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In October, John Hansen was driving erratically and gesturing to other drivers on Highway 395 in California. After officers told him to pull over, he stopped in an alley and would not get out of the car or cooperate with officers. Officers had to close off the highway and then force Hansen out of the vehicle. Officers realized that Hansen was intoxicated so they arrested him for driving under the influence and resisting arrest.

Just as bad as fleeing the scene of a crime is resisting arrest. Both are added charges and add more time to your jail sentence. Hansen will likely have to spend time in jail, take alcohol education classes, have his license revoked and be put on probation. When someone does not come out of the car when officers tell them to, officers think that the suspect may have a weapon and try to kill themselves or others. This is a very dangerous situation and it deserves extra penalties. He likely thought that if he waited in his car long enough, officers would not be able to detect that he had been drinking. Whether you live in Santa Ana, Laguna Woods or Laguna Beach, if you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney right away to assist you.

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Cydil Deann Kohlmeyer was walking in San Diego on Monday when she was hit by a Dodge Pickup driven by Deborah Felix. Felix was suspected of being under the influence at the time. After the accident, Felix tried to run away, but witnesses caught her and detained her until officers arrived. Kohlmeyer was rushed to the hospital, where she later died. Felix was also taken to the hospital and then arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. She will likely be charged with vehicular manslaughter while under the influence of alcohol and faces serious prison time.

Trying to run away from the scene of the crime is a crime that comes with more prison time. If you have been drinking and need to get home, ask a sober friend to drive you home or call a taxi cab. For this one mistake, Felix faces: prison time, a revoked license, alcohol education classes, monetary fines and probation. IF she hires a good attorney, a possible defense may be dangerous road conditions that lead to the accident. Whether you live in Fullerton, Irvine or Mission Viejo, if you are charged with DUI manslaughter, call an experienced DUI defense attorney to assist you.

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This weekend, Ross Robert Huggins was arrested in Sacramento for driving drunk. He was pulled over after officers noticed him driving erratically. Officers said he smelled like alcohol so they issued field sobriety tests. He was then arrested and taken to jail. He admits he made a mistake and is willing to accept the consequences. Huggins had been a district attorney for over a decade and was assigned to the state-targeted offense program at the time of the arrest.

It is unclear whether getting a DUI as a prosecutor is grounds for termination. Besides possibly losing his job, he may have to go to jail, pay fines, attend alcohol education classes, have his license revoked and be put on probation. Additionally, he will have to face embarrassment in the legal community because lawyers are held to a high standard and are thought to know better than to drive drunk. Whether you live in Lake Forest, Irvine or Newport Beach, if you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney right away to assist you.

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The Salinas Police Department thought of a creative way to get people to go through their DUI checkpoint instead of avoiding it. Officers will be offering free turkeys to some of the drivers who successfully pass through the checkpoint. This is the seventh year the police department has been doing this and it has attracted many people to pass through. While at the DUI checkpoint, besides the chance of winning a turkey, drivers also get DUI information and may be given field sobriety tests.

I think giving away a free turkey is a great way to attract people to a DUI checkpoint. The only problem I have with it is that most people who go to the checkpoint to get a free turkey, will not pass through drunk and the purpose behind the checkpoint is defeated. This may just be a waste of resources that instead could have been used during a night when most people do not know a checkpoint will be set up. Nevertheless, even if officers catch a few drunk drivers, the streets are safer and they have done their job. Whether you live in Tustin, San Clemente or Brea, if you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney right away to assist you.

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This weekend, Robert James Feenan was arrested for the 13th time for driving under the influence since 1983. On Friday, Feenan got into a non-injury crash in Santa Rosa and when police arrived, they determined that Feenan was under the influence. He was arrested and booked in jail on suspicion of driving under the influence with a felony DUI conviction, driving with a suspended license and violation of probation.

Habitual DUI offenders have alcohol problems and court ordered alcohol education classes and rehab are not enough. Even if the government makes a person take alcohol education classes, suspends their license, puts them on probation, and gives them jail, once that driver gets out, they may still drive drunk. The next step would be to install an ignition interlock device that would not allow a driver to start the car until they breathe into a machine installed in their car. This may be the only way to prevent habitual DUI offenders and alcoholics from driving under the influence and is now being used in some counties.

Whether you live in Orange, Fullerton or Stanton, if you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney to assist you.

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In 2006, Janene Johns fatally struck Candace Tift, a local teacher, with her car in Newport Beach while under the influence of Xanax, Ambien and cough suppressants. She was arrested and charged with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. Prosecutors argued that she fell asleep at the wheel and hit Tift from behind with the car. She had been on medication due to an illness and to help deal with grief after her husband’s death. She was convicted last year and was sentenced to six years in prison. She appealed the decision in August, but the conviction was upheld this week.

Often times, people do not know that their prescription drugs can make them drowsy. If you drive while under the influence of any drug that impairs your driving, you can be charged with a DUI. Unfortunately, Johns may not have known about the effects of the drugs that made her fall asleep at the wheel and now faces prison time because of her actions. If you are on medications, make sure to read all of the directions and side effects before driving a car. Whether you live in Orange, Santa Ana or Huntington Beach, if you are charged with DUI manslaughter, call an experienced DUI defense attorney right away to assist you.

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Donald Clark, a former Pittsburgh news anchor who worked under the name Don Cannon, was arrested this week for failing to report for sentence for two prior DUI convictions from 2007. Clark had pleaded guilty to both DUI charges and was supposed to report to jail in October to serve his time. He failed to appear though, and two bench warrants were issued. Police found his address through another officer who had talked to him earlier that day in court regarding another DUI. Police went to his house and arrested him.

Failure to appear in court or report for a sentence can be charged as a misdemeanor or felony. Besides the time Clark will have to serve for the two prior DUI convictions, he will have to serve more time for failing to appear. If you are sentenced to jail time for a DUI, you MUST serve. A lawyer may be able to reduce your sentence, prevent you from going to jail, or recall your warrant though. Whether you live in Laguna Niguel, Villa Park or Westminster, if you are charged with a DUI or have a warrant out for your arrest, call an experienced DUI defense attorney right away to assist you.

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Alexandra Forbes Kerry was pulled over this week for a traffic violation in Hollywood. Police officers detected signs and symptoms of Kerry being under the influence, so she was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor DUI. After posting bail, she was released and has to appear in court in December. Senator Kerry said that she was pulled over for expired vehicle registration and was released from jail after her breathalyzer results were below the legal limit.

If an officer believes you were driving under the influence of any substance and it is impairing your driving, they can arrest you for a DUI. If you have had anything to drink, wait until you are sober to drive or have someone else drive you. A DUI comes with possible jail time, probation and alcohol education classes. It can also stay on your record and disqualify you for jobs, degrees or licenses. Whether you live in Orange, Stanton or Laguna Niguel, if you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney to assist you.

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Last week, a Thousand Oaks woman was driving on the Highway 23 and 101 connector when she made an unsafe turn and crashed into the guardrail on a bridge. The woman was not wearing her seat belt so she was thrown around the vehicle and was seriously injured. When the ambulance arrived, she was not breathing and her heart had stopped. Emergency responders were able to revive her and she was rushed to the hospital. Investigators beleived that she was drunk at the time of the incident so she was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Even though this woman nearly died, she will still be charged with the crime she committed. She nearly killed herself and likely learned a valuable lesson about drinking and driving. People that get DUI’s sometimes have drinking problems and it would be valuable for them to take alcohol education classes or go to rehab. With the economy the way it is, more people are drinking away their problems and that leads to DUI’s, DUI accidents and DUI fatalities. Whether you live in Santa Ana, Laguna Hills or Stanton, if you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney right away to assist you.

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Lake County is forming a new DUI program called the Lake County DUI Intensive Response Team. The purpose of the program is to prevent DUI accidents and prosecute DUI suspects. The program involves five different components. First, the program funds vertical prosecutors to handle felony and misdemeanor DUI’s from the beginning to the end. This would allow the prosecutor to become familiar with the case and have their own investigators to assist with the DUI cases. Second, it requires DUI offenders to take counseling and alcohol education classes to prevent multiple DUI’s. Third, the program provides a victim assistance program that assists the victim by explaining the court process to the victims and contacting them regarding any developments in their case. Fourth, the program would provide more probation officers to look after DUI offenders and make sure they are complying with the probation conditions. Lastly, the program provides education to the community, and especially the youth, on the dangers of drinking and driving.

This program sounds like it has all of the elements to be very successful and effective at reducing DUI offenses and fatalities. If successful, many other counties may model its multi-faceted approach. If you are charged with a first time DUI, you will likely have to pay court fines and get your license revoked for a few months. With this program, you would also be mandated to take alcohol education classes to prevent future DUI’s and have active probation officers ensuring compliance to all probation conditions.

Whether you live in Fullerton, Newport Beach or Lake Forest, if you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney right away to assist you.

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