DUI News Digest

CAPITOLA — Capitola police plan to clamp down on DUI drivers in a new partnership with the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles. A recent $51,368 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety will help officers make sure the most serious DUI offenders are complying with court orders related to alcohol, drugs and driving. Read More »

Alabama – A new law that went into effect last Friday has law enforcement officers hopeful that drunk driving incidences will decrease greatly. The law, which requires a mandatory ignition lock for people who have been convicted of a DUI, was passed by the Alabama Legislature in April and aims on cutting down the number of repeat DUI offenders.   Read More »

STURGIS — The South Dakota Highway Patrol has reported 94 DUI arrests so far in connection with this week’s Sturgis Rally. The Patrol says that as of 6 a.m. Tuesday 104 people have been arrested for misdemeanor drug offenses and 34 for felony drug offenses. Authorities have seized more than $7,300 in cash. Read More »

According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Washington state ranks 25th in the nation for the highest number of drunk driving fatalities. If you get caught driving under the influence, you are putting yourself and others in danger, and the ticket itself is not the only price you will pay. In addition to the fine, drivers who receive a DUI might have to deal with attorney’s fees, alcohol education fees and lost wages, among other costs. One of the longest-lasting financial impacts from a DUI comes ... Read More »

Law-enforcement officials say there’s no silver bullet. But there are legislative and technological ways to combat habitual drunk drivers. One of the most promising involves the use of an electronic device about the size of a cellphone that’s already in limited use here, but is deployed far more widely in York County — where officials say it’s reduced the number of alcohol-related crashes by up to 20 percent. It’s called a SCRAM bracelet, short for “Secure Continuous Alcohol Monitoring.” The tamper-proof unit ... Read More »

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The South Dakota Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a drunken driving conviction for a man who accidently bumped his parked truck into neutral while reaching for a cigarette almost two years ago. The state’s high court justices ruled 3-2 to reverse a DUI conviction against 54-year-old Donald Nekolite, who was charged in September 2012. Read More »

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A panel of Orange County judges could decide as early as Thursday whether a previous ruling that resulted in breath tests being kept out of court will be overturned. Defense attorneys have been able to convince judges the results of the Intoxilyzer 8000 can’t be trusted in court without the company first turning over its secret source code to the defense. The company, CMI, won’t fully disclose what it calls its trade secrets, so the tests ... Read More »

The law of the land is that driving with a blood-alcohol level of at least 0.08 percent is a crime, though exactly how the crime is punished varies from state to state. (The Governors Highway Safety Association has a handy list here, outlining how the punishments vary in terms of length and what happens to the drivers.) Arizona added the “super extreme DUI” charge in 2007 to cover anyone with a blood-alcohol level of at least .20 percent, which can carry with it a sentence ... Read More »

Phoenix Suns forward P.J. Tucker was arrested for “super extreme DUI” in May when a blood test showed the 29-year-old registered a blood alcohol level of .222, according to the Arizona Republic. Tucker was pulled over by Scottsdale police after running a stop sign and straddling two lanes on his way home from a night club. Read More »

If passed, Moul’s bill would establish a five-year minimum prison sentence for people guilty of homicide by vehicle while DUI if they have a previous DUI on their criminal record. Each additional deceased victim from a crash would add another five years to the sentence. Read More »