DUI News Digest

Jussie Smollett — who is suspected of faking a hate crime against himself — pleaded no contest in 2007 to providing false information to police during a DUI stop in LA, according to a report. The misdemeanor complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in September that year says that Smollett gave the name of his brother, Jake, when he was asked by an officer. He also signed a false name on the promise to appear in court. Smollett also was ... Read More »

FULLERTON, Calif. (KABC) — Family members of the driver in a suspected DUI crash that left 10 people injured in Fullerton are expressing sympathy for the victims and saying the suspect was fleeing from gang members when the collision happened. Police say the suspect, 22-year-old Christopher Solis of Anaheim, was under the influence of drugs when he allegedly plowed his Toyota Tacoma into a group of people on the sidewalk in downtown Fullerton early Sunday morning. The crash left nine pedestrians plus ... Read More »

Body camera video of a suspected DUI driver dancing through a sobriety test may seem comical, but authorities in Holiday, Florida want to remind drivers of the serious, and potentially deadly consequences of driving under the influence. Read More »

Aretha Franklin‘s youngest son has reportedly been imprisoned since October after being arrested for driving under the influence. The Blast reports that Kecalf Franklin was pulled over by law enforcement in Michigan on Oct. 27, 2018 — two months after his famous mother died of advance pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type at age 76. RELATED: Inside the Amazing, Private Life of Aretha Franklin At a court date held on Dec. 19, the 48-year-old reportedly pleaded guilty to operating a motor vehicle under the ... Read More »

FARMINGTON, CT (WFSB) – An officer from the Norwich Police Department was arrested by Farmington police for DUI. According to Norwich police, 32-year-old Chase Chiangi was off duty at the time and driving a personal vehicle. Norwich police said he was stopped at New Britain Avenue and Red Oak Hill on Jan. 22 around 8:15 p.m. as part of a routine traffic stop. Read More »

A mother in Kentucky was arrested Sunday after allegedly driving drunk with her son in the car as some sort of “lesson,” police said — though it was not clear exactly what the supposed lesson was. Sunita Jairam, 48, was arrested around 12:51 a.m. and told police at the time she  “drank a bunch of beer and got in her car to drive to teach her son a lesson,” according to the arrest citation obtained by the Lexington Herald-Leader. Read More »

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) — The man accused of driving drunk and causing a New Year’s Day pile-up on the 22 Freeway that killed a 9-year-old girl and her mother has pleaded not guilty in the case. Melvin Branch, 30, appeared in front of a judge for the first time on Monday, facing vehicular manslaughter charges. He is accused of driving while intoxicated and causing a four-car crash east of Valley View. Payton Castillo and her mother, 33-year-old Jolene Gardner, and ... Read More »

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (WPVI) — The California Highway Patrol shared a funny picture with a serious message on New Year’s Eve: don’t drink and drive! The CHP posted a picture on Instagram, where they said a DUI suspect was involved in a hit-and-run and took off. When he tried to lean over to a gate keypad, he fell out of his window, and his foot got stuck in the steering wheel. Cathedral City police arrived and helped him out — ... Read More »

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – “A person has physical control of their vehicle if their keys are in the ignition,” says Sergeant Jason Reber, of Susquehanna Township Police. Physical control is a key phrase in determining if someone could be given a DUI while parked. “Let’s say they’re in a parking lot, and at that time they decide to sleep it off, but they leave the keys in the car to stay warm. By law, they can still be charged with ... Read More »

A police officer in Kentucky was killed by a driver allegedly under the influence while she was conducting a traffic stop on Christmas Eve. Detective Deidre Mengedoht, 32, pulled over a pickup truck in Louisville and was subsequently hit by a different semi-truck. “The semi pushed the police car into the truck she had stopped,” Louisville police chief Steve Conrad said in a news conference Monday. “There were four people in the pickup truck. None of them were seriously injured. Unfortunately the detective’s car ... Read More »