DUI punishment

August 21, 2019

Life After DUI: True Stories of People Who Turned Their Lives Around

Between the embarrassment, the stigma and the uncertainty, a DUI arrest can be a traumatic experience in and of itself. The following days and weeks may offer little relief as you face the prospect of jail time, fines and license suspension—not to mention possibly jeopardizing your job if you can’t get to work.

If you’re facing this kind of situation in the wake of a DUI arrest, however, the real question isn’t what will happen if you’re convicted, but what happens after your case is closed. Regardless of whether you’re convicted or how severe the penalties, the DUI arrest is a moment in your life, and at some point it will be behind you. The question is whether you will find yourself in this situation again, or whether you will let it be a teaching moment. As a point of inspiration and encouragement, we’ve hunted down a few real-life stories of people who allowed their DUI arrest to become a turning point in their lives.

Second Time’s a Charm

July 5, 2016

Man Loses Legs in DUI Collision

by Michael Kraut

All too often drivers arrested for DUI in Los Angeles may come away from a crash unscathed while some innocent bystander suffers life-threatening or life-changing injuries. The latest out-of-state example comes from Denver, where a 19-year old under the influence of drugs crushed the legs of a man in a DUI-related crash.

Denver Channel 7 reported that 19-year old Dylan Gottschling was driving under the influence of two drugs—heroin and Xanax—when he slammed into the back of a parked SUV on July 4th. The SUV, pushed forward, struck another vehicle; unfortunately, Craig Towler had been standing between them.

The crash pinned Towler and crushed his two legs. To save his life, physicians had to amputate both legs below the knee.

Gottschling, arrested for DUI, reckless driving and vehicular assault, admitted he had been trying to change music on his phone when he hit the SUV. But police think there was more involved; they also charged the teen with texting while driving.

August 5, 2015

Police Don’t Play Around With DUI Arrests

by Michael Kraut

When police officers arrest high-profile sports figures for DUI, it always makes the news, whether the charges involve a DUI in Los Angeles or in some small Midwest town.

A California Highway Patrol officer picked up Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson on July 14th. Lawson, who was driving his white Mercedes north on the 101 freeway, displayed signs of intoxication, according to police reports. The cop booked Lawson into Los Angeles County Jail after charging him with DUI. This is Lawson’s second arrest for DUI in 2015 and the fourth during his professional football career.

Jack Trudeau, who played quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts from 1986 until 1993, faces charges of operating while intoxicated. Police in Zionsville, Indiana, picked him up on Sunday, July 26th, and measured his blood alcohol content a .31—almost four times the legal limit.

Police charged Marco Pappa, a midfielder for the Seattle Sounders soccer team, with suspicion of DUI and speeding after pulling him over in the early morning hours of Sunday, July 20th. Pappa had to take a playing time out; Major League Soccer bans players arrested for DUI from taking part in any matches until the league completes a substance abuse and behavioral health assessment.

National Hockey League star Ryan O’Reilly may win the prize for the most noticeable spots DUI arrest in July. He crashed a 1951 vintage Chevrolet truck into the Tim Horton’s in Lucan, a township in Ontario, Canada. O’Reilly drove off, but police officers located his vehicle through the assistance of witnesses. Police charged him with impaired driving and leaving the scene of an accident.

At least one sports figure managed to avoid a conviction on a DUI charge, however. Tim Jennings, a Chicago Bear player, pleaded guilty to reckless driving and speeding charges in a January 7th incident. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped the DUI charges against him.

Designing and executing an effective defense against DUI charges (even simple ones) is not intuitive. Fortunately, you can trust the seasoned, highly successful Michael Kraut. Call a DUI lawyer in Los Angeles with nearly two decades of experience.

July 21, 2015

Don’t Mess with North Dakota on Outstanding DUI Charges

by Michael Kraut

Anyone charged with a Los Angeles DUI can expect a fairly speed resolution to their case, whether that means paying a fine, spending some time in jail or having an ignition interlock system installed on their car.

But it took 20 years for justice to catch up with Jason William Gale. According to the INFORUM website, on March 13, 1995, a police officer in Grand Forks, North Dakota, saw Gale swerving his vehicle into a bicycle path. The cop pulled him over, but Gale didn’t do well on the field sobriety test. The cop arrested him for DUI.

Gale hired a lawyer, Henry Howe, to defend himself against that charge. Gale trusted Howe to guide him through the court process and even signed a power of attorney so that Howe could represent him during preliminary court proceedings. Howe told Gale he had handled everything, but the lawyer actually never showed up in court.

Gale moved soon after the DUI incident and subsequently lived in Colorado, Fargo, North Dakota, Florida and Minnesota. Along the way he held multiple jobs, got involved in a few civil court cases and had at least five background checks. But it took a recent employment background check to uncover the fact that the Grand Forks court had issued a warrant for his arrest back in 1995 after he failed to show up in court.

North Dakota must have some tough prosecutors. Gale tried to set things right, and his new attorney thought the court would dismiss the charges. But the prosecutor tried the case, calling up the arresting officer from 20 years ago to testify. Gale ended up paying a $500 fine, but at least he didn’t get sent to jail and there are no more outstanding arrests warrants against him.

Locating a seasoned and qualified Los Angeles DUI defense lawyer is a critical part of the process of reclaiming your life, your time and your peace of mind. Call ex-prosecutor Michael Kraut for a free consultation right now.

April 8, 2015

After Killing Teen, Illinois Driver Arrested Again for DUI

by Michael Kraut

It would be devastating to learn that someone you loved had been killed or seriously injured by someone arrested for a Los Angeles DUI. It would make matters even worse if you found out that ten years later that driver hadn’t learned his lesson.

The family of 17-year-old Caitlin Weese of Elgin, Illinois, got the dreaded call back in 2003. Paramedics had rushed the high school senior to the hospital after 23-year old James Stitt hit her car head on. Weese died two days later just a few weeks before her high school graduation. Stitt had two prior arrests for DUI, and police found he was driving on a suspended license when he swerved into oncoming traffic and ran into Weese.

Stitt went to prison but got out in 2009. Just four years later, he got his license back, but had to use an ignition interlock device to start his car. Under current Illinois law, however, he was able to get that device removed after a year.

In November 2014, police found Stitt slumped over the wheel of his vehicle after he had crashed into two parked vehicles. After he failed a field sobriety test, police charged him with felony aggravated DUI. (There’s been no resolution of that case to date.)

Stitt’s latest arrest has spurred a move to change Illinois’ DUI law. Thanks to an effort by Weese’s family, who were outraged by Stitt’s newest arrest, a bill making it much tougher for repeated DUI offenders to get their drivers licenses back is speeding through the state legislature.

Do you need help defending against a drug or DUI charge? Michael Kraut of Los Angeles’s Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers is a trustworthy, highly qualified former prosecutor. Call a Los Angeles DUI attorney today to strategize for your defense seriously.

February 14, 2014

Be Grateful Your Los Angeles DUI Arrest Didn’t Happen in El Salvador…

by Michael Kraut

As someone who was recently arrested for DUI in Los Angeles, you’re feeling pretty down about your situation. California Vehicle Code Section 23512 spells out a variety of punishments — all unpleasant — that could be in your near-term future. These could include fines and fees, court costs, probation, alcohol school, suspension of your CA license, forced installation of an IID device in your car and, of course, jail time.

That’s all less than ideal.

That said, give serious thanks that you did not drive DUI in El Salvador. Why? Because in that country, first time DUI offenders can be punished by death by firing squad!

Let’s take a tour of other DUI punishments from around the world:

•   In the Southeast Asian country of Malaysia, the law of the land says that if you get caught for DUI, not only will you go to jail but your wife will to go to jail, too – even if she didn’t do anything wrong!
•   In South Africa, first time DUI offenders can get a decade long jail sentence on top of a fine equal to $10,000.
•   In Russia, authorities can revoke your driver’s license for life if you get a DUI.
•   In Turkey, if you’re busted for DUI, police can take you 20 miles beyond the town’s borders and march you back by foot via police escort.
•   Bulgaria is almost as intolerant of DUIs as El Salvador is — a second conviction results in execution. (For comparison, a second Los Angeles DUI conviction within 10 years results in escalated penalties as well. You might face a little more jail time, stricter probation terms, more alcohol school, and so forth. But odds are extremely low that you will be executed by firing squad.)
•   Scandinavian countries are also known for their extremely stringent anti-DUI laws. Sweden and Finland both punish the offense with a mandatory one-year jail sentence. In Norway, you lose your license for a year. Two offenses in five years leads to a Russia-style revocation of your driver’s license for life.
•   If you get convicted of Los Angeles DUI, you may find it difficult to travel to Mexico and Canada, both of which have laws on the books that allow Border Patrol agents to stop you from entering their countries if you have a DUI conviction on your record.
•   Even our “civilized friends” across the pond in England and France have tougher DUI laws than we have in the U.S. In France, you get a $1,000 fine, a whole year in jail and the loss of your driver’s license for three years.
•   In England, you get a $250 fine, a year license suspension and up to a year behind bars.

Of course, this article is not meant to convince you that you’re “all in the clear” just because you got arrested in the United States, where the laws are slightly more lenient. In fact, we still live in a relatively punitive society. Fortunately, the team here at the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers can help you come up with an effective, intelligent Los Angeles DUI defense strategy.
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