Archive for March, 2010

The Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction was arrested on Sunday at 1:30 a.m. on suspicion of WA drunk driving.  Randy Dorn has made somewhat of a name for himself in the state of Washington by pushing for standardized teacher evaluations.

A brave thing to do, considering the Teachers Union is one of the most powerful unions in the state, and are passionately opposed to all standardization.  Research indicates that local needs dictate the best means of evaluations for both students and teachers.

Dorn is a strong supporter of No Child Left Behind, legislation enacted under George W. Bush, which dictates that all children receive a standardized test to evaluate their educational growth.  While GW considers it the greatest legislative achievement of his two terms, NCLB has been criticized by educational professionals.  It requires expensive standardized tests but provides no funding; and it tests only reading, writing, science and math, meaning that civics, music, art, and history all get reduced funding, if they are fortunate not to be completely cut out curriculums.

Regardless of his stance on NCLB it’s a good thing he left the kids at home on Sunday night.  Even though you are in your car, a Washington DUI is a criminal issue, and having minors involved in a DUI is a MAJOR problem.  In fact many prosecutors around Western Washington will fill additional charges based solely on minors being in the vehicle at the time of the Washington DUI incident. 

No doubt Dorn will retain an experienced Washington DUI attorney to contest his case.  Washington drunk driving laws are extremely tough.  Even if this is your first offense, a WA State DUI conviction means that you will be sentenced to at least one day in jail and face a minimum mandatory 90-day license suspension.

If you are charged with a WA State DUI and your alleged BAC was either above .15 or you refused to take a breath test, then the penalties increase.  You would then be looking at a minimum 48 hours in jail and a mandatory one-year license suspension.  A good Washington driving under the influence attorney can do many things to influence the outcome of your case. 

By the way, if you are in need of the services of an experienced and aggressive Washington DUI attorney, you should consider calling the Law Offices of Jason S. Newcombe.  Mr. Newcombe is an experienced WA State drunk driving lawyer, and he will vigorously defend your legal rights.

The Washington DUI emphasis patrols issued a news release reiterating the importance of not drinking and driving on Super Bowl Sunday.  Washington drunk driving incidents typically spike that day, as do alcohol-related accidents.

Washington State Troopers will be deploying extra patrols that will target speeding, aggressive driving and potential Washington DUI offenders.  They recommend that if you decide to go out, drink, and watch the game, that you arrange a designated driver for your party, or take a cab.

WSP Chief John Batiste was quoted as saying, “Getting into a collision is not the way to celebrate a major sporting event.”  Moreover, while a cab ride may cost you $50 to $100 if the distance is significant, less if you live near the location, it is still far, far less than you will have to pay a Seattle DUI lawyer or a Washington drunk driving attorney if you arrested and charged with DUI.

Tyrone Kinzer, a 43 year-old Kent, WA man, was arrested on suspicion of Washington DUI and second-degree assault, after rear-ending another vehicle near the Milton-Freewater area of Oregon.  According to the Oregon State Police, the accident occurred on Highway 11 near milepost 32, around 11:30 p.m.

Mr. Kinzer’s Toyota collided with a Ford Taurus, which had three occupants in the vehicle.  The driver of the Taurus fled the scene after the accident and is currently being sought by the Oregon State Police.  One of the passengers, a 23 year-old woman, suffered critical injuries, while another, a 43 year-old woman, was treated for minor injuries.

Kinzer was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital in Walla Walla and treated for his injuries.  He was then arrested and booked into the Walla Walla County Jail.  Had this accident occurred in Washington State, Mr. Kinzer would have been facing similar charges for his actions.

Under Washington DUI law, any accident involving serious injury that results from drunk driving is likely to result the driver being charged with one or more felonies.  Washington’s drunk driving laws are very tough, even for first time offenders.  By the way, if you or someone you know is currently facing a driving under the influence charge, I would recommend calling Washington DUI attorney Jason S. Newcombe.

Mr. Newcombe is an experienced WA State dui lawyer and aggressively defend your charges.

This is simply continuing the unfortunate trend of criminal problems the U of O athletic department have been having recently.  As a fan of Pac-10 football, I find the trend amusing. 

However, I should point out the supposed probable cause for stopping her was because she hit the curb several times while attempting to parallel park a Chevy Equinox.  This vehicle is a large SUV.  It also fortunate that our young cheerleader friend was not driving in Washington state at the time of DUI incident.  It is well known that Washington’s DUI laws are much harsher than those in her sister state, Oregon.

My question is whether it is abnormal for an 18 year old female to have some difficulty parallel parking a large SUV smoothly?  This stop doesn’t pass my smell test….

Moral of the story… learn how to parallel park or not go to U of O?  Of course, Washington football fans have been treated to plenty of drunken criminal activity by their players as well.  Who can forget the idiotic alcohol-laced incident involving Zach Tuiasosopo?

Washington fullback Zach Tuiasosopo was ultimately given a one-year deferred sentence in King County Superior Court for smashing out the windows of several cars following a sorority cruise-ship party in May.  Fortunately for Tuiasosopo, he was not driving at the time of the incident. 

Had he been driving, he certainly also would have been a facing a charge of Washington DUI because it was abundantly clear that he was absolutely hammered at the time of drunken rampage.

Law enforcement Officers there are drinking alcoholic drinks as a part of their training for how to give field sobriety tests.  The most common types of Field Sobriety Tests are the so-called “standardized” tests.  These include the one legged stand, walking heel to toe, and an eye examination called the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test.

Supposedly, the officers are supposed to drink until they have “slurred speech, glassy eyes, and a lack of coordination.” 

Maybe this is the type of training that enables some Officers to describe my Washington DUI clients in their reports in a manner which I can’t see when reviewing many of the dashboard video tapes that are provided to us through discovery. 

James A. Stephenson, a 62 year-old King County, WA resident, was arrested for suspicion of Seattle DUI after driving down a city street with a flat tire and another tire completely missing on his Porsche 911. As you will read below, apparently, Mr. Stephenson was pretty out of it at the time that police caught up with him.

He was pulled over by a Washington State Trooper after he spotted the car and heard the grinding noise it was producing. Mr. Stephenson was confused when approached by the officer, thinking that he was a mechanic. He was under the impression that his transmission was the problem, and not the missing tire.

The Trooper immediately suspected that Mr. Stephenson was in a state of Seattle DUI upon initial contact. After the Trooper pointed out the real problem to Mr. Stephenson, he reportedly told the officer that the Porsche had been fine when he left a friend’s house earlier.

Brandon Jones, a cornerback for the Washington State University football team, was dismissed today for violating team rules.  On February 6, he was arrested near the WA State University campus for suspicion of a Washington DUI.

Jones started his college career at Cal, but he transferred to Washington State in 2008. He started 11 games for the Cougars last season, but missed the Apple Cup game, due to a lingering back injury.  It is unclear whether or not this is Jones’ first Washington DUI arrest.  But it appears that it is in fact his first arrest, which is very good for Jones.

If this were Jones’ second Washington drunk driving arrest, he would be looking at some very stiff mandatory penalties, including being incarcerated for a period of at least 30 to 45 days in jail.  Jones would also be looking at a mandatory minimum milt-year license revocation.

Miami Dolphins cornerback, Will Allen, was arrested today and charged with a DUI.  He was arrested in the Miami Beach area after driving down a road that was barricaded by police and asking the officers if he could drive through.  The officers smelled alcohol, and it was reported that Allen had bloodshot eyes.  He is being held at the Pretrial Detention Center in Miami on a $1,000 bond.

Allen, a nine-year NFL veteran, missed the last 10 games of the 2009 season due to a knee injury that required surgery.  The Dolphins declined to comment on his legal situation.  It is not known whether or not this is Allen’s first drunk driving charge.  If, however, you are arrested on a Washington State DUI allegation, it’s very important to speak with an experienced criminal defense attorney as soon as possible.  A good WA State DUI lawyer can do many things to assist you in fighting your arrest and criminal charge.

Peter Allen Steele was apprehended by San Mateo sheriff’s deputies after ringing neighbor’s doorbells and streaking through a home and into the woods.  The 6’7”, 250 lbs suspect did not go down without a fight, as it took a couple of shots from a taser gun to apprehend the suspect.

Steele is accused of ringing residents’ doorbells completely naked and then leading deputies on a high-speed chase in a pickup truck.  Steele drove for approximately seven miles before hitting the side of the road, at which point his tires went flat.  Steele is being charged with a DUI, indecent exposure, evading police officers and trespassing.  Say, friends, if you or a loved one has recently been arrested or charged with a Seattle DUI, we recommend that you contact the Law Offices of Jason S. Newcombe.  They are experienced Washington DUI lawyers.

Dante Kraus, a 45 year-old motorcyclist, was arrested for suspicion of a DUI, after he ran a red light while exiting Interstate 75.  At the time of the alleged driving and his arrest, he was completely naked.  He had been drinking at a local Hooters restaurant and did not remember how he lost his clothes.  Incredibly, this is the fifth time that he has been charged with DUI in the state of Florida.

Under Washington DUI law, if you are convicted of two or more drunk driving offenses within any seven-year period, the mandatory minimum sentence that will be imposed increases dramatically.  For example, if you are convicted of a second DUI offense within the seven years of your first offense, you will be sentenced to a mandatory minimum of either thirty or forty-five days in jail.  If it was your first offense, however, the mandatory minimum jail sentence is only one or two days in jail.

Our Washington DUI lawyers make it a point to emphasize to every one of our first-time DUI clients that a second drunk driving charge can result in the imposition of significant jail time and a multi-year license revocation.