Beware NJ pedestrians, Evesham Township, NJ man charged with DWI after driving on sidewalk
Jan 25th, 2009 | By Michael L. Saile, Jr., Esq. | Category: Blogs, DUI-DWI-DAI (Drunk Driving)On January 13, 2008, Michael Prince, of Evesham Township, Burlington County, New Jersey drove his vehicle onto the sidewalk at the Promenade at Sagemore shopping center, striking several tables, chairs, a sign and a parked car. Fortunately, there were no reports of personal injuries.
Police charged Prince with NJ DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) and drug possession. Police also found drug paraphernalia and marijuana in his possession and charged him with criminal mischief, possession of drug paraphernalia and numerous NJ traffic violations. Prince was released pending a court hearing.
If you have been charged with DWI in Evesham Township, Burlington County, NJ, contact NJ DWI attorney, Michael L. Saile, Jr., Esq. for aggressive NJ DWI legal representation.
WOW, thats a bad one. I think with an attorney, the drug possession can go away in a conditional discharge, the motor vehicle charges can be merged , as in dropped, in exchange for a guilty plea on the dui. If all of the offenses were first offenses. It would be really tuff to beat the dui i am thinking, … however, the first offense drug charge can go away, and maybe, who knows, the police may have done something wrong in the dui, so that has a chance to go away, then leaving just the careless or reckless driving. thats the best possible outsome, ….. of course, wait a minute, if the car had mechanmical failure and caused the accident, …. maybe everything goes away. its a tuff one, but not 100% impossible, …. if it was a judge, or prosecutor , or cop that did this, it would be likely everything would go away, …… you just have to look at mr. taylors website, from california, to read dozens of stories about how cops and judges get away with dui all the time.
i think there is also the need for a warrant to search a car now in these types of cases, ….. not sure if the police had a warrant….
What happens when cops, prosecutors and judges get busted for drunk driving? A sampler from the past 3 days’ news…
Officer Not Charged with DUI
Pekin, IL. Jan. 23 – A Pekin police officer arrested for DUI on Dec. 19 will not be charged with DUI because of a lack of evidence.
Patrolman Andrew J. Thompson, 29, of Pekin, had just left a bar on Broadway Road, Pekin, when he was rear-ended by another car sliding on the ice at Broadway Road and North 20th Street.
A Pekin police officer at the scene noticed the odor of alcohol coming from Thompson and notified the commanding officer.
Thompson refused all alcohol testing — both field sobriety and a Breathalyzer test…
“Without admitting that he was intoxicated on the night in question, he has taken responsibility for his actions and both Mr. Thompson and the city of Pekin Police Department are completely satisfied with the resolution of this matter,” said (his attorney Brian) Addy…
Illinois Secretary of State Attorney Jay Mesi said the Secretary of State’s Office cannot suspend a license for failure to submit to drug or alcohol testing unless the arresting agency sends a sworn report of the refusal to submit to testing.
“We can’t suspend unless we get that sworn report. The officer is required to send the report to us and the circuit clerk.”
Hmmm…What about prosecutors?
Ex-Prosecuter Avoids Jail Time for her Second DUI
Tampa, FL. Jan. 23 – Although Florida state law calls for a mandatory 10 days in jail if someone is arrested twice for driving under the influence (DUI) within five years, former Pinellas-Pasco Counties prosecutor Lydia Dempsey Wardell has walked.
Wardell is the former supervisor of state attorney Bernie McCabe’s drunk driving division.
Wardell, 41, had been arrested in July 2008 for DUI, the second time in less than four years after she left the scene of an accident.
Police had said that Wardell was driving a Ford Explorer which a witness said struck the bumper of a parked 2000 Mercedes in a parking lot and left the scene. The witness gave police the a description of the vehicle and license plate number and Wardell was stopped by police a short distance away. Police said the damage on Wardell’s vehicle matched that of sustained to the Mercedes.
Police said that Wardell refused to take a blood alcohol test and failed field sobriety tests.
Okaaaay….So what happens to judges who get caught driving drunk?
Judge Gets Supervision, Fine in DUI Guilty Plea
Chicago, IL. Jan. 12 – With the nation’s focus on Washington, a Cook County judge pleaded guilty Tuesday in a south suburban courtroom to a drunken driving charge stemming from a traffic collision.
Judge Sheila McGinnis’ attorney asked for the Jan. 20 hearing date — but denied it was timed to coincide with President Obama’s inauguration in hopes of downplaying news of her conviction and sentence.
“I had no idea when the inauguration was,” said defense attorney Jeffrey Aprati, who asked for the hearing date two months ago. “I wanted to watch the inauguration.”
McGinnis was sentenced to 18 months of court supervision and a $1,000 fine…
Before her sentencing, McGinnis, a cousin of Mayor Daley, apologized in court for taking the wheel after drinking last May and rear-ending a minivan stopped at a red light in Tinley Park. No one was injured.
Other motorists told police she was weaving and honking at other drivers before the 7:30 p.m. crash. With her head on the steering wheel, she continued trying to drive after the collision, police said.
McGinnis was hearing misdemeanor cases at the Bridgeview Courthouse when she was arrested, but her DUI case was transferred to the Markham courthouse after her attorney argued it would have been “embarrassing” for McGinnis to stand trial in the courthouse where she worked.
In each case, the cop, prosecutor and judge was intoxicated, involved in an accident — and refused to take a breath test. For you and me, that would add up to a lengthy jail sentence and a long license suspension. But then, we’re just ordinary citizens…