Celebrity DUI Arrests

September 9, 2013

Will Lamar Odom’s Los Angeles DUI Break Up His Marriage with Khloe Kardashian?

It’s been less than a week since Lamar Odom’s Los Angeles DUI sent the blogosphere and twittersphere into a reporting frenzy.

But, already, celebrity reporters and pundits are speculating on how Odom’s DUI will impact his marriage to reality star Khloe Kardashian. The 29 year-old Khloe has not been keeping quiet over her marital displeasures. She confessed over Twitter: “As much as I wish I were made of steel … I am not.” She then tweeted: “I’m pretty damn close to it though, hehe.”

Odom and Kardashian went home in different cars on Friday, August 30th, after Odom’s Los Angeles DUI arrest. Photographers have not seen Lamar or Khloe together, although one intrepid paparazzo saw Odom renting DVDs at a blockbuster in Calabasas.

The 33-year-old NBA superstar has been embroiled by private life problems, including an accident on the 101, before his August 30th DUI. Radar Online reports that Odom got kicked out of the house and had to retreat to his bachelor pad. Sources told Radar Online that the ex-Laker/Clipper “was on his way back to his bachelor pad in downtown, Los Angeles… Khloe… was [pretty likely] asleep and had no clue he left.” Radar Online also reported that Odom got kicked out of the couple’s mansion in Tarzana because he had an affair.

A California Highway Patrol spokesperson described additional details about Odom’s DUI arrest: “Lamar Odom was driving 50 miles per hour on the 101 freeway. He was driving in a serpentine manner, which is pretty bad… Across all lanes on the freeway. I’m surprised he wasn’t rear ended.”

Since Odom refused to take a chemical test for DUI (such as a Los Angeles DUI blood, breath or urine test), his license was automatically suspended for a full year. Bad decisions can compound themselves – that’s why it’s useful to speak to a Los Angeles DUI defense lawyer ASAP.

As Odom and others arrested for driving under the influence of Southern California can attest, situations can easily go from bad to worse. During of times of turmoil, it’s useful to turn to people with experience to get through your crisis.

That’s why so many defendants have had such good experiences working with attorney Michael Kraut of the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers. Mr. Kraut is a seasoned, battletested ex-prosecutor (Harvard Law School educated) who regularly serves as a commentator for ABC News, the Los Angeles Times, and other big media to discuss news stories about DUI in Los Angeles and elsewhere.

September 6, 2013

Long Beach DUI Sports News: Terrence Mitchell and Geno Smith, 2 Promising College Football Players, Busted in Separate DUI Incidents.

by Michael Kraut

As someone who was recently stopped and arrested for DUI in Long Beach, you’re probably more sympathetic than most people when you read about sports figures and celebrities busted for DUI and driving without a license. These tabloid-like stories can teach good lessons, if you take the time to understand what happened and why.

Consider two recent DUI arrests that have shaken up the college football world.

The first involves Geno Smith, a cornerback for Alabama, who was arrested on August 18 for DUI and later released on $1,000 bond. Smith’s coach, Nick Saban, put out a statement the next day: “this is obviously not the kind of behavior we expect from our players… I don’t have all of the details at this point and will handle it appropriately once I’ve had a chance to review the information.”

Smith was a four star recruit for Alabama.

Meanwhile, more serious news out of University of South Florida, where 23-year-old Terrence Mitchell was busted by Tampa police for DUI at North 30th Street and Bougainvillea Avenue. News sources report that he blew a 0.165% and 0.171% on two breathalyzer tests – more than twice the legal limit for Long Beach DUI or DUI in Florida. On top of that, he was driving with a bad license, and he faces charges that he assaulted a firefighter (bit the man! – more on that in our next post!).

This has been difficult year, legally speaking, for the 23-year-old, who was arrested for possession of marijuana (a misdemeanor) back in March. Mitchell once had a promising career. In 2010, The Tampa Tribune named him “male athlete of the year.” As a freshman, he was an All-American.

Mitchell had been in a six-month intervention program, after his misdemeanor offense.

Lessons for Your Long Beach DUI Arrests

Fortunately for both of these young men, their DUIs did not involve serious injuries to themselves or other people – or serious property damage. Unfortunately, early DUIs can be signs of future problems.

Even if you construct an effective defense to DUI in Long Beach charges – and avoid serious jail time, intense probation, an interlocking ignition device (IID) in your vehicle, and so forth – you still face longer term issues. Recidivist offenders (repeat offenders) can be charged quite harshly, per Long Beach DUI law. For instance, if you’re convicted three times within 10 years – and your third offense would normally just be a misdemeanor – prosecutors can automatically elevate your charge to a felony. That could mean a jail sentence of over a year.

For help planning what to do next, get in touch with the team at the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers. Mr. Kraut racked up a 99%+ record at jury trials as a prosecutor, and he maintains excellent relationships with judges, prosecutors and police officers in the Los Angeles court system.

September 2, 2013

Hollywood DUI Update on Linda Hogan’s Case: Hulk’s Ex-Wife Finally Pleads Guilty to DUI Charges

by Michael Kraut

Breaking Hollywood DUI news — Linda Hogan, ex-wife of WWE Star, Hulk Hogan — has plead guilty to charges that she drove on the influence in October 2012.

The reality star had publicly and vigorously claimed innocence, asserting that she “had only drunk one glass of champagne,” before police stopped her on the westbound 101 in her black Mercedes Benz. At the time, her BAC tested at 0.084% — just over the legal limit for Hollywood DUI (0.08%), per CVC 23152(b).

In exchange for Hogan’s guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to drop one of the two misdemeanor DUI charges against her. She also got three months of alcohol classes and three years of probation.

Hogan (whose real last name is Bollea) starred with the Hulk (a.k.a. “Terry Bollea”) in the short-lived but much gossiped-about reality show, Hulk Knows Best. Their show – and marriage – ended in 2007. Linda then commenced a relationship with a 23-year-old, Charley Hill. They briefly got engaged, but then broke it off.

One reason why Hogan’s arrest caused so much ruckus in the blogosphere is that it coincided with the release of Hulk Hogan’s sex tape on YouTube. The 59-year-old Hogan was filmed performing a sex act with Heather Clem, former wife of DJ Bubba The Love Sponge, Hulk’s best friend.

Linda expressed shock about the sex tape. She said she found it “a little twisted,” especially because the Hogans, Clem and Bubba the Love Sponge had all been close friends.

So essentially: private and public theatrics galore.

Of course, if you’ve recently been arrested for DUI in Hollywood, you‘re probably less interested with the tabloidy exploits of realty stars and wrestlers then you are with building a sound and rigorous defense. After all, Hollywood DUI charges – even first time charges – can be punished with jail time, probation, license suspension, mandatory alcohol school, compulsory interlock ignition device installation, fines, fees, and more.

To build an intelligent, energetic defense, talk to the team here at the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers today. Mr. Kraut is a former prosecutor with 14 plus years experience on the “other side,” and he can adeptly represent Southern California criminal defendants.

August 30, 2013

Los Angeles DUI for Lamar Odom: Career Ender for Former Lakers and Clippers Star?

by Michael Kraut

At 3:56am this morning, Lamar Odom was stopped and arrested in the Valley for driving under the influence in Los Angeles. Odom spent over 31 hours in jail before he was released on a $14,000 bond. His court date has been set for September 27.

Police stopped the 6’10” forward — who played pro ball for 14 years for the L.A. Lakers and the Clippers — after officers saw his white Mercedes weaving all over the 101. Cops tried to pull him over, but he kept driving past Van Nuys and Woodman Ave. He finally stopped at Coldwater Canyon and submitted to field sobriety tests. (The “FSTs” can include balancing tests, like the stand on one leg test, as well as tests of mental acuity, like the count backwards from 100 by 3s test).

Per a CHP report, Odom didn’t exactly pass his exams with flying colors:

“[Odom showed] objective signs of intoxication and was unable to perform field sobriety tests as explained and demonstrated.”

Sometimes factors such as fatigue, nervousness and general lack of coordination can explain why people fail FSTs. As a pro athlete, Odom would have a hard case to make that “general lack of coordination” screwed him up on the FSTs. Of course, he HAS been struggling on the court recently. One anonymous NBA executive told the Los Angeles Times “Lamar can’t play anymore.” The once highly celebrated forward put up lousy numbers (for him) last year with the Clippers, “averag[ing] career lows in points (4.0), assists (1.7) and minutes (19.7).”

Since Odom refused to take a DUI breath test or DUI blood test, his CA driver’s license was automatically stripped from him for a full year. If he’s convicted of Los Angeles DUI, he’ll face more than just the “standard” punishments for misdemeanor DUI, which can include jail time, fees and fines, mandatory DUI alcohol classes, probation, and license suspension. He’ll also face possible disciplinary action from the NBA… assuming he’ll be signed as a free agent, which is not guaranteed.

Days before his Los Angeles DUI stop, Odom got into a fender bender on the 101 with Adolfo Flores, a sports reporter for the L.A. Times, in the car with him.

Several months ago, he got into a major fight with a paparazzo, who had been pestering Odom about rumors that the b-ball star had been cheating on his celebrity wife, Khloe Kardashian Odom. Enraged, Odom allegedly threw a bag of the photographer’s stuff onto Hollywood Blvd. (The D.A. didn’t have enough evidence to file charges in this case.)

In the wake of the arrest and other off-the-field shenanigans, Odom’s high profile pals from the basketball world weighed in with words (and tweets) of concerned support.

Magic Johnson, the most famous Laker of all time, tweeted: “I hope my man and former Laker, Lamar Odom is doing okay,” to which Phil Jackson tweeted” “Double ditto, LO.”

If you’ve recently been arrested for driving under the influence in Los Angeles, you probably need smart, effective legal representation to protect you against dire legal consequences (only some of which are described above.) Trust Harvard Law School educated attorney, Michael Kraut, to construct a powerful and savvy defense for you. Mr. Kraut is a former Deputy District attorney for Los Angeles (14+ years as a prosecutor) who has racked up a stellar record as a Los Angeles DUI defense lawyer. He’s also a regular DUI commentator on national news programs, such as Good Morning America.

August 23, 2013

Boating DUI in Marina Del Rey News: Erin Brockovich Busted for Boating DUI out in Las Vegas

by Michael Kraut

Some disappointing Marina Del Rey boating DUI news. Erin Brockovich — the clean water activist, whose life story inspired Julia Roberts’ 2000 movie “Erin Brockovich” — has been arrested for DUI on Lake Mead near Las Vegas.

According to news outlets, the law clerk struggled to dock her boat, calling attention to local authorities. Police tested her blood alcohol concentration at over twice the legal limit of 0.08%.

A spokesperson from the Nevada Department of Wildlife discussed the case: “she was obviously struggling to put the boat in the slip, and if you’ve had any experience, it’s a simple enough operation.”

July 26, 2013

So You Got a Second DUI in Pasadena. At Least You’re Not a High Profile Public Official, Like Todd Huff from Baltimore…

by Michael Kraut

You recently got arrested for your second Pasadena DUI within 10 years.

You know the drill. You’re scared of what lies before you because you’ve been down this road before. You’re especially agitated, since you know that prosecutors like to hit recidivists (repeat offenders) hard to “teach them a lesson” and keep Southern California’s roads safe.

Prosecutors and judges around the country are especially tough on second offenders. Consider the sad situation of Baltimore County Councilman, Todd Huff, who was arrested back in February on York Road in Towson, after police stopped him and tested his BAC at 0.20%. (For reference: the legal limit in Baltimore and in Pasadena for DUI is 0.08% — that means that Huff tested at 2.5 times the legal limit!)

Circuit Judge Timothy Martin just handed down Huff’s sentence: one year suspended prison sentence with 26-weeks of alcohol school, as well as random urine monitoring.

Huff’s DUI defense attorney asked Judge Martin to give probation before judgment, but the judge was unimpressed. Why? Because Huff had been involved in a different DUI case 18 years prior. That DUI hit and run caused an injury, and the Councilman had had an alcohol restriction on his driver’s license.

Judge Martin said: “That old offense doesn’t disappear in my thought process.”

The judge also did not like the way that Huff behaved after his arrest.

(If you’ve been reading this Pasadena DUI blog, you will notice this common theme: often, when people get arrested or flagged down for DUI, they engage in dangerous, irrational, or aggressive behaviors that radically complicate their legal cases.)

In any event, Huff called his friend, Police Chief Jim Johnson, the night he was busted for DUI. Huff later told the judge that he just called his friend to apologize, but Judge Martin said that this argument was “not very persuasive… I hardly buy that.”

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dropped additional charges, such as headlight violations and negligent driving charge. The local prosecutor was happy with the sentence – saying that it “accomplished the goal of public safety.”

But if you’re facing a second Pasadena DUI charge, you’re probably concerned about the precedent. If the court could be so brutal with a high level councilman, what will happen in your case?

Truth be told, prosecutors can hit you with extra punishments as a recidivist – these include: increased jail time, longer time in alcohol school, and more intense probation terms, steeper fines and fees, and beyond.

Fortunately, you don’t have to struggle with constructing your defense on your own. Harvard Law School educated attorney Michael Kraut of the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers is standing by to give you the insight and strategic roadmap you need to get clarity and rebuild.

Connect with Mr. Kraut and his experienced, respected team today for help.

July 24, 2013

Beverly Hills DUI Showdown: “Teen Mom” Star Pleads Not Guilty to DUI… and Sells Sex Tape to Vivid for $1 Million!

by Michael Kraut

Hopefully, your Beverly Hills DUI story is less dramatic – and less publicly fraught – than Farrah Abraham’s.

The ex-star of MTV’s Teen Mom was pulled over in March for driving under the influence in Nebraska (as this blog and many other media sources reported). At the time, she blew a BAC of 0.147% — that’s nearly twice the legal limit for DUI in Beverly Hills of 0.08%, as outlined in California Vehicle Code Section 23152. In the weeks since, she has piled on an array of excuses. A recent TMZ article tallied them as such:

• People just kept feeding her drinks;
• She was “put in a bad situation” by her sister;
• She was only parking her car, not driving;
• She had a sober friend with her;
• She had a bad cough and couldn’t blow properly.

She pled not guilty to charges of disorderly conduct, refusal to go through a field sobriety test, and DUI. She is due in court on Mary 31st.

Farrah Abraham’s DUI drama is not her only “big news story” – she also inked a deal with Vivid Entertainment to sell a sex tape (or, say observers, a “faux sex tape”) for seven figures. It’s titled: “Farrah Superstar: Backdoor Teen Mom.”

Again, not every Beverly Hills DUI case is as dramatic, fraught, and tabloidy.

But Abraham’s saga has certainly sparked a lot of chatter in the blogosphere and beyond. Is it fair that a woman who behaves so irresponsibly fashion can get rewarded for her outlandish behavior to the tune of $1 million? That’s a question for the pundits and celebrity gossip columnists to debate. But it’s probably a more sophisticated moral debate than meets the eye.

In any event, if you’re someone who faces a DUI in Beverly Hills charge, you probably care less about the tabloid exploits of this teen mom than you do about your own freedom and potential defense strategies:

• Will you lose your license?
• Will you be sent to prison? If so, for how long?
• What can you do to thwart the prosecutor’s charges or at least plead them down to something more manageable and reasonable?

Look to Beverly Hills DUI defense attorney Michael Kraut of Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers for assistance with your urgent DUI matter. Mr. Kraut is a widely respected figure in the Los Angeles DUI defense community, and he’s also a Harvard Law School educated ex-prosecutor.

July 17, 2013

Sam Donaldson Pleads Not Guilty to DUI Charge. Los Angeles Pundits React…

by Michael Kraut

You might be surprised by the size of the list of “upright” celebrities, politicians, and public figures who’ve been arrested and convicted of driving under the influence in Los Angeles.

Veteran ABC News political correspondent and reporter, Sam Donaldson, for instance, got tagged for DUI last December in Delaware. Donaldson, by all accounts, seems to be the archetype of a sober headed, rational person. In addition to serving as a prominent ABC News correspondent during the Carter and Regan administrations, he also co-hosted a series of news programs with Diane Sawyer (“PrimeTime Live”) as well as a Sunday broadcast (“This Week with Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts”).

Nevertheless, Donaldson, like Nick Nolte and the ever-in-the-tabloids Lindsay Lohan, recently found himself blowing into a Los Angeles breathalyzer test, getting put into a cop car, and winding up behind bars.

In almost every respect, the 78-year-old defies the “stereotype” of someone arrested for DUI in Los Angeles. But there he was. (Okay, technically, he was arrested in Delaware. But still!).

He allegedly cooperated politely with officers, when they stopped him on Savannah Road on December 1st. Cops put him through the paces of a field sobriety test — probably similar to Los Angeles FSTs: e.g. finger to the nose test, stand on one leg test, walk the line test, horizontal gaze nystagmus test, etc.

On April 22nd, during his arraignment, he pled not guilty and asked for a non-jury trial. (He also faces a charge of improper lane change.) His DUI case will be heard on June 10th in Sussex.

As someone who’s recently been arrested for DUI, you likely feel pretty alone and isolated, even though your family has been understanding and empathetic. You never thought of yourself as the “type of person” who would get into trouble like this, and you’re scared and confused about what to do next.

Fortunately, former Los Angeles City prosecutor, Michael Kraut, and his adept team are standing by to help you come to terms with your charges and make an effective action plan to build a strong DUI defense. Connect with Harvard Law School educated Kraut and his team to get good help now.

July 15, 2013

Glendale DUI Sports Drama: ex-NBA Star, Kenny Anderson, Busted For DUI in Broward County

by Michael Kraut

The act of driving under the influence in Glendale (or wherever) is a fundamentally dangerous and potentially destructive act. It’s often the tip of a more disturbing iceberg.

But DUI defendants are a diverse lot.

Some suspects just make simple “dumb” errors of judgment and wind up sitting in the back seat of a police cruiser. Others struggle mightily for years with psychological demons, and these struggles manifest as asocial behavior, like driving under the influence of medication or drugs.

As someone who was recently arrested for Glendale DUI, you may fit into either category. It’s helpful to “drill down” to understand why you got in trouble, so that you can remedy not only the charges but also the root problem that drove you to accrue the charges.

If were just “being careless,” that’s one thing. But if you got a DUI after struggling for years with alcohol, depression, anxiety, and other life problems, you might need serious help to uncover what’s gone wrong and take steps to fix thing.

In light of that preamble, consider the sad case of 42-year-old Kenny Anderson, a former basketball star with the Boston Celtics and New Jersey Nets. He was arrested recently in Broward County, FL, when Pembroke Pines police saw him weaving in and out of lanes in the middle of the night.

Anderson had been arrested a year and half ago, in December 2011, in Miramar, when he crashed his Escalade SUV into a tree. He left the scene of that crash, and police had to call him to return to the scene. He apparently had an odor of alcohol on him and had bloodshot eyes – typical symptoms of a DUI in Glendale – but police did not charge him for driving under the influence, because he could have argued that he had consumed the alcohol at his house. Nevertheless, he got a misdemeanor charge for leaving the scene of an accident.

Anderson has seen serious ups and downs in his life.

At one point, pundits estimate that he had earned over $60 million through basketball. Today, he’s apparently nearly broke. He coaches basketball at a private school. He also had been married to Tami Roman, who starred in VH1’s reality series, Basketball Wives.

Who knows whether the 46-year-old can rebound from his DUI charges to clean up his life and find clarity and peace. Hopefully, he can do so.

The point is that you may also need effective guidance with your Glendale DUI charges. Connect with the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers for a complementary, confidential consultation. Attorney Kraut is a highly regarded ex-prosecutor (also Harvard Law School educated) who has helped many people in situations similar to yours fix their problems and move on.

June 28, 2013

Los Angeles DUI Celebrity News Update: Reese Witherspoon “So Sorry” About Disrespect to Officer After Her Husband’s DUI

by Michael Kraut

Stories about celebrity DUIs in Los Angeles typically focus on the drivers who wreak havoc, hurt people, or say or do dumb things at checkpoints.

But that’s not always the case.

Consider the fascinating DUI arrest of CAA agent, Jim Toth, husband of actress Reese Witherspoon. On April 19th (as this Los Angeles DUI blog and other sources reported), Toth got stopped in Atlanta on suspicion of DUI. Witherspoon, who was in the car, made ridiculous, panicked statements to the officer — including accusing him of not being a “real” police officer – comments which got her arrested for attempting to intervene and disorderly conduct.

She has since profusely apologized.

She recently appeared on Good Morning America to talk about her new independent film, Mud. Host George Stephanopoulos brought up the DUI — and Witherspoon’s less than elegant comments to the officer: “You’ve been under the spotlight your whole adult life, and this doesn’t sound like the Reese Witherspoon we’ve grown to know.” Witherspoon agreed and said “I have no idea what I was saying that night. I saw him arresting my husband, and I literally panicked. And I said all kinds of crazy things. I told him I was pregnant. I am not pregnant. I am so sorry.”

Witherspoon said she particularly regretted the disrespect, because she has police officers in her family, and she works with police every day: “I know better. It’s just unacceptable.”

She also discussed how difficult it was to talk to her young children about the acts. She told Stephanopoulos “we are taking responsibility and doing everything in our power to make it right. You just have to be honest with them [her kids].”

The Oscar winning actress’s weird post-DUI behavior is not atypical.

In fact, lot of people arrested for driving under the influence in Los Angeles behave in ways they never imaged they could behave. Some people leave the scene of accidents — obviously a big no-no. Others lash out at police officers or break down emotionally.

In fact, many of the stories that we discuss here on this Los Angeles DUI blog are “newsy” because they highlight this tendency that DUI drivers often exhibit — to exacerbate problems after the fact. It’s bad enough if you get stopped at a Los Angeles DUI checkpoint and blow a 0.16% BAC on the breath test (twice the limit, per California Vehicle Code Section 23152(b)). It’s worse if you complicate the situation by punching an officer, driving away from the scene of the crime, lying, or engaging in other fishy behavior.

So why do people do this? Why do they metaphorically “throw good money after bad” – i.e., put themselves at risk for enhanced/additional charges for no reason?

This is a Los Angeles DUI blog, not a psychology blog. But undoubtedly our primitive brain is (at least to a degree) responsible. When we see threats in nature (be they saber-tooth tigers or police cars with flashing red lights), we engage in defensive behaviors: freeze, flight, or fight.

• The “freeze” behavior corresponds to a driver’s failing to respond to officer questions.
• The “flight” response corresponds to hit and runs or attempts to flee Los Angeles DUI checkpoints.
• The “fight” behavior corresponds to the lashing out – ranging from Witherspoon’s verbal misbehavior in Atlanta to other suspects’ attempts to fight with officers.

To unpack what’s happened to you and figure out the best way forward, connect with a Los Angeles DUI defense attorney at the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers. Mr. Kraut is an experienced and battle-tested lawyer who worked work many years as prosecutor (Senior Deputy District Attorney for LA).