Man Accused in Fatal DUI Crash That Killed Aurora Girl Gets 13 Years In Prison

A man from Aurora has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for a drunken driving crash in the city that killed Katie Jonak, aged 9 of Aurora back in 2016.Anthony S. Potochney, aged 26, was sentenced by Kane County Associate Judge Linda S. Abrahamson on Thursday.Potochney had pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated DUI, one Class 2 felony and two Class 4 felonies and failure to stop after an accident involving personal injury or death, a Class 4 felony on Oct. 27, 2017.

Jody Gleason, Kane County First Assistant State’s Attorney and Christine Bayer, Kane County Assistant State’s Attorney stated in court that Katie Jonak was riding in a left side rear passenger seat of a minivan driven by her mother,after 9 p.m. Oct. 7, 2016, according to a press release from the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office.
At approximately 9:12 p.m., the minivan was northbound on Broadway south of Pierce Street in Aurora when the 2003 Cadillac Deville that Potochney was driving on southbound Broadway crossed into the northbound lane, according to the release.Katie’s mother tried to avoid the Cadillac, but Potochney struck the left side of the minivan and when his vehicle came to a stop, Potochney ran away from the scene.The girls were on their way home from a play rehearsal when the accident took place.

Katie was pronounced dead after a short time at the hospital and was unresponsive when medics arrived at the spot. One of the other children in the vehicle was hospitalized for a bruised lung and other injuries. Another child was hospitalized with a broken bone.Potochney was taken into custody shortly thereafter by Aurora police, and the police noted the odors of marijuana and alcohol on him. As per the investigation,Potochney’s Cadillac was traveling at around 75 mph in a 35 mph zone moments before impact. Potochney’s blood sample drawn 4½ hours later at the hospital revealed a blood-alcohol concentration of .193 which is more than twice the legal limit as well as the presence of marijuana.
Potochney admitted to police that he had consumed six beers, four rum drinks and smoked marijuana the evening of the crash and faced penalty for drug driving among others.

Read the full article here: https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/aurora-beacon-news/crime/ct-abn-aurora-dui-crash-st-0330-20180329-story.html

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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.

Read the full article here: https://www.570news.com/2018/05/13/las-vegas-lawyer-who-defends-dui-cases-facing-own-dui-charge/

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Personal Injury Lawyer Caught In Hit and Run Case That Killed Woman

A personal injury lawyer from Miami known for having faced several traffic convictions has been busted on charges of fatally hitting a woman in a crosswalk and then speeding off with his Mercedes-Benz as per reports. Officials said,Tatum Holloway, 26, of Michigan, was slammed into by Marcos Antonio Gonzalez-Balboa, 65, as she was crossing Fairway Drive in Miami Lakes after leaving a McDonald’s about 2:30 a.m. Dec. 7 and the impact sent the young woman flying into the air and landing on a curb.

Gonzalez-Balboa sped away in his silver C-Class Benz, while Holloway was left on the side of the road until a passer-by found her and informed 911 as per Miami-Dade police.His vehicle was found a day after the crash, however the authorities had not been able to connect it to Gonzalez-Balboa, who owns a law firm around 2 miles from the scene of accident.

Holloway’s family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Gonzalez-Balboa on Tuesday in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court and sought more than $15,000 in damages to cover medical and funeral expenses. According to the suit, Gonzalez-Balboa was driving recklessly and failed to yield at the crosswalk. The suit also says that the suspect sped off without stopping to help the stricken woman or calling 911.Holloway, a resident of Traverse, Michigan worked as an auctioneer for Park West Gallery and was in the Miami area for business. Park West operates art galleries on cruise ships and holds auctions on board.

According to court records, Gonzalez-Balboa was charged with vehicular homicide, failure to stop at the scene of crash, DUI charges such as DUI manslaughter, failure to render aid and tampering with evidence. The lawyer received around 22 tickets from the year 1993-2013, most of which were dismissed for various reasons, as per reports of the Herald, citing Miami-Dade County traffic court records. However, he was convicted of careless driving in the year 1994, running a stop sign in 1997, speeding in 2005, reckless driving in 2006 and speeding in a school zone in 2010.Gonzalez-Balboa was being held at a Miami-Dade County jail on $150,000 bond. Facts are unclear about whether the disgraced attorney has obtained his own personal injury lawyer.

Read the full article here: https://nypost.com/2018/03/28/personal-injury-lawyer-busted-in-fatal-hit-and-run/

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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.

Read the full article here: https://torontosun.com/sports/baseball/toronto-blue-jays/blue-jays-great-kelly-gruber-arrested-for-drunk-driving

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Warrant States, Lawyer Paid $300 Booze Bill At A Bar Before Fatal Crash

Up to 10 percent of lawyers in California are convicted criminals and that’s no joke. In fact, that’s the latest estimate by the agency that licenses them. Out of 190,000 active attorneys in California, around 19,000 may have unreported criminal activity, from drinking while driving crimes to more serious offenses, according to the State Bar of California.For the first time in California, under the plan the state Supreme Court is expected to approve in the coming weeks,all active lawyers will have to have their fingerprints live-scanned or taken the old-fashioned way by April 30 of next year. The prints will be given to the state Department of Justice and previous convictions will be reported to the Bar along with all future arrests.

For several years, the Bar had been counting on attorneys to do the ethical thing and self-report convictions. But that worked out badly.According to information the Bar obtained from court records, during a three-year period recently, at least 32 attorneys were convicted of a felony statewide and only three lawyers came out clean with the Bar.

Bar officials are still figuring out ways about exactly how much they will be able to tell the public about what they learn. Right now, consumers can look up profiles of licensed lawyers online to learn such information as where lawyers were educated and whether they are in good standing. In the future, the Bar may also post information about conviction.

The Bar is chalking out a system that will help officials decide how to prioritize conviction cases, with an eye to how much each case impacts the public, according to spokeswoman Rebecca Farmer.Lawyers will pay $82 on an average in order to cover the cost of the background checks by the state DOJ and the FBI, and for fingerprinting.

Read the full article here: https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/04/07/is-your-lawyer-a-crook/

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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.

Read the full article here.

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Double Fatality DUI Crash Gets Trucker Convicted For 25 Years

A truck driver from Tennessee was sentenced to twenty-five years in prison for causing a crash that killed two people while he was intoxicated and driving with a revoked CDL back in 2016.Truck driver Randall Weddle, aged 55 was sentenced in a Knox County, Maine, court on March 23 after he was found guilty on fifteen charges, including aggravated DUI, failure to provide a specimen and manslaughter.The charges relate to a crash that happened two years ago and Weddle was placed out of service by the FMCSA for the same. Christina Torres-York, 45, and Paul Fowles, 74, were the two people who got killed in the said crash.

As per the FMCSA’s account regarding the fatal crash:

On March 18, 2016, Weddle was operating a large commercial truck for Tennessee-based R&E Logistics, Inc., USDOT No. 942198. At approximately 4:47 p.m., while traveling on Route 17 in Knox County, Maine, thetrailer portion of Weddle’s rig crossed the centerline, tipped over, and began scattering its load of lumber across the roadway. At the time of the crash, Weddle’s truck was traveling approximately 80 miles-per-hour in a posted 55 miles-per-hour speed limit zone.

As the truck and trailer and its load of lumber continued to slide down the roadway at a high rate of speed, a pick-up truck, an SUV, and a minivan, in turn, were struck. The pick-up truck was crushed, killing its driver. The collision with the SUVcaused it to roll over once before it collided with another vehicle. The minivan hit by Weddle’s truck was also partially buried under the lumber load; a fire ensued, engulfing the minivan. The sole occupant of the minivan was killed. Two additional crash victims were airlifted to the hospital.

During investigation it was found out that Weddle was in violation of several federal hours-of-service regulations that have been designed to prevent fatigued driving.Weddle had 48 driving crime convictions prior to the fatal 2016 crash, including 12 DUI convictions in four different states.

Read the full article here: https://cdllife.com/2018/trucker-sentenced-to-25-years-for-double-fatality-crash/

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Driver Gets To The Hospital After Accident In North Cornwall

A crash that took place at the intersection of Rocherty and Quentin roads early Tuesdaysent a driver to the hospital. Thirty Five year old Jamie Showers of Lebanon was driving her vehicle westbound on Rocherty Road at the intersection of Quentin Road at6:44 a.m. Tuesday. As per the police, she attempted to make a left turn onto Quentin Road andshe failed to see a vehicle driven by Jessica Templin, aged 42, Lebanon, who was eastbound on Rocherty Road. Showers stated that she did not see Templin and thought it was clear to make the left turn. Showers, was however transported to WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital and was cited for a turning violation.

Bethel

Fifty five year old Juan Fernandezcosme of Flushing, New York, was operating his vehicle while he was westbound on Interstate 78 at 7:32 p.m. Monday, when he lost control of his vehicle that caused it to roll on the roadway, according to state police at Lickdale. The vehicle stopped against the southern guide rail after rolling over. As per the police,Fernandezcosme received minor injuries from the crash and he was taken into custody for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, and he refused to provide a breath sample. He was transported to central booking and got charges for a DUI.

Schuylkill

OvidiuAnca, aged 47, Kanata, Ontario, Canada, was driving his tractor-trailer southbound on Interstate 81 in the mile marker 104 area at 2:03 p.m. March 21 when the trailer began to sway on the snow-covered roadway as per the state police at Lickdale. The police stated that Anca lost control of the vehicle and hit a steep embankment causing the tractor to get pinned between the trailer and the embankment. No injuries were reported, and Anca was cited for driving on right side of roadway.

North Cornwall

Thirty eight year old Daniel Kreider of Lebanon was operating his vehicle southbound on North Mill Street at Oak Street at 4:21 a.m. Tuesday when he fell asleep and crossed the intersection and struck a broken utility pole before coming to a stop in a field. No injuries were reported.

Read the full article here: https://www.ldnews.com/story/news/crime/police-blotter/2018/03/28/north-cornwall-traffic-accident-sends-driver-hospital/462479002/

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Firefighter Trainee Accused Of Driving At 126mph And Hitting A State Trooper’s Vehicle While Off-Duty

Aspiring firefighter in Montgomery County, Md., Devin Robinson might need a really good driving impaired lawyer as he was drunk and at the wheel of his SUV when he raced past a Maryland state trooper at 126 miles per hour shortly after midnight March 17. As per court records Robinson slowed to 80 mph before ramming into another state trooper’s vehicle that was traveling in the same direction on Interstate 270 in Gaithersburg.

According to sworn affidavit troopers stated that they smelled “an overwhelming odor” of alcohol coming from Robinson. The troopers summoned Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service which is also the agency for which Robinson was training in order to evaluate him for injuries. According to the affidavit, signed by Trooper Joshua Quase and filed in Montgomery District Court,Robinson sat on top of a hospital check-in counter as he called his wife. As per court records, Robinson yelled at the trooper and gave him a chest bump before two troopers placed him under arrest. Robinson was cited for DUI, reckless driving, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and other counts.

Scheduled to graduate by mid-June, at which point he would have been assigned to a fire station and begun going on fire and rescue calls, Robinson is no longer enrolled at the training academy.According to court records,Robinson was accepted at the Montgomery academy and started in December and became a county employee with a salary of $46,000 a year. He had five days a week of class instruction and training,like his classmates, according to Pete Piringer, a fire and rescue department spokesman.

According to the trooper’s affidavit, the incident took place in the early hours of March 17 when a trooper parked in an unmarked car along northbound Interstate 270 near Route 28 was operating a speed gun in a 55 mph zone and Robinson zoomed past in his SUV and clocked at 126 mph.

Robinson’s 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe crashed into the back of a marked Ford Explorer driven by Trooper Potvin as per the court files, just moments before the trooper radioed a warning.

Read the full article here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/off-duty-firefighter-trainee-accused-of-drunken-driving-at-126-mph-and-ramming-state-troopers-car/2018/03/25/45ed40a2-2ec7-11e8-8ad6-fbc50284fce8_story.html/

For more local DUI news and information please visit https://www.toronto-dui-lawyer.ca/

8 People Injured On Icy Reno Roads With 15-20 Cars Involved In Thursday Crash

The Nevada Highway Patrol asked people to stay off the roads on Thursday evening after several multi-car crashes put the freeways in a shut-down state in the area. Officer Matt McLaughlin stated that around 15-20 cars piled up in a mid-afternoon shut down on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 80 east of Mustang. According to him the number of injuries was unclear, but McLaughlin stated that about eight people were transported by emergency response teams.

According to McLaughlin it was also virtually impossible to get from Carson City to Reno on Thursday afternoon, as northbound lanes on both Interstate 580 and Old U.S. 395 were closed. Another 15-20 car pileup triggered after a Nevada Highway Patrol Vehicle was struck and the I-580 closure was caused. McLaughlin stated that tow trucks and emergency response teams were working at “max capacity”.

In the northeast part of Nevada, the eastbound I-80 was closed for approximately four hours after two people were injured in a six-vehicle crash just before noon in the Carlin Tunnels west of Elko.NHP Trooper Jim Stewart stated that one victim suffered a possible broken leg but none of the injuries was considered life-threatening.However no one is reported to have been charged with a DUI or any other offence. In north-central Nevada, a record-breaking 3.6 inches of snowfall was reported in Winnemucca as it broke the old record of 2.9 inches set in 1919 according to the National Weather Service.

In the north of Reno, Stead, seven inches of snow had fallen.As per reports, the National Weather Service stated that 3.5 inches of snow was reported in three hours at Reno-Stead Airport and five inches was recorded in two hours in nearby Cold Springs during the Thursday morning commute. School was delayed two hours throughout Washoe County and five schools in Reno reportedly canceled classes. As per the forecast, up to 6 inches of snow was predicted into Thursday night at Lake Tahoe.

Read the full article here: https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2018/02/22/washoe-schools-2-hour-delay-snow-blows-toward-reno/362336002/

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