September 2010 Archives

It seems that actress Lindsay Lohan just can't keep herself out of trouble. All of her legal troubles stem from a misdemeanor DUI incident that occurred back in 2007. The actress spent 14 days in jail this past summer, for violating the terms of her DUI probation and now it looks like she'll be spending a great deal of time in the Lynwood jail once again for violating the terms of her probation again.

It's questionable whether Lindsay Lohan has really learned a lesson after all of this DUI drama. MTV News reports that the "Mean Girls" star failed a drug test, testing positive for a controlled substance. At a hearing last month, a Beverly Hills Judge told the actress that she would be sentenced to 30 days in jail for failing any randomly administered drug test.

Are the court-ordered alcohol education classes even effective? Last week, KTLA News reported that a 24-year-old Lidia Kopach was killed in an alcohol-related car crash when she was rushing home to prepare for her DUI class that was mandated by the courts.

A California Highway Patrol Officer said that the driver, Lidia Kopach, lost control of her vehicle and slammed into the center divider on the eastbound 210 freeway in Azusa. A passenger in the vehicle later told authorities that Lidia Kopach had consumed two vodka drinks and a portion of two beer pitchers before driving home.

Beverly Hills Superior Court Judge Elden Fox issued a bench warrant for Lindsay Lohan's arrest yesterday after the actress allegedly violated the terms of her probation. Associated Press, however, reports that LiLo will remain free until Friday pending a court hearing.

The 24-year-old pop star already spent two weeks in jail earlier this year for violating the terms of her probation that stem from 2007 DUI convictions. As part of her probation, the actress was ordered to attend alcohol education classes but was sent to jail once she missed too many of the classes. In addition to jail time, the actress was also ordered to spend 90 days in rehab for not attending the classes

The weekend has arrived. But many Southern California residents and Los Angeles DUI attorneys know that along with the weekend comes sobriety and driver's license checkpoints in the L.A area. The Los Angeles Police Department has so far announced Los Angeles DUI checkpoints at the following locations for this weekend.

• Friday September 17: Cahuenga Boulevard at Bennett Drive, North Hollywood, 8:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
• Saturday September 18: Harbor Boulevard at 1st Street, San Pedro, 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.

Did you know that only 33,808 people died in a traffic accident in 2009? This may seem like a large number, but the Los Angeles Daily News reports that is actually the lowest number of traffic deaths since 1950, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Local numbers reflect that at the national level, where the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Traffic Division saw the lowest number of traffic deaths in 2009 in about a decade. In Los Angeles County, traffic fatalities in 2009 were the lowest in at least five years, as reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Despite the numerous efforts of DUI defense lawyer Jacqueline Goodman to get her client's DUI case out of Orange County, the judge has ruled that Andrew Thomas Gallo will be able to receive a fair trial in the area.

The 23-year-old man has been in the news quite a bit lately, as he has been accused of killing three people in a 2009 DUI crash. One of the victims was Angeles pitcher Nick Adenhart, who died shortly after pitching six scoreless innings in his first major-league game.

KTLA News reported that opening statements began in the DUI murder trial yesterday in Santa Ana. Andrew Thomas Gallo has pleaded not guilty to three counts of second degree murder and a count of felony hit-and-run. DUI attorney Jacqueline Goodman stated that her client's actions do not rise to the standard of murder.

It can be frightening to see a pedestrian hit by a vehicle driving at full force. But what's even more frightening is the thought of 43-year-old Miguel Sandoval being accused of hitting nine pedestrians.

The Orange County Register reports that the Santa Ana man was charged on Wednesday with a felony driving under the influence causing injury, along with sentencing enhancements. The criminal charges stem from an incident earlier this week, in which witnesses say that the man cut across several traffic lanes while driving in Santa Ana and started driving on a sidewalk after jumping a curb. The incident allegedly took place along the 1400 block of West McFadden Avenue.

It seems that Labor Day Weekend 2010 was calm and quiet in the Los Angeles area, where the Los Angeles Daily News reports that there was only one traffic death in Los Angeles County over the holiday weekend.

Alcohol wasn't even a factor in the only fatal traffic crash of the long weekend. The accident reportedly occurred after an 87-year-old woman from Valencia crashed into the center median of the southbound I-5 freeway in Sylmar. The woman sustained minor injuries, but her 89-year-old husband died in the crash.

Actor Chris Klein, the man who played Oz Ostreicher in American Pie and in the comedy's sequel American Pie 2, will be attending alcohol education classes for the next 18 months and serving probation for the next four years after being convicted of DUI charges last week. New York Daily News reports that a Los Angeles judge also sentenced the actor to four days in jail, but he won't have to go to the slammer due to credit for time already served.

Through a plea deal, Chris Klein was able to get off with the minimum amount of jail time for a two-time DUI. The man's first DUI came in 2005 after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor DUI charge. FindLaw states that a second DUI offense within a 10-year period results with a minimum 96-hour jail sentence, but a maximum one-year jail sentence.

Labor Day Weekend has arrived. But before you booze up and take a drive through the city of Angels, it would be a good idea to be on the lookout for local law enforcers and Los Angeles DUI checkpoints so that a driving under the influence arrest can be avoided. The Los Angeles Police Department has announced that officers will be cracking down on drunk drivers through a series of checkpoints this weekend. So far, LAPD has announced sobriety and driver's license checkpoints at the following Los Angeles locations:

• Friday September 3: Manchester Avenue between Hoover Street and Figueroa Street,  6:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
• Friday September 3: Slauson Avenue and Olive Street, 7:00 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
• Saturday September 4: Jefferson Boulevard between Western Avenue and Denker Street, 6:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
• Saturday September 4: Washington Boulevard and Stanford Avenue, 7:00 p.m. - 3:00 a.m.

A new Beverly Hills Judge was assigned to Lindsay Lohan's case and it looks like the re-assignment has worked in her favor. According to the Los Angeles Times, the 24-year-old actress was released from the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center after completing just 22 days of her 90-day court ordered rehab.

Yet some people may argue that the pop star isn't getting off too easy for violating her probation in the DUI case. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Elden Fox ordered that Lindsay Lohan will remain on supervised probation until November. At a hearing last week, the judge stated that the actress must comply with random drug testing twice a week, participate in psychotherapy four times a week and meet with counselors five times a week for the remainder of her probation. If Lindsay Lohan misses or fails a drug test, she will be jailed for 30 days.