Celebrity DUI Arrests

February 18, 2013

Long Beach DUI News Update: Country Singer Randy Travis Pleads Guilty to DUI, Won’t Get Jail Time

If you’ve recently been arrested for driving under the influence in Long Beach, odds are that you’ve been too busy to read the celebrity gossip news.

To fill you in… last summer, country singer Randy drove his Trans Am off the road in Tioga, Texas, smashed into barricades, and then emerged and fell asleep on the ground… naked! When police found him, they tested him for DUI. Not shockingly, he had a 0.21% BAC — nearly three times the legal limit for driving under the influence in Long Beach (and Texas, for that matter).

Travis also allegedly threatened police officers, netting him a retaliation charge.

Last week, a judge in Sherman, Texas handed down a sentence based on the singer’s guilty plea. Travis will face two years of probation on top of a $2000 fine and a suspended jail sentence of 180 days. In addition, he will need to spend 30 days in an alcohol facility and do 100 hours of community service. During the probation, he must install an interlock ignition device (IID).

If he violates terms, he will go to jail.

These punishments are above and beyond what the typical DUI defendant might get in Texas. According to a local district attorney, Joe Brown, Travis “will be unable to leave the [alcohol treatment] facility for 30 days. His fine and community service requirements are more than double what is usually received, and his probation term is the maximum available, and longer than the usual 18 months. All of that is appropriate in light of his behavior with the officers.”

Travis also made headlines when he placed himself in the middle of an argument between a woman and her estranged husband. Also, back in February 2012, police arrested him for public intoxication near Dallas.

Travis recently split from his wife and ex-manager of many years; undoubtedly he’s going through some super emotionally turbulent times.

And that brings us to a key issue that Long Beach DUI defendants need to know!

If you’re going through an emotional struggle, you are not alone. You may need help not only with your Long Beach DUI defense but also with the core problems causing the helplessness in your life that’s driving you to make bad decisions and self-medicate with alcohol or drugs.

Begin the journey towards healing and rehabilitation by connecting with a Long Beach DUI defense attorney at The Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers for a sensible, effective and free case consultation.

February 4, 2013

Jason London and Carmine Giovinazzo: A Tale of Two Celebrity DUIs

by Michael Kraut

Our Burbank DUI news blotter often rehashes intriguing stories about celebrities arrested for driving under the influence and other crimes.

We’re not trying to be a poor man’s “TMZ” — rather, we write to help defendants (and their loved ones) understand the law little better and to find resources and new ways of thinking about their DUI charges.

But nothing teaches better than a good story.

January 29, 2013

Arrested for DUI in Hollywood? The Saturation Patrol Might Have Gotten You!

by Michael Kraut

If you were recently stopped and arrested for driving under the influence in Hollywood at a checkpoint or outside a bar or a club, odds are that you encountered police on one of the following locations:

• Alvarado Street and Beverly Boulevard
• Roscoe Boulevard and Noble Avenue
• 77th Street
• Atwater Village
If you indeed got arrested at one of those places, you might be wondering… how did we know that?

The answer is simple: a recent LA Weekly article published the Los Angeles Police Department’s most recent saturation patrols and checkpoint planning. These patrols are designed to nab drivers who are out partying. Note the hours of the patrols (e.g. 7 p.m. to 3 a.m.; 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., etc). These hours are the most “fecund,” if you’re trying to find and arrest drivers under the influence of alcohol in Hollywood or basically anywhere else.

What exactly happens at a DUI checkpoint? Or what’s supposed to happen?

First, police will look for symptoms of Hollywood DUI, which can include but are not limited to: slurred speech, loss of balance, trouble answering officer questions, incongruencies in your answers, strange emotional behavior, bloodshot eyes, loss of words (aphasia), inability of your pupils to follow a light (a.k.a. failure of the horizontal gaze Nystagmus test), and an odor of alcohol on your breath.

These “symptoms” may seem obvious enough. If you saw someone exhibiting some or all of them, you might easily suspect that that person was under the influence.

However, the situation is not always so clear cut!

Imagine you’re driving home on Hollywood Boulevard at 3 a.m. after a long TV show shoot. Your brain is totally fried because you’ve been screaming at your line producer all day. You’re not thinking clearly because the caffeine from all those grande mocha lattes has worn off. So you make up a bad lane change.

And then a police officer stops you and pulls you over.

Even though you haven’t touched alcohol in days, surprisingly enough, you exhibit many so-called “classic” symptoms of DUI, such as bloodshot eyes, inability to remember words, irascibility, perhaps even trouble balancing. If you haven’t eaten in a while, you may look bad or stumble due to blood sugar issues.

Believe it or not, even if you haven’t consumed alcohol, if you’ve been producing ketone bodies – i.e. if you’re diabetic or on a very low calorie or low carb diet – you may register as positive for alcohol consumption on a breathalyzer.

Of course, your situation is possibly different.

Maybe you did indeed drink alcohol — or even do marijuana or take prescription drugs — before you hopped into your vehicle. You want to minimize your penalties and optimize your chances for getting gentle treatment from the court system.

Every Hollywood DUI defendant’s case is a unique puzzle.

You need customized, insightful, and knowledgeable help with the defense. Fortunately, you have a possible ally: Harvard Law School educated Hollywood DUI criminal defense attorney, Michael Kraut. He and his esteemed team can help you battle back against your charges and regain peace of mind.

January 9, 2013

Glendale DUI Sports News: Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk Guilty of Misdemeanor DUI

by Michael Kraut

Some sobering Glendale DUI news out of Chicago: Carlton Fisk, the legendary Hall of Fame catcher, pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge, just two months after Chicago police found him snoozing in his pick-up truck in a cornfield.

Officers in Lenox found the baseball legend passed out in his truck on the 22th of October. An open bottle of Vodka lay strewn on the truck’s floor.

Fisk got off with a relatively light sentence — just a year of court supervision, drug and alcohol counseling, and court costs and fines of $1,250. According to Fisk’s attorney, the emeritus slugger did the right thing by accepting responsibility; he “stepped up to the plate.”

Meanwhile in local Glendale DUI news, the Los Angeles Daily News recently offered the following key reminder: “Metro rail and bus lines will be free New Year’s Eve from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. And if you drove to a celebration before having a few too many, AAA will even arrange a free tow home for your car.”

Over the 2011-2012 New Years holiday, over 15,000 people got arrested for DUI in Glendale and elsewhere in Los Angeles. Police tallied over 2,400 DUI accidents; 17 people died in those crashes. We’ll report on the DUI statistics for the 2012-2013 New Years holiday in an upcoming blog post.

If you or a family member stands accused of a crime like Glendale DUI, a good defense can save your CA license, keep you out of prison, protect your job, and stave off many directly related and indirectly related problems. Unfortunately, coming up with the most adroit defense is not always simple stuff!

For instance, you may suspect that the police operated in a less than ethical manner. But that may not be the case. Likewise, you may harbor unfounded doubts about your DUI blood test. Your true “best defense” might be esoteric. And the path to finding it — and then developing it and executing it properly — may be difficult, if not impossible, unless you have a respectable, powerful Glendale DUI defense attorney guiding you.

Get in touch with Michael Kraut of the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers today for experienced and effective counsel, and get 2013 off to a better start.

December 23, 2012

Los Angeles DUI Vehicular Manslaughter News: Cowboys’ Brent Arrested after Teammate and Friend Killed in Crash

by Michael Kraut

Los Angeles DUI with vehicular manslaughter is a terrible crime. If you’re convicted of such charges, you could potentially spend the rest of your life behind bars. Consider, for instance, some horrific news that shook up the NFL. Josh Brent, a defensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys, flipped his vehicle on a state highway outside of Dallas, while allegedly DUI. His passenger and fellow teammate Jerry Brown, Jr., died in the crash.

Here are the details:

The police say that the 24-year-old Brent hit a curb, which caused his car to flip at least once before settling on a service road. Brent only suffered minor scrapes, but Brown was unresponsive at the scene and ultimately was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Local police put Brent through the paces of a Field Sobriety Test and arrested him for driving while intoxicated.

Brent remained in jail over the weekend, as his DWI charge got upgraded to intoxication manslaughter. In Texas, that’s charged as a second degree felony, and it can be punished by up to two decades behind bars on top of a fine of $10,000. The 25-year-old Brown was a linebacker who had only played one NFL game with the Colts prior to being traded to Cowboys.

Brent released a statement the day after the crash and arrest, through his agent: “I am devastated and filled with grief…filled with grief for the loss of my close friend and teammate, Jerry Brown. I am also grief-stricken for his family, friends and all who were ever blessed to know him.”

It’s difficult to even know how begin to respond when an event like this occurs.

A fatal crash raises so many questions and opens up so many tragic lines of thinking.

If you or someone you care about was hurt (or hurt other people) while DUI in Los Angeles, you really need to think about the legal implications and begin to approach your situation strategically.

The team here at the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers in Los Angeles has the wherewithal, savvy and track record to come up with and deliver powerful legal assistance. Yes, tragedy can be difficult to manage, and there is no such thing as a magic button or “turn back the clock machine.” But Attorney Kraut and his team can provide you with powerful help. Get in touch with them today for more help.

December 19, 2012

A Pair of Los Angeles DUI Charges for Michael Madsen: “Kill Bill” Actor Busted in Pontiac GTO on the PCH in Malibu

by Michael Kraut

54-year-old actor, Michael Madsen, was arrested recently for driving under the influence in Los Angeles – out in Malibu on the PCH. According to news reports, police officers pulled him over after they saw his fire red Pontiac GTO swerving erratically.

Madsen allegedly failed his Los Angeles DUI field sobriety tests and blew a BAC level of 0.21%. As regular readers of this blog know, the legal limit, per California Vehicle Code Section 23152 (b), is 0.08%. That means he was more than 2.5 times over, if the breathalyzer was correct!

Madsen’s Los Angeles DUI defense attorney, meanwhile, told reporters that Madsen “believes that the breathalyzer test was flawed.” According to TMZ, the Kill Bill and Reservoir Dogs’ actor needed to go to the hospital instead of to jail due to a medical problem. Madsen had to make a $15,000 bail. He currently faces two DUI counts. If convicted of both, he faces maximum penalties of two years behind bars, even though this is his first offense.

Madsen’s legal plight illustrates an important truism about Los Angeles DUI defense: Even if you have never done anything bad in your life, prosecutors can still “throw the book at you,” even if you didn’t hurt anyone or do severe damage.

Of course, if you DID hurt someone, prosecutors can “level up” the charges against you and hit you with counts pursuant to California Vehicle Code Section 23153 (a) and 23153 (b) – the so-called injury DUI laws. What would ordinarily be a misdemeanor might be reclassified as a felony, for instance.

Likewise, if you caused serious property damage, resisted arrest, or engaged in multiple criminal acts simultaneously (such as assaulting a police officer, leaving the scene of an accident, etc.), your legal situation could become more complex, and the potential penalties could be far more dire.

This isn’t to say that you will be seriously punished — or even that you’ll need to plead guilty to the charges against you. A smart, strategic investigation of your Los Angeles DUI charges can lead to surprising and convincing defenses. For instance, in Madsen’s case, perhaps the breathalyzer test indeed WAS flawed. For instance, maybe he was suffering from diabetes or on a special low-carb or low-calorie diet, in which case the ketones on his breath might have artificially escalated his BAC readings.

In any case, the team here at the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers in Los Angeles has the capability, experience, and wherewithal to help you construct an articulate, effective defense. Get in touch with Attorney Kraut and his empathetic, experienced team today for a free consultation.

December 7, 2012

It Sounds Like a Glendale DUI Mad Lib: Gérard Depardieu, Arrested for DUI, While Falling Off His Scooter, In Paris (All True!)

by Michael Kraut

Esteemed thespian, Gérard Depardieu, was arrested last week in Paris for driving under the influence, after he fell off a scooter and bashed his elbow.

This was not the Green Card actor’s first brush with the law… or the first time that he’s stirred controversy in a way that’s stimulated much tabloid tittering. Back in 1998, Depardieu smashed up his motorcycle and later tested to have a BAC of over five times the legal limit for Glendale DUI (or DUI anywhere) of 0.08%. Fortunately, he survived that crash with only minor injuries to his face and legs.

In 2011, Depardieu made the headlines again, this time in a far more spectacular fashion, for urinating in his seat on a plane bound to Dublin from Paris. Depardieu had asked to pee. The stewardess denied the request for security reasons. He insisted that he was “not a terrorist” and that he “just want[ed] to pee.” When the bottle into which he relieved himself overflowed all over the seat, he told all passengers within earshot that “the bottle was much too small. I’m an elephant!”

An elephant, indeed.

Depardieu’s colorful antics — and almost slapstick-ish-ly hapless responses to his legal situations — certainly have made for amusing TMZ stories. However, we can learn some serious lessons – lessons that might be vital for you, if you or a loved one faces charges of driving under the influence in Glendale or elsewhere in the Southland.

Lesson #1: Just because you’re famous and well-liked does not make you invincible.

Court dockets abound with tales of actors, CEOs, politicians, and even Glendale DUI defense attorneys facing the business end of the law. Just because this is your first time facing trouble – or just because you’re “well connected” — does not guarantee a good outcome.

Lesson #2: Where there’s legal “smoke,” there’s often fire.

You need to construct a meticulous and aggressive Glendale DUI defense. But you also want to pay attention to your patterns. Is this the first time you’ve gotten into a brush with the law? If not, why do you keep getting into sticky situations? It might behoove Depardieu to reflect on his two DUI-related bike accidents and his skirmish on the airplane. Self-knowledge is the best vaccine for legal problems — the surest way to prevent future Glendale DUI episodes.

Lesson #3: You’re only at the beginning of your Glendale DUI saga: the decisions you make starting right now can radically affect your future.

If you put up a limp or non-existent defense to charges, you could wind up losing your license, serving substantial jail time, and seeing your entire future in many ways collapse. With a well-orchestrated and strategic defense, you may be able to beat back the charges or at least position yourself to maximally benefit from your experience.

Get in touch with the team here at the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers in Glendale to go over your best strategies and tactics for resolving your situation.

December 3, 2012

Oh Man, Oh Man: Lindsay Lohan Arrested AGAIN: Not for Los Angeles DUI Charges This Time, But for Assaulting a Psychic in an NYC Club. Sheesh!

by Michael Kraut

Back in 2007, when Lindsay Lohan collected her first and infamous Los Angeles DUI arrest, many in the Hollywood community were shocked. How could such a sweet and promising performer behave so recklessly and out of character. Alas, five years later, after racking up arrest after arrest in diverse circumstances, even Lohan’s most ardent fans are beginning to wonder whether there will ever be an end to the 26-year-old’s legal woes.

To wit, last Friday morning, Lohan got arrested yet AGAIN, this time at the New York City club Avenue, for allegedly punching psychic, Tiffany Mitchell, in the eye. The woman allegedly pursued Lohan to try to tell her fortune. Lohan first asked for space. When Mitchell kept pestering her, Lohan called the woman a “gypsy,” and the two exchanged other colorful words.

Mitchell has already “lawyered up” over the assault. She hired celebrity attorney Gloria Allred. Sensing the potential impending civil lawsuit, Lohan has gone on the offensive and hired a private detective to look into Mitchell’s history. Initial reports from celebrity gossips sites suggest that Mitchell may indeed have a checkered past: some of her psychic clients have allegedly come forward calling her a fraud, and she also may have had legal troubles with respect to non-payment of rent.

Lohan’s situation, however, is more diverse and more dire.

The actress earned huge notoriety over her struggles with her Los Angeles DUI probation revocation. That mini-drama ended with Lohan being compelled to serve a stint in jail and do community service work at a county morgue.

Lohan earned another dubious distinction: she faced four separate criminal charges on the same day, on both coasts, including charges that she resisted a police officer, gave false info to a police officer, and engaged in reckless driving. So Lohan’s legal plate is certainly full. She also received less than lackluster reviews for her performance in the made for TV movie, Liz and Dick.

A Los Angeles DUI charge is often just the tip of the iceberg
If you’ve been recently arrested on one or multiple or similar charges, you may be overly tempted to focus exclusively on your immediate defense and less on the long-term strategic ramifications for your life, career and health.

As a Harvard Law School educated former prosecutor who’s won high praise from peers and clients alike for his work as a Los Angeles DUI criminal defense attorney, Michael Kraut understands that defendants often need more than just “nuts and bolts” help. They also need to be listened to and to get educated about how to prevent recidivism.

This is particularly key, in that, if you get hit by multiple charges of Los Angeles DUI within a 10-year period, prosecutors can rapidly escalate your charges.

Connect with attorney Kraut and his team for incisive, insightful help with your L.A. DUI charge.

November 28, 2012

Driving Under the Influence in Southern California: You’re Doing it Wrong

by Michael Kraut

As someone who was recently booked for a charge of DUI in Southern California, you probably feel somewhat reluctant to criticize other people who’ve been arrested for the same crime. But it’s a myth that all DUI crimes are ‘equal.’ In fact, DUIs are far more diverse than the public realizes. Typical defendants include high profile politicians, celebrities, and recidivist offenders who’ve been busted/convicted multiple times and possibly even caused harm to people multiple times.

Point is: don’t paint Los Angeles DUI defendants with a broad brush.

In light of that, it’s enlightening to look at a crazy story out of Temecula, where 53-year-old Marlies Petersen got arrested for driving under the influence on the 5 after she tried and failed to make an illegal U-turn on the freeway – twice! – and hit the median strip both times.

The CHP responded to a motorist’s 911 call around 2 in the afternoon on Monday, when someone saw Petersen allegedly weaving her Ford pickup truck around. A local officer who responded, Nathan Baer, told news outlets that the ‘Ford F150 pickup stopped in the center median of northbound Interstate 5 and made a left turn.” Astonishingly, the driver tried to drive through the wall at low speeds and failed. Baer reported that she then ‘backed up and attempted to drive through the concrete median wall, also known as a K-rail, a second time the pickup became stuck in the soft dirt.’

A witness, Dave Iverson, ultimately managed to get Petersen to stop trying to reverse – and potentially put her life and lives of others in danger – and hand over the keys. A CHP officer said that Petersen exhibited extreme symptoms of Southern California DUI. Officer Baer said that she appeared ‘highly intoxicated and had difficulty standing and walking on her own.’

Although those are classic symptoms of Southern California DUI, vertigo and difficulty speaking can also be caused by a variety of other problems, including psychological trauma, bad reactions to medications, etc. – all which can be exacerbated by some alcohol consumption.

Trying to piece together your Los Angeles DUI defense puzzle
Ms. Petersen’s ordeal is a powerful illustration of how desperate and confused people can get after they make mistakes behind the wheel. If you are in a metaphorical ‘hole,’ your first step should be to stop digging. Rather than make your DUI defense more complicated and less certain, take strategic steps to understand exactly what you are up against and to develop a plan to respond more mindfully to the charges.

Attorney Michael Kraut of the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers in Los Angeles is a highly regarded Southern California DUI defense attorney with years of experience on both the defense and prosecutorial side of things. Mr. Kraut and his team would be happy to provide a free consultation to help you develop a thorough plan of action regarding your DUI defense strategy.

November 21, 2012

Driving Under the Influence Charge for Bobby Brown: A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Year for ‘My Prerogative’ Singer

by Michael Kraut

2012 will not go down as a very good year for recording artist Bobby Brown, who just got arrested (yet again!) for driving under the influence in Los Angeles, several months after losing his former beloved, Whitney Houston.

The 43-year-old Brown pled no contest to a DUI charge back in March and managed to get himself out of rehab in August. Just weeks after getting out of rehab, however, he got stopped in the Topanga area: the celebrity gossip website TMZ reported that Brown had been seen weaving between lanes. The strange behavior prompted a police cruiser to stop him under suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. He also exhibited symptoms of LA DUI and had an odor of alcohol. He failed his field sobriety tests and got booked into a jail in Van Nuys.

Brown was released on his own recognizance. Hopefully, he’ll get the help he needs to manage his multiple crises. On top of dealing with the DUI charges and the death of his ex-wife, Brown also received a tepid reception to his new album — the first he released in over a decade and a half.

Multiple stresses can lead to helplessness
One of the most common beliefs about alcohol addiction is that drivers who drive DUI when they ‘know they shouldn’t’ are somehow ‘giving in’ and behaving in a weak manner. Alternative theories about addiction, however, suggest that the drive to consume alcohol or drugs — or engage in other reckless, negligent, or dangerous behaviors — may stem not from a weak constitution but rather from a distorted drive to reassert control in a chaotic world.

Think about your own life. Think about your own Los Angeles DUI arrest. How did you feel in the days and hours leading up to your arrest? Did you feel completely in control of your life? Or did you feel out of control and helpless? Odds are, you felt that latter.

This is an important revelation, since it suggests that drivers who are arrested for crimes like DUI may need help gaining control over their lives and becoming more empowered. Instead, they are often counseled to ‘surrender’ their power and beat themselves up. The criminal justice system certainly assists in this negative regard by condemning drivers to punishments that may or may not fit the crime.

All of this is not to say that you may not bear culpability for what happened – or responsibility for your life.

However, it may be misguided to treat your problem as a simple problem of “lack of will.” The diverse forces that motivate your behaviors, actions, and habits can be complex stuff, indeed. These forces can touch upon psychological factors as well as physical factors.

What you need now is a thorough, comprehensive strategy to assess where you are at, legally speaking and otherwise, in the wake of the DUI arrest.

Get in touch with Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer Michael Kraut of the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers for effective, compassionate, and insightful guidance regarding your charges and your life in general.