DUI Accidents

September 7, 2011

Beverly Hills DUI with Alcohol News – Happiest Night of Couple’s Lives Ironically Ends with Their Car Twisted around Utility Pole

A Beverly Hills DUI accident is, almost by definition, an ironic affair. The public imagination associates Beverly Hills with luxury, the good life, and good health and spirits. Likewise, when we think of “DUI” we think of horror stories, cars wrapped around telephone poles, mothers and children crying, and other ghastly images. In other words, when we combine these two images in our minds, we get a kind of dissonance. It’s like thinking of chocolate-covered brussel sprouts – the two things don’t go together.

Likewise, when we think of people getting married, we think of happy occasions, such as singing, dancing, merrymaking, and jubilation. The last thing we think of is DUI. But a tragic accident in Western Pennsylvania highlighted how even life’s most happy events can be tarnished – suddenly and surprisingly – by things like a Beverly Hills DUI.

According to the Houston Chronicle, 56-year-old Billy Leroy Peroney was driving home from his own wedding reception with his blushing new bride, Kelly, when Paroney lost control of his vehicle while passing another car and slammed into a utility pole. The force of the impact was so powerful that it ricocheted the vehicle into a nearby house. The Houston Chronicle reported that Kelly was airlifted from the accident; as of the most recent report, there was no information on her condition. Billy Paroney was put through a field sobriety test; and he admitted to consuming alcohol prior to the accident.

Beverly Hills DUI sobriety tests – such as walk the line, finger to the nose, count backwards by threes, say the alphabet backwards, stand on one leg, and horizontal gaze nystagmus – are unpleasant and scary. But if you fail your Beverly Hills FSTs, you are guilty, right? Not so fast. Indeed, there are many reasons why you think you might underperform on FSTs that have absolutely nothing to do with the amount of alcohol you did or did not consume. These include:

• Your level of fatigue (if you are tired, you might stumble and fumble);
• Your level of fear or anxiety (who hasn’t done the equivalent of forgetting a big line in a play when they are under pressure?);
• Police error, overestimation, or misjudgment of your behavior;
• Your natural habits and tendencies (maybe you are just a klutz by nature);
• Interference from other, non-alcohol factors, such as illness, disease, or other medication that you are legally allowed to take.

A Beverly Hills DUI defense attorney, like the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers’ Michael Kraut (9107 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 450, Beverly Hills, California 90210 Phone: (310) 550-6935), can help you unpack possible plans to fight back against the charges and make sure that you are treated justly and fairly. Attorney Kraut is an experienced former prosecutor, and he has the wherewithal and the resources to help you.

July 11, 2011

Long Beach DUI Object Lesson: When to Hold Your Tongue

by Michael Kraut

Ask anyone who specializes in helping people who have recently been charged for driving under the influence in Long Beach about their experiences, and you will hear a common refrain: Drivers often needlessly dig themselves deeper after getting stopped, and these stupid post-hoc actions often cause far more legal trouble than defendants realize.

Let’s say you get pulled over for driving under the influence in Pasadena, Glendale DUI, Los Angeles DUI, Burbank DUI, or what have you: Likely, you will feel terrified, angry, frustrated, ashamed, and many other emotions. In that highly volatile, spiked emotional state, you might say or do things that can make your legal woes infinitely worse. For instance, you might swear at or hit a police officer, leave the scene of an accident that you just caused, or even try to flee an accident by swimming across a local reservoir (as a Boulder Colorado woman recently tried to do – this blog covered that last week).

Perhaps the most common mistakes come from failing to hold one’s tongue.

By saying things to the police like “I only had 6 drinks,” talking back to police, prematurely confessing to guilt in an accident, and so on, you might, within a span of seconds, accidently add months or even years to your sentence.

Last week, a DUI suspect in Santa Rosa illustrated this lesson literally. According to California Highway Patrol reports, Olan Yahal Mitchell got pulled over early Saturday morning on the 101. The suspect refused to take field sobriety tests (common Long Beach field sobriety tests include walk the line test, finger to the nose test, Rhomberg test, other balancing tests, reciting the alphabet backwards, counting backwards, etc).

According to officer Jonathan Sloat: “While seated [in the police cruiser], Mitchell began to lick the keyboard of the officer’s computer…the officer ordered Mitchell not to interfere with any equipment. Mitchell repeated his behavior, and the officer reached in to move the computer out of his reach… That’s when Mitchell kicked the officer, promoting both officers to restrain him and put him in the back of a “caged” patrol cruiser.”

At the end of the day, Mitchell was charged not only with DUI, driving without a license, and possessing marijuana but also with resisting arrest and battery on a peace officer.

As a qualified Los Angeles criminal defense attorney will tell you, those extra two charges – the battery charge and resisting arrest charge – will almost certainly compound the defense.

Part of the problem is that, if you’ve already committed a crime (or likely crime), you may be in an irrational state of mind. Thus, you might not realize the consequences of your continued criminal conduct. Education is critical – not only to help you deal with your current situation but also to help you avoid future mistakes and punishment.

Connect with Long Beach’s Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers (444 West Ocean, Suite 800 Long Beach, California 90802 Phone: (562) 531-7454) for a free consultation to go over your options and figure out a smart and strategically sound plan to go forward. Attorney Kraut understands how prosecutors think and react, since he actually was one for nearly a decade-and-a-half (Los Angeles Senior Deputy District Attorney).

July 7, 2011

Beverly Hills DUI Stories Have Nothing On Boulder Colorado This Week: Another Crazy Story as 19 Year-Old Steals a School Bus and Smashes It into His House

by Michael Kraut

One of the reasons why stories about driving under the influence in Beverly Hills capture media attention is that Beverly Hills is well, Beverly Hills. Celebrities, sports stars, movie executives, politicos and other A-listers live, visit and celebrate the city. Thus, stories about DUI in Beverly Hills as well as Glendale DUI, Pasadena DUI, Burbank DUI, and Los Angeles DUI tend to get a ton of press because they involve famous people and, often, very weird events.

But Boulder, Colorado – of all places – was in the news twice last week for gripping, bizarre, jaw-dropping stories. We already covered the sad story of a 32-year-old woman who allegedly committed a DUI homicide then tried to flee by swimming into a reservoir. The other big story involved a 19-year-old Boulder man who was arrested and held on a $10,000 bond after he allegedly stole a school bus and then smashed the bus into his house. According to an Associated Press article, “police found a privately-owned school bus parked and still running in the yard of William Levin Goodrich on Tuesday.” Officers said Goodrich’s license had been revoked for multiple DUIs. Goodrich told officers he felt weird after eating something a friend gave him. Police said Goodrich then told them the friend gave him the bus keys and told him to drive home.

Goodrich was held in a county jail on multiple charges, including leaving the scene of an accident, aggravated motor vehicle theft, careless driving and DUI.

Here’s a key takeaway from both these bowl-you-over-in-Boulder stories: the Beverly DUI arrest and conviction process can be complicated – and your situation can be made FAR worse — if you continue to make bad decisions after you’ve been tagged with a DUI.

In this case, assuming the allegations are true, Goodrich already would have been in trouble for stealing the schools bus. But he wildly aggravated the situation by crashing the school bus into his yard. It’s a bit like the “Butch and Sundance syndrome” – once you’ve become an outlaw, you take your crime to the “nth level” because you come to believe “there’s no turning back.” Not that this line of thinking makes sense. But apparently that’s how some people react once they realize that they have committed a crime, like Beverly Hills DUI.

Your Los Angeles criminal defense attorney – no matter how good – can only do so much for you if you compound and “complexify” your crime. It’s time to break the cycle. Connect immediately with the reputable Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers (9107 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 450, Beverly Hills, California 90210 Phone: (310) 550-6935) for a free and confidential case evaluation.

Attorney Kraut served as a prosecutor of DUI crimes for 14 years for the City of Los Angeles, rising to the level of Senior Deputy District Attorney. So he knows how prosecutors typically approach DUI crimes, and he can walk you through the ins and outs of what to do – and what not to do – to develop and execute a plan to restore your name, reputation and freedom.

July 5, 2011

Glendale DUI Homicide News – Disaster Out of Boulder Colorado Stuns Community

by Michael Kraut

The dark side of driving under the influence in Glendale (or really, anywhere in the United States) is that fatal accidents can strike anywhere, anytime, and to anyone. A vivid example of why it’s so important to beat the problem of Glendale DUI, Burbank DUI, Pasadena DUI and Los Angeles DUI occurred the Saturday before last, when a Boulder, Colorado woman, 32-year-old Lisa Norton, was arrested on a smorgasbord of charges, including DUI-related vehicular homicide.

Norton allegedly crashed her Ford pick up into a Nissan coup at around 6:30 PM, killing the driver, 33-year-old Gabriel Nielsen, and severely hurting his wife and young child. After the crash, Ms. Norton allegedly fled the scene by diving into the nearby Clover Basin reservoir. Area boaters eventually fished her out of the water and delivered to her to Longmont Colorado police. According to her arrest warrant affidavit: “Witness statements from the boaters indicate that Ms. Norton was combative and denied having any involvement in the crash…that she was combative and verbally abusive to both officers and rescue personnel who were attempting to render aid.”

All told, her charges include:

• DUI homicide
• Failing to remain on the scene of a crash resulting in death
• Two counts of DUI vehicular assault
• Two counts of reckless vehicular assault
• DUI
• Driving with a revoked license
• Failing to provide proof of insurance
• Possession of drug paraphernalia (a glass marijuana pipe)
• Child abuse causing serious bodily injury
Obviously, any Glendale DUI homicide is a serious and horrific situation. But many defendants needlessly complicate their situation by assaulting officers, fleeing the scene, acting belligerently, or otherwise “digging their hole deeper.” These acts will ultimately make the job that your Los Angeles criminal defense attorney has a lot more difficult and challenging. Much like how panicked investors throw good money after bad, recently arrested Glendale DUI suspects often radically compound their own problems.

Fortunately, there is a smart way to begin to get clarity on your situation and to stop the downward spiral. Connect with Glendale’s Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers (located at: 121 W Lexington Dr, Glendale, CA 91203 Phone: (818) 507-9123) to start to synthesize and execute a smart strategy. Attorney Michael Kraut is a former prosecutor who has a terrific record at jury trials and glowing reviews not only from past clients but also from legal peers and respected figures in the media.

June 29, 2011

Long Beach DUI Disaster for R&B Fans – Singer Nivea (Baby Mama Number 4 for Lil Wayne) Smashes Into a Tree While Allegedly DUI

by Michael Kraut

Last Sunday was not a good day for R&B singer Nivea. Her story of DUI in Atlanta was largely drowned out in the Long Beach DUI blogosphere by Ryan Dunn’s (of “Jackass” fame) explosive 130 mile per hour fatal wipe out in Pennsylvania. But pundits and celebrity watchers who listen closely to news about Glendale DUI, Pasadena DUI, Los Angeles DUI, and Burbank DUI story lines couldn’t help but notice some similarities between Nivea’s crash and the fatal crash that took the life of Dunn and another passenger on Monday.

• First of all, Nivea wrapped her Mercedes around a tree that had fallen down (she apparently missed the police lights and yellow tape around it); whereas Dunn crashed his Porsche into a tree on the side of the road.

• Nivea had a passenger in her car with her (a tiny baby – Lil Wayne’s); whereas Dunn also had a passenger with him;
• Significant circumstantial evidence suggests at least some wrongdoing. The police allegedly reported that Nivea “had bloodshot, glassy eyes and smelled like alcohol,” swore at an officer on the scene, and admitted to having had 3 drinks before getting behind the wheel; Dunn, for his part, had a history of reckless and careless driving charges (including a DUI) and he photographed himself earlier in the evening at a bar.

• Both had been driving expensive, fast cars (for whatever that’s worth): Nivea was driving a ’06 Mercedes’ whereas Dunn had been driving a Porsche 911 GT3.

What happens when someone gets charged and convicted of driving under the influence in Long Beach with injury to someone else? The answer is stark and scary: You can be charged pursuant to California Vehicle Code Sections 23153 (a) or 23153 (b) – basically what these CVC codes do is escalate what might ordinarily be a misdemeanor charge (still pretty serious) to a felony count (extremely serious). The result? More jail time, stricter penalties, bigger fines, and a harder road back to normalcy.

Can a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney Help You with Your Long Beach DUI Case?

The answer depends on whom you select, how you work with that lawyer, and the nature of your DUI arrest and behavior afterwards. The Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers (located in Long Beach at: 444 West Ocean, Suite 800 Long Beach, California 90802 Phone: (562) 531-7454) can provide a free and confidential consultation regarding your arrest and suggest best practices to prevent you from doing more damage and to put you on a path towards maximizing your defense. Attorney Kraut is not only an experienced defense attorney who has garnered great reviews from clients, legal peers, and the media (e.g. CNN, New York Times, KTLA News), but he is also a former prosecutor who uses his knowledge and connections as an ex-deputy DA to help his clients.

June 27, 2011

Beverly Hills DUI Mystery: Was Jackass Star, Ryan Dunn, DUI When His Porsche Drove Off the Road at 130 Miles Per Hour?

by Michael Kraut

The blogosphere was ablaze (no pun intended) last week with horrific Beverly Hills DUI news – 34-year-old Ryan Dunn, co-star of the popular TV series and movie franchise “Jackass,” died last week in a catastrophic fireball. The disaster led some pundits to declare that Dunn “died as he lived” and inspired a callous tweet from the movie reviewer, Robert Ebert. Clearly, Dunn’s epic tragedy dwarfed any other Los Angeles DUI, Burbank DUI, Pasadena DUI, and Glendale DUI news last week, so let’s explore a little bit about what happened and discuss some implications.

News Summary

Dunn had been cited 13 times for driving problems over the past 23 years – including 10 speeding tickets and one DUI from 2005 (charges for this DUI were dropped after Dunn went through a probationary program). Last Monday morning, Dunn had been driving his Porsche 911 GT3 130 miles per hour in Pennsylvania’s West Goshen Township on Route 322, when the car lurched off the road, zoomed over a guardrail, tore through trees, and burst into flames. The carnage was total: a coroner’s report has still not determined whether Dunn and his co-passenger died from fire injuries or blunt force trauma. And a toxicology report will not be available for at least a month or six weeks, so pundits will have to wait for more evidence about whether Dunn was in fact DUI or not.

Whether or not the Jackass star had indeed been driving DUI has been the subject of much internet speculation – Dunn himself uploaded a picture of him and a buddy drinking that night – just hours before the crash took place. (Witnesses did say that Dunn was not intoxicated.)

One of the big lessons is that repeatedly driving under the influence in Beverly Hills is a recipe for disaster, sooner or later. As this blog has detailed multiple times, the punishment for recidivist DUI behavior gets increasingly more stringent. A first time offender, for instance, might wind up with several weeks in alcohol school, a one-year license suspension, and a mandatory installation of an interlock ignition device in his or her vehicle – along with a day or two behind bars.

But a three or four time Beverly Hills DUI offender may not only get punished with a multiyear driver license suspension, enormous court costs and fines, and other court customized punishments, but he or she may also see an ordinary misdemeanor DUI charge elevated to a felony – a far more serious charge.

Fortunately, the Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Michael Kraut may be able to construct a strategic and logically sound defense for you. Beverly Hills’ Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers (9107 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 450, Beverly Hills, California 90210 Phone: (310) 550-6935) has earned a reputation for excellent client service. Attorney Kraut draws upon a wealth of experience (including 14 plus years as a Senior Deputy DA for LA – a DUI prosecutor). He has earned the respect not only of past and present clients but also of other lawyers, judges, and juries.

May 25, 2011

Glendale DUI Doozy – DUI Cabbie Drives Wrong Way on Freeway; Fortunately, He Didn’t Kill Anybody

by Michael Kraut

The crime of driving under the influence in Glendale (or anywhere else, for that matter) is serious enough. But when DUI drivers compound their problems by doing things like driving the wrong way on the freeway, accidents can happen far more easily – and these accidents have a far greater likelihood of leading to fatalities.

Not all the scary California DUI news has to do with Burbank DUI, Glendale DUI, Pasadena DUI, and Los Angeles DUI events – stuff that this blog normally tries to cover. Sometimes, our neighbors in the northern CA also get into trouble. Case in point, Mercury News is reporting on a terrifying story about a 57-year-old taxi driver, Steve Sharek, who drove his cab up an off-ramp onto Highway 1 – a misadventure that ended in a significant accident (although, fortunately, not a fatal one).

Here’s the story, per mercurynews.com: “About 1:50 P.M Monday, Sharek drove a taxi up an off-ramp at State Park Drive in Aptos to southbound Highway 1 in the wrong direction, the CHP said. The driver apparently realized his error and made a U-turn…by that time, a 57-year-old Aptos woman in a white, 1994 Toyota Avalon slammed on her breaks (and slammed into a 2001 Chevrolet Suburban).”

Fortunately, both the Aptos woman and the driver of the Suburban escaped without significant injuries, at least according to news reports. After his U-turn, Sharek attracted the attention of CHP officers, who pulled him over and arrested him under suspicion of DUI.

Most defendants understand that charges of injury DUI in Glendale may be more significant than simple Glendale DUI charges. But how different, exactly, are these crimes?

If you look at the California Vehicle Code sections that describe these crimes, you might not see much of a difference… at first.

A typical misdemeanor DUI, for instance, might be charged pursuant to CVC 23152 (a) or 23152 (b); whereas a typical injury DUI would be charged under CVC 23153 (a) and 23153 (b).

If you glance at these CVC codes quickly, they look basically identical!

But there is an enormous, profound difference. A 23152 charge is generally a misdemeanor – a serious crime, to be sure. But a 23153 charge, on the other hand, is a felony charge. Convicted felons can wind up with extensive prison sentences. So even if the person you hurt in your DUI accident wasn’t “that hurt,” you could still find yourself a felon if the prosecution manages to convict you under 23153 CVC.

A Los Angeles criminal defense attorney (for example, Mr. Michael Kraut of Glendale’s Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers, located at: 121 W Lexington Dr, Glendale, CA 91203 Phone: (818) 507-9123) can provide timely, effective, and strategically sound help. Attorney Kraut is not only a well-recognized former prosecutor of Los Angeles DUI crimes, but he is also regularly sought out by trusted media organizations like KTLA News, The New York Times, and Fox News, to discuss important breaking news in the Los Angeles DUI arena.

March 23, 2011

Long Beach DUI Dilemma: What to do about all these sports stars getting arrested?

by Michael Kraut

A week ago Sunday, Bryson Smith, a 22-year-old baseball player for the University of Florida, got smacked with a DUI charge and taken to Alachua County Jail – Long Beach DUI experts and others who follow the world of sports news have noticed an uptick in stories about young athletes like Smith getting in trouble for driving under the influence, violating the terms of their contracts, and generally tarnishing the reputations of their sports.

As this blog has relentlessly pointed out in discussions about DUI in Pasadena, DUI in Glendale, DUI in Burbank, and DUI in Los Angeles, sports and DUI simply do not mix. But professional bobsledders, GMs of the nation’s most prestigious teams, and superstar MLB and NFL players alike seem to be getting in DUI trouble these days. Why? What’s going on?

More specifically, what happened to Smith?

According to Gainesville Police Department reports, the 22-year-old had been out with his friends at a bar called Cantina 101, when officers saw his vehicle swerving around Northwest 22nd Street, making unusually wide turns and drifting across lanes. Officer Jessie Bostick pulled the suspect over and put him through field sobriety tests (FSTs), which apparently did not go so well.

Officer Bostick reported that Smith “performed poorly on field sobriety exercises… and had bloodshot and glassy eyes.” After Smith was arrested and taken to jail, he refused to take a breathalyzer test. His coach, Kevin O’ Sullivan, released a statement: “I am aware of the charges against our baseball student athlete, and we take these very seriously… Bryson Smith has been suspended from the team effective immediately.”

Coach O’ Sullivan clearly did not want to have to suspend his key player – Smith was hitting .345 for his team with 5 RBIs on the season – one of them a game winner.

The symptoms of a Long Beach DUI that police look for are often “obvious.” In this case, the officer saw Smith swaying from side to side and observed him to have glassy and bloodshot eyes. Other common symptoms include: inability to respond to officer questions, odor of alcohol on the breath, admission to having drunk alcohol (Smith said he had one beer), empty containers of alcohol in the vehicle, slurred speech, loss of coordination, and inconsistent story telling.

As we just said, these symptoms seem “obvious.” Unfortunately, what often might appear to be clear signs of intoxication can actually be attributable to something else. For instance, someone can pull an all-nighter and thus have red bloodshot eyes because of fatigue. Someone might be uncoordinated and not be able to “get it together” enough for FSTs.

Conversely, just because you test negative for symptoms doesn’t mean that you are NOT DUI. For instance, a trained athlete with a great sense of balance might be able to pass the “walk the line” test with flying colors… even with a BAC more than twice the Long Beach DUI legal limit.

A Los Angeles criminal defense attorney, like Michael Kraut of the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers (444 West Ocean, Suite 800 Long Beach, California 90802 Phone: (562) 531-7454), can answer your questions about your DUI case. Talk to a Harvard Law School educated ex-prosecutor about your best and smartest plan to deal with the charges.

March 21, 2011

Glendale DUI Setups: Divorced Dads Targeted in Nefarious “Dirty DUI” Scam

by Michael Kraut

Here is how the scam typically happened. A divorced dad in the midst of a bitter custody battle finds himself approached by two gorgeous women at a local watering hole, gets seduced into driving to a “hot tub party” and then suddenly, out of nowhere, finds himself pulled over and arrested for driving under the influence in Glendale.

Turns out, the dad was set up. His wife had hired Christopher Butler, an ex-cop, to arrange the “dirty DUI” operation by hiring the women to seduce him and then alerting law enforcement agents as the man took the road. The result? A DUI in Los Angeles, DUI in Pasadena, DUI in Burbank, DUI in Glendale, or DUI anywhere else in Southern California.

Sounds like fiction? Think again.

The San Francisco Chronicle and Daily Mail Reporter detailed this “dirty DUI” scam in a recent story. Among the divorcees caught up in the trouble:

* 46-year-old David Dutcher — he was stopped in 2008 for DUI after a woman he met on match.com invited him back to hot tub with one of her friends. The police pulled him over and found him to have a BAC of 0.12% (Southern California DUI limit is 0.08%).

* 46-year-old Declan Woods — This contractor was busted in July 2007, after a younger woman got him drunk at Ed’s Mudville Grill and the Clayton Club Saloon. Woods hopped in a car to follow the woman to more partying at Walnut Creek, when he got pulled over by the police – a 0.21% BAC breathalyzer reading and a devastating arrest quickly followed.

Although these divorced dads got “seduced” into breaking the law (by driving under the influence), they clearly should have known better.

On the other hand, their wives and Mr. Butler (the ex-police officer who set things up) should also be ashamed. Inspiring people to drive under the influence in Southern California is reprehensible, whatever the reason.

But if you’ve been caught for driving under the influence in Glendale or elsewhere, you may not need to prove that you were “set up” in order to build a good defense. Indeed, simply questioning the methodology and accuracy of the breath test can be enough to break down the prosecution’s case against you. You might think that a Glendale DUI blood test or breathalyzer test that shows a positive for DUI would be essentially incontrovertible evidence that you did something wrong and broke the law. But, surprisingly, such tests can often be compromised and misleading.

An experienced Los Angeles criminal defense attorney can take a look at the test results and help you develop a smart way to minimize your penalties and maximize your chances of the best possible outcomes. Connect with Michael Kraut’s Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers (offices in Glendale at : 121 W Lexington Dr, Glendale, CA 91203 Phone: (818) 507-9123) to get your critical questions about your Glendale DUI answered right now.

March 2, 2011

Glendale DUI News Alert: Bad News Comes in Fours

by Michael Kraut

Getting arrested for driving under the influence in Glendale or elsewhere in Southern California is no picnic. But often, offenders compound their legal woes both during and after arrest. We’re going to take a look at two unfortunate stories from the past week – both involving the number four. One involves a North Dakota man who got arrested twice in four hours for DUI; the other involves a Pennsylvanian man who racked up his fourth DUI in a McDonald’s parking lot.

If someone you care about has gotten arrested for Glendale DUI, Burbank DUI, DUI in Los Angeles, or DUI in Pasadena, these two cautionary tales may be quite useful to you.

Turmoil in West Fargo
The AP reports that, last Thursday, a 40-year-old man got pulled over at 2:20 A.M for suspicion of DUI in West Fargo, ND. The man made his bail and then immediately got behind the wheel again. Some passerby saw him “slumped over the wheel of a running vehicle with its lights on” at 5:40 A.M. Surprise, surprise, the police promptly busted the man again for DUI – not even four hours had elapsed between arrests.

Big Woes in Ridley Township
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 miles away in Ridley Township, Pennsylvania, Christian M Sweeney smashed his red Oldsmobile into a woman waiting in a McDonald’s drive-through. Just two months ago, Sweeney had passed out in front of a Wawa. Police tested him for DUI, and he blew an astounding 0.62% BAC on a breathalyzer. For some perspective on this number, consider that the legal limit for a Glendale DUI (as defined by California Vehicle Code Section 23152 (b)) is just 0.08%. This means that Sweeney blew a BAC of nearly eight times the California legal limit! If you consult alcohol experts, many will tell you that 0.50% BAC is often fatal. If Sweeney’s December BAC reading was correct, it’s actually a miracle he survived.

In any event, officers reportedly found not only a bottle of vodka in Sweeney’s pants but also an empty hydrocodone bottle in his car. On top of that, Sweeney exhibited signs associated with Glendale DUI, such as “odor of alcohol coming from his breath and person,” red and glassy eyes, and slurred speech.

Does DUI bad news always come in fours?

Not necessarily. Each DUI defense offers unique nuances and defensive resources. If you or someone you care about was pulled over in the Valley or elsewhere in the Southland for the crime of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs – or some variation of that crime – trust your defense to a competent Los Angeles criminal defense attorney.

Mr. Michael Kraut of Glendale’s Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers (located at: 121 W Lexington Dr, Glendale, CA 91203 Phone: (818) 507-9123) can provide a stiff, strategic, and sophisticated defense for you. As a regular commentator for the BBC, Fox News, the Los Angeles Times, and other widely respected publications – and as a Harvard Law School educated former prosecutor – Mr. Kraut can provide peerless legal assistance.