DUI News

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.

A police officer from Santa Ana, CA had to use his stun gun on a DUI suspect, when he refused to show the officer his hands.  The suspect was alleged to have been involved in a drunk driving accident after hitting another car.  If your Washington DUI case involves an allegation that you struck another vehicle, your case will be taken much more seriously by the prosecutor’s office.

The Santa Ana officer involved in the case above was further surprised, when he went to arrest the stunned individual and found him to buck naked.  The suspect was taken for drug and alcohol tests.  Over the years, our Washington DUI lawyers have been involved in several cases where the person suspected of DUI was not wearing any clothing.  Most of those cases involved college students, a bachelor party, or individuals with mental illness.

Drinking and driving is never a good idea.  In certain instances, however, it can lead to tragic results when an alleged Washington DUI driver injures someone with their car.  If your Seattle DUI case involves an allegation of injuring someone, it is especially important to speak with an experienced Washington DUI attorney as quickly as possible.

Thomas Walker, an off-duty police officer, was charged with a DUI after causing an accident involving 2 police vehicles.  Mr. Walker lost control of his Hummer and crashed into a roadblock set-up for a different criminal investigation.  Two officers from a Pittsburgh suburb were injured in the accident and taken to local hospital, and are currently in stable condition.

Walker was also taken to the same local hospital, for a blood draw to be performed.  He was booked on suspicion of DUI and aggravated assault.  If this accident had occurred in Washington State, it’s like that similar charges would have been brought.  If your Washington DUI case involves an allegation of injuring a person, you are likely to be charged with vehicular assault, which is a felony.

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.