber struck out with cops in Austin when they pulled him over on suspicion of drunk driving.
The legendary third baseman — who won a Golden Glove award in 1990 — was pinched for allegedly driving while intoxicated early Saturday, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
Cops say that the 56-year-old two-time All-Star was pulled over at 2:20 a.m. by Austin police after officers noticed that Gruber’s signal indicator had been on for a while.
The Texas native later was spotted driving 132 km/h — nearly 30 km/h over the speed limit.
Gruber admitted he had been drinking before getting behind the wheel, according to an affidavit.
A member of the 1992 World Series champion Jays, Gruber refused a breathalyzer test, field sobriety test and having his blood drawn.
He was booked into the Travis County Jail and released on $3,000 bail.
Gruber toiled for the Jays from 1984 to 1992 and was the first member of the expansion team to hit for the cycle.
After being traded to the California Angels two months after the World Series win, Gruber was plagued by a slew of injuries. He finally hung up his spikes in 1997 after an ill-fated comeback with the Baltimore Orioles.
In retirement, Gruber has worked as a motivational speaker and holds baseball seminars in Canada and the U.S.
Driver charged with DUI after falling asleep at gas station
The Rapid City Police Department charged a Rapid City women with DUI on Monday afternoon after she was found sleeping in her running car at a gas station.
Katherine Thompson, 33, was found unconscious in the idling car around 3:30 p.m. near the Mobile gas station pumps at 3851 Eglin St. in Rapid City. Witnesses say Thompson had been there for more than an hour, according to a press release from the police department.
Police found the doors to the vehicle locked and attempted to knock on the windows to wake the driver. The driver eventually woke up and opened the door. Police noted the strong smell of an alcoholic beverage and the driver could not stand without assistance.
Upon further investigation, police located an open alcohol container in the vehicle, and Thompson was place under arrest for DUI and open container in a motor vehicle.
Families of victims killed in DUI crashes rally in support of bill calling for increased penalties
Fifteen Pennsylvania familes held photos of family members killed in DUI-related crashes in the state capitol Tuesday in support of Senate Bill 961, which seeks to increase penalties for repeat DUI offenders.
The families shared their stories of how their loved ones’ lives were cut short due to the poor choices made by drivers who were under the influence, many of which who were repeat offenders.
One of the family members referred to vehicles operated by drunk drivers as “4,000-pound weapons.”
Another woman, Kelly, talked about her nephew Zachary Gonzalez. He was 15 years old when he was killed by a driver under the influence of drugs. Gonzalez was riding his bike at the time.
“We had custody of Zachary because his father was killed when he (Zachary) was 3 years old by a drunk driver crossing the street,” Kelly said. “A small family of four, two lost, by others’ choices to drive impaired.”
Senate Bill 961 would make the following changes to existing laws:
A felony penalty for a third DUI within 10 years if the third offense involves a blood-alcohol content of .16 or higher, and in all other cases after the fourth offense
Increased penalites for homicide by vehicle while DUI, which is currently a 3-year minimum.
If convicted of a prior DUI, the minimum setnence for causing death would be 5 years.
If convicted of two or more prior DUIs, the minimum sentence for causing a death would be 7 years.
Increased penalties for driving while under a DUI-related license suspension.
According to PA Parents Against Impaired Driving, repeat DUI offenders are responsible for approximately 40 percent of all DUI-related fatalities, and there are over 50,0000 new DUI cases in the state annually.
“The purpose of this law is so that no other families will have to stand here holding a picture .. with their loved one’s photo,” said Sen. John Rafferty. “We have drawn the line and said ‘no more is this going to continue in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.'”
Authorities have charged Shane Learn, 48, of Toronto, Canada, with homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence and related offenses stemming from a crash last month that injured two and left a Northampton man dead.
A husband and wife from Northampton planned to have a few drinks while out at Parx Casino in Bensalem last month, according to Bucks County prosecutors.
So rather than drive themselves, they arranged to take a Lyft ride.
They never made it to their destination.
Shortly before 7 p.m. April 28, Bensalem police say a Ford F-150 pickup slammed head-on into the Chevrolet Malibu that had picked them up.
Neil Weiner, his wife Audrey Shapiro, and Lyft driver Daniel Weingart were rushed to Jefferson-Torresdale Hospital in Philadelphia where Weiner, 57, died May 1.
Now authorities have charged the driver of the pickup truck, Shane Learn, 48, of Toronto, Canada, with homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence and related offenses, court records show.
In an affidavit of probable cause, police said Learn’s truck struck the guardrail in the 4000 block of Richlieu Road and then crossed the double-yellow line into the opposite lane of travel where it collided with the Malibu heading south.
Police responding to the scene said Learn had “bloodshot, glassy and watery eyes” and his breath smelled like alcohol. He allegedly failed two field sobriety tests as well as a breathalyzer test.
According to police, Learn told them he drank two beers and a double whiskey drink prior to driving, allegedly stating, “It was my fault. I crossed the line.”
“It’s a shame,” said Deputy District Attorney Robert James. “Two people doing exactly what they’re supposed to be doing … It doesn’t matter. You have someone driving drunk who hits them anyway.”
Weingart was not seriously injured in the crash, James said, but Shapiro was still hospitalized as recently as Monday. She has lost an eye as a result of the crash and may be permanently blind, he said.
For a fatal DUI, James said Learn’s alleged blood-alcohol level, .13 percent, was on the low end of cases he’s charged, with some defendants’ BACs more than double that number.
“It just goes to show you, impaired is impaired,” he said.
Learn, who has been living and working in the Bensalem area, has been cooperating with investigators and turned himself in to police Tuesday, James said.
He was sent to Bucks County prison in lieu of 10 percent of $300,000 bail set by District Judge Michael W. Gallagher during a Monday afternoon arraignment, records show. A preliminary hearing is tentatively set for May 16.
Weiner was a father of two, managed his own printing business and brought laughter to everyone he knew, according to an obituary.
Police plan DUI enforcements on St. Paddy’s weekend
St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Saturday this year, which means many people will celebrate all weekend long.
Police will keep their Irish eyes peeled for impaired drivers.
If you drink green beer, be prepared to see red and blue lights in the review mirror. All weekend long, police will be cracking down on partygoers who choose to drive impaired.
According to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, binge drinking is a big issue for Americans — and not just on holidays.
In 2015, Americans drank more than 17 billion drinks annually; that’s 470 drinks per binge drinker. Half of the bingers are over the age of 35 and 80 percent are men.
State police want to remind people who plan to have one or two drinks that the consequences of buzzed driving are the same as drunk driving.
“With DUI enforcement, the purpose is to save lives,” Trooper Brent Miller said. “We have to take those drivers who are drinking or using illegal drugs [off the road] when they choose to get behind the wheel.”
There are many ways people can avoid needing to fight impaired driving charges. Police encourage anyone drinking to download the Safer Ride app, which can call a taxi or predetermined friend as well as share your location.
Police also encourage you to use transportation services such taxis, Uber and Lyft to party responsibly.
Canadian ski cross racer David Duncan apologizes after drunken joyride at Olympics
Canadian ski cross racer Dave Duncan is apologizing for “behaviour that demonstrated poor judgement” after being released from jail following an alleged drunken joyride at the Pyeongchang Games.
The Canadian Olympic Committee confirmed in a statement Sunday that Duncan, his wife Maja and Canadian technical coach William Raine had been detained by police in South Korea and were now released. The statement came after an investigator with the Gangwon Provincial Police Department told The Canadian Press the two Canadians and an American woman were arrested for drunk driving and stealing a car.
A joint statement from the Duncans offering an apology did not offer specifics, saying only their behaviour “was not up to the standards expected of us as members of the Canadian Olympic Team or as Canadians.” But Raine singled out “the owner of the vehicle that was involved” in his statement.
“I would like to apologize profusely for my inexcusable actions,” Raine said. “Words are not enough to express how sorry I am. I have let my teammates, friends and my family down.”
Raine is the son of Canadian skiing legend Nancy Greene.
Florida man dials 911 to report his own drunk driving
The Associated Press
Published Saturday, January 6, 2018 2:46PM EST
Last Updated Saturday, January 6, 2018 2:48PM EST
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Florida authorities are sharing the details of an unusual 911 call on New Year’s Eve, from a man who said he wanted to report himself drunk-driving.
Polk County Sheriff’s officials say the dispatcher kept him talking while directing officers to the scene.
When the dispatcher asked Michael Lester where he was, he said, “I’m too drunk. I don’t know where I’m at.”
And when she asked what he’d been doing all night, he said “I don’t know, driving around, trying to get pulled over, actually.”
“I’m driving on the wrong side of the road,” he said later.
The operator repeatedly urged him to park his truck and wait for officers to find him. Unfortunately, he chose the wrong spot.
Orléans trucker charged with drunk driving on Highway 401
It’s a wonder that an Orléans trucker nabbed by the OPP’s traffic patrol didn’t kill anyone.
Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, who mans the OPP’s highway safety division Twitter account, reported Sunday that the unnamed 29-year-old had been spotted behind the wheel of a fully-loaded transport truck that was slowing traffic, weaving and cutting off other vehicles on Highway 401 in Toronto.
Retired Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Chris Lewis likely spoke for everyone else on the road when he tweeted a succinct question: “How many innocent lives jeopardized by this complete moron???”
A Gainesville man was arrested Saturday for causing a multiple-car crash while driving under the influence before leaving the scene of the crash, according to a GPD report.
Police said Jeffery Wayne York Jr., 28, of 840 NW 55th St., was driving while intoxicated early Saturday morning when he crashed his car into the rear-end of another vehicle, which caused that vehicle to hit the rear-end of another car.
Both victims contacted the police, and York began arguing with both parties before leaving the scene, the report said.
Police were able to use a license plate number provided by one of the victims to locate York at his residence.
Police said York admitted being involved in the crash and to leaving the scene before taking part in a field sobriety tests in a nearby parking lot.
York also gave breath samples that registered .241 and .242, which is more than three times the legal limit in Florida.
York was charged with a DUI involving damage to property and with leaving the scene of an accident. He was taken to the Alachua County jail where he was released Saturday on his own recognizance.
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