Florida DUI Patrols to be in Full Force Through Labor Day Weekend

State officers plan to be out in force this Labor Day weekend looking for people who drink before they drive a vehicle or vessel as well as underage drinkers.

The Florida Highway Patrol and Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are putting all available officers, including those usually assigned to office duties, on patrol assignments. The roadway and waterway enforcement efforts will continue through Monday night.

Among other things, officers said they will be looking for drivers of vehicles and vessels with a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher, the level at which drivers over age 21 are presumed drunk in Florida. A level of .02 or higher in someone operating a boat in Florida is considered to be under the influence.

“We certainly want everyone to enjoy themselves and have a great time on our beautiful waterways in North Florida,” said Major Lee Beach, law enforcement commander for FWC’s 17-county North Central Region. “However, if someone is impaired, we want to get them off the water before they hurt themselves or someone else, and before they get on the road drunk, hauling their boats home after a day on the water.”

Under Florida law, adults who operate a boat while under the influence and have anyone under the age of 18 on their vessel will be charged with enhanced penalties, according to FWC.

As a part of the enforcement efforts, FHP will conduct a comprehensive roadside sobriety checkpoint in Suwannee County.

The checkpoint will be in operation from 10 p.m. Friday until 2 a.m. Saturday on U.S. 129, north of Live Oak. Drivers who enter the checkpoint may be asked to provide their license, registration and proof of insurance.

On the water, FWC officers will be stopping boaters to check for those boating under the influence as well as resource violations like fishing without a license or ignoring manatee and no wake zones.

Some local agencies have also planned special enforcement details as well. Among the agencies who are announcing their plans in advance are the Levy County Sheriff’s Office and Inglis Police Department. The agencies plan to conduct a joint detail with a DUI, driver license and a vehicle safety checkpoint on State Road 40 in front of the Inglis Town Hall from 10 p.m. Friday night until 2 a.m. Saturday morning.

Already arrested for Florida DUI? If so, contact a Punta Gorda DUI attorney at Musca Law today for a free consultation.

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23 Arrested At Osceola County DUI Checkpoint

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Osceola County sheriff’s deputies said they arrested 23 people at a safety and sobriety checkpoint overnight Friday.

The operation was held from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. in conjunction with the statewide Over the Limit, Under Arrest campaign.

Deputies said they checked 1,522 cars, resulting in 356 violations, 273 citations and 23 arrests. Of the 23 arrests, deputies said nine were for driving under the influence, and the other arrests were for outstanding warrants, traffic and drug charges.

Osceola County Sheriff’s Office officials said motorists who approached the checkpoint saw informational signs advising them that a sobriety checkpoint was ahead. Once diverted into the checkpoint lane, deputies explained the purpose of the checkpoint and checked their driver’s license.

Sobriety checkpoints are conducted in accordance with guidelines set out by Florida statutes.

Have you been accused of a drunk driving offense in Kissimmee or elsewhere in Osceola County? If so, contact an Osceola County DUI lawyer at our firm today for a free consultation.

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Florida Woman Hits Deputy, Charged With DUI

HUDSON, Fla. — A Pasco County woman was charged with driving under the influence after reportedly crashing into a deputy’s patrol car.

The Florida Highway Patrol reports that a 61-year-old woman from Pasco County rear-ended the cruiser Monday afternoon while it was stopped in traffic. The patrol vehicle then hit a car in front of it.

The deputy was taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries, and the driver of the other vehicle declined treatment.

State troopers said the driver seemed lethargic and had a blank stare. They asked her to perform a sobriety test, which she reportedly failed.

She was arrested and charged with DUI and DUI with property damage. She was being held on $500 bail.

Have you been charged with DUI or a related criminal offense in Florida? If so, contact a Punta Gorda DUI lawyer at Musca Law for a free consultation.

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DUI Checkpoint in Naples Tonight 8-21-10

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a sobriety checkpoint in East Naples on Saturday night targeting drivers who drive after consuming drugs or alcohol.

The checkpoint is part of a continuing series of static sobriety checkpoints and roving operations planned as part of the Sheriff’s Office’s Community Safety Plan and a one-year Florida Department of Transportation grant.

The Sheriff’s Office reminds drivers to plan for a safe ride home before heading out for the evening, or to call a friend or take a taxi.

If you have already been arrested for DUI in Naples or elsewhere in Collier County you must hire an attorney to protect your constitutional rights. Contact a Naples DUI attorney at Musca Law today for a free and confidential consultation.

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Man Arrested for DUI on Bike in Charlotte County

CHARLOTTE COUNTY:  It doesn’t matter what kind of vehicle you are in, or on – you can’t drink and drive! One Charlotte County man has learned that lesson the hard way.

Free Consultation: 941-309-5231

Charlotte County Sheriff’s deputies pulled over a 63-year-old male on US-41 near the Charlotte, Lee County line.

“We started getting calls of vehicles that nearly hit this guy. He was riding a bicycle and he was dead drunk,” said Bob Carpenter with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies say the suspect was extremely intoxicated and gave him a sobriety test.  Deputies arrested him and charged him with DUI – number five for the suspect.

“This is his fifth. He’s been convicted four times on DUI,” said Carpenter.

According to the arrest report, the suspect’s driver’s license was permanently revoked back in 1997.

Deputies say whatever you are riding or driving, if you do it drunk, you can be arrested.

“If you ride a horse on the roadway, it’s considered a vehicle at that point,” said Corporal Mark Crissenger with the sheriff’s office.

And deputies say whether it’s a car or a bike, the penalty is still the same.

Crissenger says it wasn’t the first time they’ve arrested someone for DUI on a bike.

“With the homeless population we have, we have made numerous arrests on DUIs with bicycles in the past,” he explained.

As for the suspect, he was taken to the Charlotte County Jail and his bike was taken home.”

While it is true you can be arrested for driving under the influence in Florida whether you are riding a bike, a go-cart, a horse or otherwise as this article illustrates, it doesn’t say how easy avoiding a DUI conviction can sometimes be. When police make mistakes during an arrest they will turn up if a thorough investigation is done.

Been charged with Florida DUI? If so, contact a Bartow DUI lawyer at our firm for a free and confidential consultation now.

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FL Public Defender Fired for 2nd DUI Charge

An assistant public defender who was placed on paid leave last year after bizarre court behavior and faced a previous DUI charge was fired Friday after again being charged with a DUI.

The suspect, an attorney in Florida since 1989, was terminated by Public Defender Kathy Smith.

“Based on the information we received and reviewed, she is no longer employed here,” Smith said.

The now former attorney could not be reached Friday for comment.

Smith said the suspect, who worked in the office’s homicide unit in Cape Coral and made $71,000 a year, was handling four second-degree murder cases and was sitting second chair on three first-degree murder cases. Smith said her cases will be reassigned. The four second-degree murder cases are mostly new and won’t face delays, Smith said.

According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report, the suspect was driving her BMW recklessly, straddling the center line on Pondella Road, and almost struck a motorcyclist near U.S. 41 around 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

Witness Zachary Tyler Swedeen told deputies he followed the suspect as she drove south on U.S. 41 and watched as she struck another car at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Hancock Bridge Parkway.

When deputies caught up with the suspect, they reported her speech was slurred, she smelled of alcohol and showed signs of being impaired.

The suspect told deputies she was not on medication or suffering from a medical condition.

The suspect would not undergo sobriety tests. She also refused to exit her vehicle and became irate when deputies attempted to handcuff her, saying, “Do you know who I am?” the report said.

After being taken to jail, the suspect told the arresting deputy he “ought to be ashamed of himself,” the report said.

Last year, the suspect was placed on paid administrative leave for “inappropriate and unprofessional” conduct during a trial’s jury selection.

During jury questioning, the suspect was scolded by the judge for asking prospective jurors whether they preferred her or Assistant State Attorney Marie Doerr, who is more attractive and preferable. She went home sick after lunch, causing a mistrial.

In an interview after that occurrence, the suspect told The News-Press she saw her doctor and a specialist after her behavior and both diagnosed her with diabetes – a condition with which she had not previously been diagnosed.

The suspect said the physicians stated she could have had a hypoglycemic episode, which would have been consistent with getting dizzy and acting as she did.

The suspect was charged Thursday with DUI, DUI with property damage and resisting arrest without violence. She was arrested on a charge of DUI in 2002 but found not guilty at trial in 2003.

With DUI charges and most of all convictions now being taken all the more seriously, it is essential you hire a DUI attorney to protect your rights when charged. Although it may seem as if there is too much evidence against you to beat the charge, you would probably be surprised. To learn more about your Florida DUI or other criminal charge we welcome you to contact a Punta Gorda DUI lawyer at our firm for a free and confidential consultation. If anyone can make it happen, we can. Call 941-916-3627 before it’s too late.

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Ocala Women Charged 2 Counts of DUI With Serious Bodily Injury, DUI Manslaugter

An Ocala woman was jailed late Tuesday in connection with a May 30 crash that killed a passenger in the car she was driving.

The suspect, 22, is charged with driving under the influence-manslaughter and two counts of DUI causing bodily injury stemming from the crash, which killed a 29 year old man.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol at the time, the suspect was driving a Chrysler northbound on U.S. 1 on Stock Island. She turned right onto MacDonald Avenue “at a high rate of speed” and hit the curb, then a concrete utility pole. It happened around 4:15 a.m.

Injured and airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center in Miami were the suspect; and here 2 male passengers one being 29 and the others age being unknown.

The victim died at the scene.

The suspect was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Because she is charged with 2 counts of DUI with serious bodily injury and DUI manslaughter she faces at least 25 years in prison.

Have you been charged with DUI in Ocala or elsewhere in Marion County?

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Police Use Taser on Teacher DUI Suspect

Officers stunned a Miami-Dade schoolteacher twice with a Taser as she yelled racial epithets and threats at them after a traffic stop in Homestead on Wednesday, according to Homestead police.

Police say the 42-year-old suspect was pulled over on Homestead Boulevard on suspicion of driving erratically.

The suspect, a third grade teacher at Chapman Elementary told Local 10’s Janine Stanwood that she had taken a Xanax and a cholesterol pill Wednesday morning and wasn’t feeling right.

At about 7 a.m., she said got in her car, drove up U.S. 1 in Homestead to get something to eat.

Police said she was swerving.

“Were you driving dangerously?” Stanwood asked.

“No,” the suspect replied.

An officer on patrol thought otherwise and pulled her over.

“The officer does conduct road sobriety tests, which the person failed,” said Detective Fernando Morales of the Homestead police department.

The officer put the suspect in handcuffs and led her to the squad car, according to the arrest report.

The suspect’s version is different. She said the officer forced her to lie on the ground.

“He went to handcuff me,” the suspect said. “Then he took them off and put the handcuffs on my back. Once he did that, he said, ‘Hand me the handcuffs.’ How do you hand somebody the handcuffs if I’m on my stomach and I can’t see you? So, I tossed them to him. And that’s battery on a police officer.”

Police said an officer would never ask for a suspect to hand over handcuffs.

Investigators said problems actually started when the squad car arrived at the station. When the suspect was led out of the car, she had removed the cuffs.

“She threw the handcuffs, hitting the officer with the handcuffs,” Morales said.

She kicked an officer in the groin and was yelling racial slurs, according to the arrest report.

“I don’t recall that at all,” the suspect said. “I didn’t do that. I did not do that. I did not kick him in the groin. That’s crazy.”

The suspect also alleges one of the officers insulted her and said she should not be teaching. She said she was scared and had to defend herself against the officers.

“I want people to know that this police officer was inhumane,” the suspect said.

In the report, police said the suspect continued to make threats and racial slurs toward the officers as well as to the staff at Homestead Hospital, where she was taken for treatment of abdominal pain.

The suspect faces several charges, including DUI and resisting arrest with violence. She was released from jail on bond.

The suspect says she’s been teaching at Chapman Elementary in Southwest Dade for eight years. No word yet from the school board on if she’ll stay.

“This has nothing to do with my third graders. This has something to do with me and him right now,” she said.

“All of this could have been avoided if she had just not gotten in her car when she was under the influence,” said Homestead Detective Fernando Morales.

Have you been arrested for drunk driving in Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte or elsewhere in Charlotte County? If so, you need to seek an experienced attorney to protect your rights. Contact a Punta Gorda DUI lawyer at our firm today for a free consultation.

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Family Hopes Florida DUI Tragedy Will Help Prevent Others

A FL man and his three sons left their wives and children to go see the film “Predators” in St. Petersburg, Florida, Saturday night. They were enjoying a family reunion with a week at the beach.

Around 4:30 a.m. Sunday morning, the man’s wife woke up and noticed her husband, Nathan, wasn’t lying beside her. She got out of bed and woke up the other women in the house. They waited on the sofa for the men to return, hoping they hadn’t been carjacked.

They saw a television report about an accident involving a black car, similar to the one the men drove to the movies, that left four people dead, but they didn’t want to consider the possibility that it could be their loved ones.

The victim’s wife said police weren’t returning their phone calls. Hours later, authorities showed up on their porch to bring them the news: Their husbands were dead.

The victim’s wife, as well as her sister-in-law and mother-in-law, were widows.

Nathan, 24; his father, 51, and his two brothers, Elroy III, 28, and Kelly, 19, were killed by a drunk driver who ran a red light, police said.

Their widows spoke about their losses during a news conference Tuesday in Orlando, Florida, holding framed photographs of the men. They said they hope that sharing their story will make people think twice before getting behind the wheel after drinking.

“He wanted to teach our son how to play football and how to treat a girl right,” said the victim’s wife.

“I know that people will drink and drive, but know that this could have been any of you. I hope and pray that the next time you drink and drive you think about this.”

The driver of the other car has been charged with 4 counts of DUI manslaughter. My condolences go out to the victim’s family at this difficult time.

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Punta Gorda Man Arrested for DUI Riding Bicycle

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. – If you’re thinking about hopping on your bicycle after having a few drinks, you might want to think again. A Punta Gorda man learned, you can get a D.U.I. on practically anything that moves.

Wednesday afternoon, 911 dispatchers started getting calls about a bicyclist swerving in and out of traffic on U.S. 41 in Punta Gorda. “Two of the people that called in, one was a minivan that had to swerve to get out of the way and that could’ve run off the road, killed them, killed him,” Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Office Bob Carpenter said.

It wasn’t someone who needed a little more practice with his training wheels. “He was extremely intoxicated,” Carpenter said.

The 63 year old suspect’s eyes were bloodshot, his speech was slurred and he reeked of alcohol. He was so drunk, he had to lean on his bicycle to even stand up. “Here was not a motorized vehicle but he was endangering himself and the public,” Carpenter said.

That’s where the charges come in. It doesn’t matter what means of transportation, whether it’s a car, a bicycle, or a horse, if you’re intoxicated and putting other drivers in danger, you’ll get a D.U.I. “Golf cart, lawn mower, riding a lawn mower if you’re riding it on the roadway, any horse, if you ride a horse on the roadway it’s considered a vehicle at that point,” Cpl. Mark Crissinger said.

Crissinger, of the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office says no matter what you drive or ride, when you’re on the road, you have to abide by the same laws as any motor vehicle. “The penalties are the same as far as jail time and such,” Crissinger said.

The suspect’s bicycle was later dropped off at this home while he was taken to jail. According to his arrest report, he’s been convicted of at least 4 dui’s in the past. “Motor or not, he was drunk, he was on the road, he’s in jail,” Carpenter said.

The suspect does not currently have a Florida state driver’s license. It was permanently revoked in 1997 for D.U.I.

Obviously drunk driving laws in Florida and across the country have gotten tougher for the simple reason that drinking and driving endangers lives. However, who was this man endangering riding a bike? I feel very strongly police shouldn’t be able to charge someone with driving under the influence (DUI) under these circumstances. Our firm will continue to fight for people accused of drunk driving in Punta Gorda and across Florida for that and many other reasons.

Have you been accused of DUI in Punta Gorda? If so, contact our Punta Gorda DUI attorneys for a free and confidential consultation today.

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