Michael Harris after being locked up for dragging constable with his pickup

From KTRE
TRINITY, TX

A Trinity County constable suffered minor injuries after a man allegedly dragged him with his pickup while trying to flee during a traffic stop Thursday night.

Michael Harris, 44, is charged with aggravated assault of a public servant, assault of a public servant and DWI third or more.

According to a press release, Constable Mark Cole and Deputy Mark Mann were patrolling FM 356 and located a suspect vehicle with a driver accused of trying to run over two pedestrians. The officers tried to stop Harris, but he fled to the One Stop parking lot in Trinity and pulled in, according to the press release.

Harris told the officers he would not get out and that the officers would have to shoot him, according to the report ….MORE

From YNN
BROOME COUNTY, N.Y. — A Broome County man accused of driving drunk following an early-morning crash and authorities said he just got out of jail on a previous DWI conviction.
Deputies arrested Cory Starring, 23, after responding to a two-vehicle crash on Route 17 near the Endwell exit just after four Sunday morning.

According to investigators, Starring rear-ended another car and then ran off.  He was caught after a short foot chase….MORE

From ABQ Journal
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office is seeking stricter penalties to the county’s DWI ordinance as staff prepares for a confiscated vehicle auction on Aug. 17.

If it gets its way, it could end up with even more vehicles to auction off in the future.

The proposed changes would reduce the number of drunken driving convictions a driver would need before the county can proceed with seizing the vehicle, said Undersheriff Ron Madrid. Current law states that a driver must have two convictions for driving under the influence and be arrested on a third before the county can begin forfeiture proceedings.

The change would reduce that to one or more convictions. County DWI Prevention Specialist Peter Olson said if the County Commission adopts the changes, it will be easier for law enforcement to take vehicles, creating a deterrent for people who consider driving while intoxicated.

“It sends a very, very strong message to people driving drunk that it’s just not worth it,” Olson said.
“Hopefully people will wake up and realize that.” ….MORE

VIRGINIA’S TOUGHER DUI IGNITION INTERLOCK LAW IS KEEPING MORE DRUNKEN DRIVERS OFF THE ROAD
State Orders 8,500 Convicted Drunk Drivers To Install Device On Their Vehicles

WASHINGTON, D. C. (Tuesday, July 30, 2013) – The number of drunk drivers ordered to install Ignition Interlock Devices (IID) in their vehicles has nearly doubled in Virginia, as a result of a new law that went into effect  a year ago. The new law commands first-time DUI offenders to place the breathalyzer device in every vehicle they own and operate.

Approximately 8,500 drivers convicted of a DUI were enrolled in Virginia’s ignition interlock program during the first 11-month period after the enactment of the tougher new law, according to data provided by the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program (VASAP).  That’s a 75 percent increase in ignition interlock usage under the tighter restrictions in Virginia, as of June 30, 2013.

In contrast, only 4,839 DWI or DUI offenders had an IID installed the day before the law was enacted on July 1, 2012, explains the VASAP.  At that time, the law (HB279/SB378) was hailed as one of the toughest laws of its sort in the region. Supporters said Virginia’s much harder-hitting ignition interlock law would quadruple the number of persons forced to use the device. The court-ordered IID system contains an analyzer that measures the offender’s blood alcohol concentration level.

“Advocates fought an uphill battle, like Sisyphus of Greek mythology, for five long years to get this law passed in Virginia,” said John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Manager of Public and Government Affairs.  “Remarkably, the law is already showing results less than a year after it was enacted. It throws the book at all drunk drivers, and most notably first-time offenders, who were caught red-handed while driving over the legal limit and subsequently convicted of drunk driving.”

Supporters of the law, including the Virginia-based Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), AAA Mid-Atlantic, and the relatives who lost loved ones in a drunk-driving crash, say it is keeping potential killers off roadways in Virginia.

All told, 229 persons were killed in alcohol-related crashes in Virginia in 2012, a figure that comprises nearly a third (29.5 percent) of all traffic fatalities in the state that year, reports the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). On top of that, 5,861 people were injured in alcohol-related crashes in Virginia, which accounted for 8.7 percent of all traffic injuries. Virginia recorded 8,777 alcohol-related crashes during 2012, representing 7.1 percent of all traffic crashes in the state.

Currently, Virginia along with 14 other states have mandatory or court-ordered ignition interlock provisions or laws for all DUI or DWI offenses, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). While all 50 states have some sort of ignition interlock law on their books, Virginia reportedly has one of the toughest on the East Coast, notes AAA Mid-Atlantic. Currently, 8,456 drivers with a DUI conviction are currently enrolled in the IID program.

During 2011, the Maryland General Assembly passed ignition interlock legislation (HB 1276/SB803) aimed at cracking down on drivers with high BAC, repeat offenders, and underage offenders. That year Maryland officials announced the state had the “highest per-capita participation in ignition interlock on the East Coast with numbers that have nearly doubled in the past few years.” An average of 10,645 DUI offenders was enrolled in Maryland’s program, as of April 2013.

Three out of four persons support laws requiring interlocks for drivers convicted for drunk drinking for the first time, a 2011 survey by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reveals Virginia’s vehicle ignition interlock law requires drivers with alcohol-related violations to keep the devices in their vehicle for a minimum of six consecutive months, explains Chris Morris at VASAP.

The new law lays it down: tampering or attempting to circumvent an interlock in Virginia is a “Class 1 misdemeanor.”  The alcohol detection system triggers the horn and flashing lights, if the operator’s BAC exceeds 0.02 percent, or if the driver fails to take the test. Virginia’s IID law requires first-time convicted drunk drivers, who are driving on a restricted driver’s license, to operate a vehicle equipped with an IID. “Previously, the requirement for an ignition interlock was imposed as a result of two or more DUI convictions or the first DUI conviction if the offender’s blood-alcohol content (BAC) was 0.15 percent or above,” explain officials with the Virginia DMV. “While 0.08 percent BAC is legally drunk, a driver may be convicted of DUI while driving with a BAC of less than 0.08 percent.”

However, under the current statute that went into effect last July the ignition interlock device prevents a motor vehicle ignition from starting, if a driver’s blood alcohol content exceeds 0.02 percent. The device is also equipped with the ability to perform a rolling retest and to electronically log the blood alcohol content during ignition, attempted ignition and rolling retest.

Those hell-bent on drinking and driving in Virginia are discovering to their chagrin that there is no longer a “get out of jail free card” in the state, warns AAA Mid-Atlantic. Earlier this month, starting July 1, 2013, another hard-hitting DUI law (HB1559/SB 1272) went into effect in Virginia. Passed during the 2013 Virginia General Assembly Session, the new law “enhances the penalties for repeat DUI offenders,” supporters say.  The new statute dictates: “any person convicted of a second DUI offense will be sentenced to at least one year in prison and fined $1,000.”

The killer of two people busted again for DUI — Dawn Wiltzius Vrentas

Victim’s sister says “you don’t get another chance”

From KXLY

The woman responsible for a fatal DUI crash that killed two Mt. Spokane High School grads a decade ago was back in court this week, charged with another DUI.

On Wednesday, Dawn Vrentas, 31, was charged with felony DUI in King County.  Washington State Patrol pulled Vrentas over for speeding on Saturday along Interstate 5.

Vrentas allegedly had a blood alcohol level of .14.  The legal limit in Washington in .08.

In 2000, at just 18-years old, Vrentas was convicted of DUI.  In 2003, she was driving drunk, crashed into a marsh in Pend Oreille County and killed two of her friends, Kyle Hutchinson and Walter Corman.  Vrentas, who at the time went by her maiden name, Wiltzius, was convicted of vehicular manslaughter and served five and half years in prison.

Kyle Hutchinson’s sister, Kayla Welch ….MORE

DUI Killer Weller in cuffs

Judge says he doesn’t believe jail will change this “serious…violent criminal”

From North Adams Transcript

PITTSFIELD — Calling it the most disturbing vehicular homicide case he’s presided over, a Superior Court judge sentenced a Connecticut man with a history of drunken driving convictions to up to 18 years in prison for causing the death of a Sheffield woman.

Frederick J. Weller, 36, is a “serious criminal at times a violent criminal” with “a clear disrespect for the law in every aspect,” Judge John A. Agostini said.

Weller was drunk the night of Feb. 28, 2012, when he caused the multi-car accident on Route 7 in Sheffield that killed 24-year-old Moira Banks-Dobson and seriously injured former Great Barrington resident Russell Brown.

Weller, of Sandy Hook, Conn., pleaded guilty Thursday to vehicular homicide, a seventh drunken driving charge, and seven other charges.

Handing Weller 15 to 18 years at the Cedar Junction state prison, Agostini said he didn’t believe jail would change Weller. ….MORE

Moira Memorial

David Riddle

From WBTV

IREDELL COUNTY, NC  -

A Morganton man with no driver’s license due to a previous DWI was found driving with a blood alcohol content more than three times the legal limit, according to the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office.

On August 2, David Riddle, 53, was driving a Jeep Cherokee in the Taylorsville Highway area when a Sergeant with Aggressive Criminal Enforcement pulled him over.

Riddle admitted that his license had been revoked due to a previous DWI. The Sergeant also found Riddle ….MORE

From BlueRidgeNow

A Forsyth County judge increased bond Friday to $50,000 for a man arrested in May for DWI and who has been charged since then in three counties -

including Henderson – with driving while license revoked.

Ronnie Burdette Dodd: he didn’t get a death sentence, he didn’t get a life sentence, for his 17th DWI conviction he was only given seven years in the slammer…

Editorial Opinion: Citizens need to realize that weak impaired driving laws for DWI DUI OWI by alcohol or drugs are due to weak lawmakers in the state legislatures who likely spend a lot of time boozing it up when in session, commuting from one cocktail party to another hosted by lobbyists and attending booze-filled fundraisers for themselves and their friends.

From Citizen Times

ASHEVILLE – 2013-08-12— A Swannanoa man will spend at least seven years in prison following his 17th conviction for driving while impaired over the past three decades.

Ronnie Burdette Dodd’s blood-alcohol level was three times the legal limit when he was pulled over on Old U.S. 70 on Jan. 29.

Buncombe County District Attorney Ron Moore said the case should serve as a warning that his office is serious about prosecuting drunk drivers, but he wishes state law carried harsher penalties with mandatory jail time for first offenders.

“It’s just a blessing that (Dodd) didn’t have a wreck and someone didn’t get seriously injured or killed,” Moore said. “We have too many impaired drivers who get into wrecks and kill or maim innocent people.”

Dodd, 55, of Northeast Avenue, pleaded guilty in Buncombe County Superior Court ….MORE

Moore said he’d like to see first-time offenders sentenced to jail.

“In North Carolina for a first offense you don’t serve a minute in jail,” he said. “You generally get a 60-day suspended sentence….”

Francis T. Roscioli Jr

From Morning Call

2013-08-20 —On Thursday, 21-year-old Francis T. Roscioli Jr. was in Northampton County Court facing a parole violation after he was allegedly caught drunk in June while driving the wrong way on a downtown Easton street.

On Sunday morning, Roscioli was back behind the wheel drunk, city police said, only this time he is accused of killing someone.

Passing another vehicle westbound on narrow Lehigh Drive about 2:10 a.m., Roscioli’s SUV fatally hit 35-year-old Abraham Rivera of West Easton, a pedestrian who was walking on the shoulder of the other side of road, police said.

Charges against Roscioli, of Wilson, are pending toxicology tests but are expected to be filed this week, said police Lt. John Remaley. Roscioli is believed to have been drinking at a downtown Easton nightclub, and showed signs of intoxication after officers arrived at the scene, Remaley said.

Just four days before, Roscioli had appeared before interim Northampton County Court Administrator Jill Cicero for a hearing on whether he had violated his parole from jail on a 2012 assault conviction. In legal paperwork filed in July, his parole officer cited the previous month’s drunken-driving charges and Roscioli’s failure to stay away from drugs and alcohol, court records show.

Cicero concluded Roscioli was a parole violator, but allowed him to remain free ….MORE

George Nichols Sr.

From Reading Eagle

LANCASTER — 2013-08-21 —A habitual drunken driver will spend up to 30 years in prison for causing a highway crash on New Year’s Eve in 2011 that killed two people and critically injured a third.

At his sentencing hearing Tuesday, George Nichols Sr. deflected blame, saying the victim’s vehicle was “unsafe” and shouldn’t have been on the road that night.

At one point, he poured a cup of water for himself and then raised the cup in a “cheers” gesture toward a relative in the gallery.

“Mr. Nichols still doesn’t get it,” Assistant District Attorney Christine Wilson said in court. “The defendant knew from his prior DUIs; he had been warned. Now, the dreadful result has occurred: Two people are dead and a third person committed suicide, essentially as a result of injuries sustained in the crash.”

Killed in the East Cocalico Township crash on Route 272 were Kelly Nagle, a 35-year-old mother of two, and Michael Thavenius, 31.

Nichols, 55, and his passenger, Debra Fort, were seriously injured. Fort, who had obvious physical injuries when she appeared at a hearing last year, died on Nov. 28.

Lancaster County Judge Howard Knisely ordered an 11-to-30-year prison term on charges of vehicular homicide while DUI and aggravated assault while DUI.

It is believed to be the longest sentence in recent memory for a DUI crash here.

Nichols’ blood-alcohol level (0.18 percent) and his history of DUI and drug offenses warranted a sentence beyond the mandatory seven-year term applicable in the case, Knisely said.

“It’s clear to the court that Mr. Nichols learned nothing” from his past crimes, Knisely said in court.

After hearing the sentence, Nichols chatted with his attorney, asking about “issues” with the SUV that Thavenius was driving at the time of the crash.

Earlier in the hearing, Nagle’s survivors berated Nichols, calling him a “killer” and a “drunken monster.”

Mary Nagle, Kelly’s stepmother, asked Knisely for the maximum sentence allowed by law.

“Send a message to all repeat DUI offenders, so maybe they’ll think twice,” Nagle said in statement read by Wilson. “Instead, (Nichols) chose to defy the law and remain a drunken monster.”

Tonya Nixon, Kelly’s stepsister ….MORE

David Cassidy

From New York Post
SCHODACK, NY —2013-08-22— Former teen idol David Cassidy was arrested upstate early yesterday for drunken driving, authorities said.

And when he learned the arresting officer was named Tom Jones, the one-time “Partridge Family” heartthrob kept his sense of humor, asking the cop: “What’s new, pussycat?”

Cassidy, 63, was stopped shortly after midnight in Schodack, about 15 miles south of Albany, when he failed to turn off his car’s high beams against oncoming traffic, police said.

Cassidy was booked at Rensselaer County Jail ….MORE

 

Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson

SUMMER BEDFORD,  22, Arrest Date 08/15/2013 Booking Date : 08/15/2013 Offense  : DUI

Booking No  2013080289, Birth Date : 11/14/1990, Total Bond : $1,400.00

TERRY  BOWENS,  52, Arrest Date : 05/10/2013 Booking Date.: 05/10/2013,Booking No.: 2013050174 :

 DUI 3RD, CARELESS DRIVING, NO DRIVER’S LICENSE, Birth Date : 09/30/1960 Total Bond : $    3,600.00

WESLEY EDWARD BRANDON , 31,  2012050492   Arrest Date  05/31/2012 Booking Date. : 05/31/2012 Offense : DUI-DEATH                                         Arresting Birth Date : 11/04/1980

JEBB K  DUGGAR,  35, Booking No. : 2013080378  Arrest Date 08/21/2013 Booking Date : 08/21/2013

Offense  : DUI 2ND  Birth Date : 06/09/1978

 FREDRICK L  FELLS,  39, 2013080228  Arrest Date 08/12/2013 Booking Date 08/12/2013 Offense  : DUI 3RD                                           Arresting Birth Date : 02/06/1974

OCTAVIUS L FIELDS, 22,  Arrest Date  : 08/09/2013  2013080168  Booking Date: 08/09/2013 Offense :
DUI 1ST, POSS OF MARIJUANA IN CAR, Birth Date : 09/15/1990

OLLIE E  FOY,  53,  Arrest Date 02/02/2013 Booking Date : 02/02/2013 Offense : DUI 3RD, OPEN CONTAINER,CARELESS DRIVING,EXP.TAG,S : Scheduled Release Date…. : 06/02/2013 Birth Date : 07/27/1959, Total Bond : $700.00

JOHN S GILLENTINE, 27, Arrest Date : 08/01/2013 Booking Date. : 08/01/2013 Offense . : DUI DEATH ,    2013080002 

Birth Date : 02/02/1986 Total Bond : $  300,000.00

John Shannon Gillentine charged with DUI death of Elizabeth Montgomery

From WTVA

TUPELO, Miss. — The Tupelo Police Department has made an arrest in connection with a deadly accident early Thursday morning.

John Shannon Gillentine, 27, of Tupelo, is charged with DUI death.

The charge is the result of an accident that occurred where Elizabeth Montgomery, 64, was struck by a vehicle and killed.  Police add ….MORE

SHAWN ROBERT ALDEMAN, 32,   8/8/2013 9:20:00 PM, OPER VEH WH INT (OWI) / 3RD OFFENSE (FELD)

BRETT ALLEN APPLETON, 25, 8/23/2013 3:19:00 PM, OPER VEH WH INT (OWI) / 1ST OFF (SRMS)

TODD MICHAEL BAGGOTT, 47, 8/21/2013 9:59:00 PM, OPER VEH WH INT (OWI) / 3RD OFFENSE (FELD

CARL J BENSON Jr., 50, 8/23/2013 4:02:00 PM, OPER VEH WH INT (OWI) / 3RD OFFENSE (FELD

MARY LOUISE BOBOTAYLOR, 49, OPER VEH WH INT (OWI) / 3RD OFFENSE (FELD, DRIVING WHILE BARRED HABITUAL OFFENDER -

AARON PATRICK BREWINGTON, 28, 8/12/2013 2:46:00 PM, OPER VEH WH INT (OWI) / 1ST OFF (SRMS

 
Michael P. Miller           David G. Prater – out to kill again thanks to Louisiana officials!

From KPLC TV

CALCASIEU PARISH, LA — 2013-08-27 -Two men have been booked on fourth offense DWI for the second time, according to a news release from the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office.

David G. Prater, 58, of Westlake, and Michael P. Miller, 33, of Sulphur, are accused in separate cases.

Authorities said Prater, who has a prior vehicular homicide conviction, was arrested around 10 p.m. Friday following a traffic stop near the intersection of Davis Road and Goss Road in Westlake. A deputy spotted a pick-up truck swerving onto the shoulder and into the opposing lane of travel several times.

“When the deputy approached the truck and spoke with the driver, Prater, he detected a strong odor of alcohol emitting from his breath, along with slurred speech and he appeared very unsteady on his feet,” the release states.

Authorities said Prater refused to perform a standard field sobriety test and also refused to submit a breath intoxilyzer test.

Prater was convicted of vehicular homicide and DWI fourth offense in 2006.

He was booked into Calcasieu Correctional Center and charged with DWI fourth offense, careless operation and no driver’s license.

Bond was set at $252,000.

Authorities said Miller was arrested for the second time on a fourth offense DWI on Saturday.

At around 7 p.m., authorities said a deputy responded to the intersection of Chalkey Pines Road and E ….MORE

Scott Spangler
From Knoxville News-Sentinel
KNOXVILLE — A 49-year-old Sevierville man with a history of DUI convictions faces an aggravated vehicular homicide charge in a fatal three-vehicle crash Friday on Gov. John Sevier Highway.

Scott C. Spangler also is charged in Knox County with possession of drug paraphernalia, vehicular assault and driving while his driving privilege had been revoked, warrants show.

Spangler, who has an extensive criminal record, is accused of driving into and killing motorist Benjamin Woodruff, 38, of Knoxville, who was stopped in a turn lane on the highway. The crash occurred about 6:20 p.m. near Austin Park Lane, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

When authorities arrived on the scene they found Spangler “standing beside his car in the middle of the road urinating,” according ……MORE

Robert Barrow

From Inside Inova

A Stafford man was arrested after police said he was driving drunk and caused a crash in the mid-county area.

Officers were called to the area of Hoadly and Purcell roads for a crash around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, Prince William police spokesman Jonathan Perok said.

The driver of a 2007 Lincoln Navigator was headed northbound on Dale Boulevard when he “disregarded the red traffic signal” at the Hoadly Road intersection and collided with a 2002 Honda Accord which was going west on Hoadly Road, Perok said.

The Lincoln’s driver tried to leave, but police said the SUV “became inoperable” nearby.

Investigators determined the driver of the Lincoln, who was not hurt, was at fault for the crash, was driving under the influence of alcohol and was in possession of marijuana, Perok said.

The driver and passenger of the Honda were taken to the hospital for “significant but non-life threatening injuries,” according to Perok.

Robert Earl Barrow, 51, of ….MORE

TWO DEAD, ONE INJURED…a hell of a box score for Joshua Grose, victims included his mother …now he is dead in jail cell

YORK — The suspect in a   double homicide this past weekend is dead after he repeatedly injured himself while in jail early Sunday morning, according to the York County Sheriff’s Office.

Coroner Sabrina Gast said an official cause of death will not be determined until after an autopsy is performed Monday.

Joshua Matthew Grose, 34, was pronounced dead at Piedmont Medical Center 3:05 a.m. Sunday after emergency workers transported him from Moss Justice Detention Center where he was being held on charges of murder, attempted murder and grand larceny.

Grose was arrested on Friday night in connection with the deaths of two women, one of whom was his mother. Police placed him in a cell where he immediately became “self-destructive” and “combative,” according to Trent Faris, public information officer for the sheriff’s office.

Early Sunday morning, officers found Grose trying to drown himself in his jail cell toilet. He also had rammed his head against the cell wall a number of times, according to reports.

ROCK HILL — 2013-10-21 —A 34-year-old Rock Hill man with past convictions for DUI and drugs used his car to run over and kill two women and injure another  man Friday night, according to police.

Joshua Matthew Grose remains jailed without bond after he was arrested late Friday after a pair of incidents near his Mount Gallant Road home. One of the women killed was Sandra Thomas, 53,

York County coroner Sabrina Ghast confirmed the identity of the second victim as Sandra Grose, 65.

Grose died of blunt force trauma to chest. She lived at the home on Mt. Gallant where police also found her body. There is confusion as to whether Sandra Grose was the suspect’s biological mother or stepmother.

“We have exhausted every avenue that we can,” Ghast said of trying to locate Sandra Grose’s next of kin. Anyone with information on Grose’s family members is asked to contact the coroner’s office at 803-909-8400.   Read more