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Jemere Holland, a wide receiver for the University of Oregon football team was dismissed from the team after he posted an expletive-filled message to his Facebook page.  Chip Kelly, the head coach for the team, made a statement that he dismissed Holland for violating team rules.

Holland was mistakenly under the impression that star linebacker, Kristian Kiko Alonso, was dismissed from the team after a recent arrest for a DUI.  This misunderstanding prompted his tirade on his Facebook page.

Alonso is the fourth football player to be arrested in the past month.  He was arrested less than a day after Kelly held a press conference addressing the team’s off-field issues.

Holland, who transferred to Oregon from the University of Southern California, had 17 catches for 252 yards and two touchdowns in his two years with the team.  He is the second Oregon player to be dismissed from the team in the last month.  But it remains a mystery as to why Holland believed that Alonso’s drunk driving arrest and subsequent DUI charge led to his being dismissed from the team when that clearly was not the case.

Washington has had its share of football related drunk driving incidents as well.  Perhaps the best known of which was when Seattle Seahawks’ head coach Dennis Erickson was arrested for a Washington DUI.  Erickson’s WA State DUI charge remains a black mark on his record, though he has not had any similar driving under the influence of intoxicants incidents since.

Rey Maualuga, a rookie linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals, plead guilty today to a DUI charge resulting from an incident in Kentucky.  Maualuga was charged in late January, after he was responsible for an accident involving a parking meter and two parked cars.  As a consequence to his guilty plea, Maualuga received a suspended 7-day jail sentence, was fined $884, and was placed on probation for 2-years.

In addition, his driver’s license was suspended for 90 days, and he was ordered to participate in a drug and alcohol education program.  Maualuga had also been charged with careless driving.  The careless driving charge was dropped as part of his plea negotiations.  If you are convicted of a Washington DUI charge, you will be sentenced to mandatory jail and face a mandatory suspension of your WA State driving privileges.  These WA DUI sentencing conditions cannot be suspended or waived.

At the courthouse, Maualuga made the following statement to the press:

He expressed contrition “for bringing such great humiliation and embarrassment to the team…  I will learn from this and become a better person and a better man from all this. And I assure you that this will never happen again.”

Although the criminal aspects of his case will be resolved, if he completes all of his court-ordered requirements, Maualuga will be responsible for the property damage that his accident caused.  The exact cost has yet to be determined.  DUI charges involving an accident are complicated.  If you or a loved one is arrested for drunk driving here in WA State, it’s important to speak with a Washington DUI attorney as soon as possible, especially if an accident is involved.

Carlos Dunlap, a former Florida Gator defensive star, pleaded no contest to a DUI charge from December 1, 2009.  His plea was entered in Gainsville Court earlier today. He was sentenced to 1-year of probation, 50 hours of community service, and a $1,000 fine.  The court is also requiring that he attend a victim’s impact panel.  Also, as result of his no contest plea, Dunlap’s driver’s license will be suspended for 6 months.

On December 1^st, several days before the Southeastern Conference championship game in Atlanta, Dunlap was arrested after police found him sleeping at the wheel at an intersection.  Our Seattle DUI lawyers recently reviewed a similar fact pattern involving a man in Greenwood who was literally passed out behind the wheel at an intersection.

Dunlap was suspended for the championship game, but was re-instated 3 weeks later.  He recorded 2 sacks versus Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl.  The Gators easily won the game.  Dunlap is currently awaiting the NFL draft in April, where he is expected to be a 1^st or 2^nd round pick.  If you have recently been arrested for drunk driving here in King County, WA, we invite you to call our offices and speak to one of our experienced Seattle DUI attorneys.

Here’ another horribly sad story that we recently related to one of our Seattle DUI lawyers.  Former Lance Cpl. Elijah Ferguson, who is 22 years-old, was sentenced today for his conviction of 2^nd degree murder and driving under the influence causing injury, for a February 2008 accident that killed an Orange County, CA, doctor, and injured the doctor’s wife.  He was sentenced to 15 years to life.

Ironically, the accident occurred several hours after Ferguson attended a driving safety briefing at Camp Pendleton, which specifically addressed the dangers of driving under the influence.  Under Washington drunk driving law, if you kill someone while driving under the influence, you will be charged with one or more very serious felonies.

Dr. Michael Stein, a radiologist, was killed, and his wife injured, when Ferguson’s car rear-ended their car in the coastal town of Newport Beach.  If you are currently facing a WA drunk driving charge, we can help.  Please call our offices to speak with one of our knowledgeable Washington DUI attorneys.

The Oprah Show is offering a stream of their Monday, Jan. 18th show entitled, “This Show Could Save Your Life: America’s New Deadly Obsession.” 

Here is the show description:

Would you get in your car and drive after having four drinks?  Statistics show that talking on the phone or texting while driving is just as dangerous as driving drunk.  It is Oprah’s hope that seeing this show will be a seminal moment in your life and that you will be inspired to make your car a no phone zone.  Throughout the show, courageous families shared personal stories of how they’ve paid the ultimate price for America’s deadly habit when they lost loved ones because of distracted drivers.  And, three people who all thought they could multi-task while driving were put to the ultimate road test by the experts at Car and Driver Magazine.  The results were shocking!  The members of our audience all pledged to make their car a no phone zone. Will you?

The Senate Transportation Committee held a meeting on Monday, January 17, 2010. One of the debates revolves around toughening the Washington state’s traffic laws as they relate to using cell phones while driving. Specifically, the new law would allow WA state law enforcement officers to pull over drivers that they observe holding a cell phone to their ear while driving.  The fine for this violation would be $124.

Sen. Tracey Eide, D-Federal Way, is the leading proponent for this bill and is sponsoring it.  In addition to the above change of the law, this bill would also prohibit drivers under the age of 18 from talking on cell phones entirely while driving, including phones that are equipped with “hands-free” devices.

Debate is expected from both sides of each of these proposed new WA traffic laws.  One side believes it would overburden already stretched police officers and the other believes that it is a public safety issue warranting immediate action.

Sen. Eide believes this issue to be in the same category as a DUI.

“It’s the equivalent to drunk driving. We don’t tolerate drunks in Washington State,” she said. “It’s time to say, ‘Hang up and drive.’”  Many believe, however, that her comparison to Washington DUI law is a stretch.

January 15, 2010

Utah state senator Sheldon Killpack was arrested Friday in Salt Lake City on suspicion of DUI.  The Utah highway patrol pulled the senate majority leader over after a police officer noticed that his vehicle was exhibiting a “poor driving pattern”.  Many Washington DUI cases begin with a similar traffic stop.

The police officer asked Senator Killpack to exit the vehicle and perform a series of standardized field sobriety tests, but Mr. Killpack appears to have refused.  He also refused to take a portable breath test.

He was booked into the Salt Lake county jail and was later released. According to the Utah Highway Patrol, Mr. Killpack’s blood test results will take two weeks to a month to be properly processed.

Utah Republican party chairman Dave Hansen said that this kind of incident is inexcusable for anyone, especially for those in a position of the public trust.

Hall of Famer, and 11 time Pro-Bowl NFL star, Bruce Smith, recently plead guilty to a DUI charge in Virginia Beach.  It was his third drunk driving charge in the last thirteen years.  He previously was acquitted of a charge in 2003 and had a 1997 DUI conviction dismissed at a later date.  Under Washington DUI law, the penalties for second and third DUI offenses within seven years increase dramatically.

Smith played 19 years in the NFL, mostly with the Buffalo Bills.  He was a major part of the teams that went to four straight Super Bowls.  He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this past August.

Facing a Washington DUI charge is always a nightmare.  Fortunately, you don’t have to stand alone.  If you have questions about your WA DUI arrest or charge, we invite you to call our offices for a free consultation.  One of our experienced Washington attorneys can review your case in detail and then explain the DUI process here in WA State.

This is a tragic story one of our Washington DUI attorneys heard about last month.  Joseph Rouleau, a 35 year-old Readfield man, plead guilty to a DUI charge that resulted in the death of a 21 year-old Seattle woman.  He was recently sentenced in the Kennebec County Superior Court, to eight years in prison.

The July 27^th drunk driving related accident also resulted in injuries to a California woman.  Both women were summer counselors at Camp Laurel in Mount Vernon, WA.  The police report stated that the women were enjoying an evening walk, when Rouleau lost control of his vehicle, flipped it, and came in contact with the two women.

At his sentencing, the Kennebec Journal quoted the Mother of the deceased as commenting that “He (Rouleau) murdered her daughter with a 2,000 lbs. weapon.”  Under Washington DUI law, if you injure or kill someone while driving drunk, you will face felony charges that could send you to prison for many years.

If you or someone you know was recently stopped and arrested for driving under the influence, we encourage you to call our offices.  One of our Seattle DUI attorneys can review your case in detail and then explain how we can.

January 13, 2010

A Readfield man, whose car hit and killed a 21 year old camp counselor,  plead guilty to DUI charges and was sentenced to prison for eight years.            

He was sentenced Tuesday in Kennebec County Superior Court in Augusta. 

There were two victims of the July 27th crash. One was Corrie Lazar of Seattle, who was killed.  The second victim, counselor Mia Jessup of San Clemente, California, was seriously injured. 

Both were counselors at Camp Laurel in Mount Vernon. 

According to the police, Rouleau lost control of his vehicle, which went off the road and flipped, hitting Lazar and Jessup who were walking along the road.