August 2010 Archives

The Grammy Award-winning singer Faith Evans was arrested on Saturday night while passing through a DUI checkpoint at Washington and Lincoln Boulevards near Marina del Rey. KTLA News reports that the singer's car was impounded after the arrest and that she was released from jail on bail the next morning.

Faith Evans could be formally could misdemeanor DUI charges, if prosecutors decide to formally charge the singer with the drunk driving crime. In such a case, the R&B singer would likely have a Los Angeles DUI for representation in court.

In Los Angeles, there are many consequences to driving under the influence. A DUI can not only be mortifying in today's society, but it can also be very expensive. Aside from the license suspension, high fines, DUI attorney fees, and a permanent mark on your criminal record, a DUI conviction can fire back at you in the most unexpected ways, such as car insurance.

"Dear Mom and Dad, every fifteen minutes someone in the United States dies from an alcohol related traffic collision, and today I died. I never had the chance to tell you......."

It may seem strange to get a letter like this from your child, but across the country thousands of high school students are writing these letters and participating in The Every 15 Minutes Program. The alcohol education program started in 1995, with a two day agenda that educated students about drinking, driving, personal safety, and the responsibility of making mature decisions.

A DUI attorney representing Andrew Thomas Gallo tried to appeal a judge's decision to have the defendant's trial in Orange County, but such efforts proved to be unsuccessful with the appeals court ruling. NBC News reported that the appellate court panel in Santa Ana ruled last week that the drunk driving case will not be moved from Orange County.

Andrew Gallo has gotten a widespread of negative news coverage over the last year and a half, since he was accused of killing Anaheim Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart in a 2009 drunk driving crash. In addition to the death of the Angel, Andrew Gallo has been accused of killing to other people that were riding in Nick Adenhart's vehicle. The defendant has pleaded not guilty to three second degree murder counts and can be sentenced to 50 years in prison if he is convicted of all the criminal charges.

It looks like Lindsay Lohan isn't the only celebrity to get out of jail early in a DUI case. The New York Daily News reports that rapper DMX was recently released from an L.A county jail after serving just 18 days of his 90 day sentence.

DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, surrendered himself to the Los Angeles County authorities on July 26 for his probation violation in connection with a 2002 reckless driving conviction. The rapper was initially charged with DUI, but was able to reach a plea deal with prosecutors so that he could only plead guilty to reckless driving. Yet, it seems that there's just no room for drunk driving offenders in the L.A jails due to jail overcrowding. As we reported in an earlier blog post, men convicted of non-violent crimes typically serve only 50 percent of their sentence, where women convicted of non-violent crimes will serve only 20 percent of their jail sentence.

Poker may be a common card game that can be associated with alcohol consumption, but a recent Orange County event proved that this doesn't have to be the case.

The Orange County Register reported that the county's Mothers Against Drunk Driving hosted its "Hold 'Em, Fold 'Em, Save 'Em" poker tournament a couple weeks ago in order to raise money for the organization's programs and services to the victims of drunk driving.

It's official. Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel has removed herself from Lindsay Lohan's DUI case after lawyers complained that the judge had been in contact with outside sources involving the actress' legal dispute without notifying lawyers ahead of time.

The Los Angeles Times reports that one particular complaint among Lindsay Lohan's Los Angeles DUI attorney was that Judge Marsha Revel reportedly spoke to the Morningside Recovery rehab before selecting it for the actress, even though it was not one of the facilities recommended by the experts involved in the case. The actress' lawyer Shawn Chapman Holley was able to change the Morningside facility to the UCLA Medical Center.

Just as you're about to head out for a night of partying in L.A under the summer sun, it would be a good idea to be aware of the sobriety checkpoints in the area so that you can avoid a DUI arrest. It's always a good idea to designate a sober driver when going out after drinking, but all drivers should know where Los Angeles DUI checkpoints are. Next weekend, the Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed checkpoints at the following locations.

• Friday August 20: Glendale Boulevard at Berkeley Avenue, 7:00 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
• Saturday August 21: Santa Monica Boulevard and Bronson Avenue, 7:00 p.m. - 3:00 a.m.

Eight years have passed since rapper DMX was arrested for driving under the influence in L.A County, but he is just now serving time over the alleged drunk driving incident.

According to MTV News, DMX's Los Angeles DUI attorney Aja Southern was able to lower the initial DUI charge to a reckless driving charge through a plea deal. He was sentenced to probation, but when he violated the terms of the probation last January, he was sentenced to 90 days in jail.

Both the State Senate and Assembly are now looking to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign AB 2486 into a law. AB 2486 would allow party hosts to be sued if they serve alcohol to a minor who is subsequently injured or killed.

AB 2486, also known as the Teen Alcohol Safety Act of 2010, was authored by Los Angeles Assemblyman Mike Feuer. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the bill passed with a 72-1 vote in the Assembly and a unanimous vote in favor of the bill in the Senate.

The Huntington Beach Police Department might soon be adopting a new policy, where people that have been accused of drunk driving will have their names posted on the police department's website. According to the Orange County Register, the listing of names is part of an effort to address the problem of drunk driving in the city.

Yet this strategy doesn't seem too popular among DUI defense lawyers. Aside from the fact that posting the names of DUI suspects may not do anything to deter drunk driving in Huntington Beach, many people feel that the listing of names can be damaging to a person's reputation.

Lindsay Lohan is now free from her jail cell after serving just 13 days of her 90 day jail sentence. But Lindsay Lohan won't be completely free until she completes her 90 days of court-ordered rehab in Los Angeles. Her sentence consisting of rehab and jail time all stems from violating her probation on a 2007 DUI conviction. 

The early jail release of the Mean Girls star comes from her good behavior as a non-violent offender, who often serve less than a quarter of their sentence due to jail overcrowding. CNN reports that that Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel ordered the actress to start the alcohol rehabilitation program at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center within 24 hours of leaving jail.