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Weekly DUI News
September 20th thru September 26th in the year Two Thousand and Twenty and Twenty One
- Saturday, September 25th, 2021 Car slams into Maine toll booth and bursts into flames, injuring toll attendant; driver charged with OUI A Maine man suspected of being under the influence of alcohol lost control of his car and slammed the vehicle into a toll booth Thursday, causing the car to catch fire and injuring a toll worker, officials say. At roughly 1:40 a.m., 22-year-old Ethan Chase, of Durham, Maine, was traveling on the Falmouth Spur, a small highway north of Portland, when he drove his car into the toll booth, police say. Speed and alcohol are believed to have contributed to the crash. The crash heavily damaged the toll booth, Maine state police said, with shattered glass and debris injuring the head and face of 46-year-old toll worker John Schwabe, of Westbrook. A car crashed into a Maine tollbooth and burst into flames, injuring a toll attendant. (Maine State Police).Maine State Police According to state police, Schwabe was transported to Maine Medical Center in Portland and is expected to be released from the hospital Thursday. Chase was uninjured, police said. He has been charged with aggravated operating under the influence. The crash remains under investigation, police said.
- Friday, September 24th, 2021 Pennsylvania law leaves medical cannabis patients at risk for DUI prosecution, Senate hearing reveals (The Center Square) – Three years ago, medical cannabis patient Jesse Roedts told state troopers at a sobriety checkpoint that some of the drug was in his car. That admission, he said, prompted a search of his vehicle, a field sobriety test – which he passed – and a blood draw to confirm his impairment. The latter revealed carboxy THC in his system, triggering a DUI charge and costing him thousands in court and attorneys fees to fight. During a preliminary hearing, Roedts said the arresting officer admitted targeting him for the DUI charge upon learning of his medical status. Pennsylvania’s zero tolerance impaired driving law makes no distinction between medical and recreational cannabis use, leaving up to 368,000 registered patients at risk of prosecution for the mere presence of THC in their blood. Local Trending News “The state legalized medical cannabis then turned hundreds of thousands of patients into potential criminals,” Roedts told the Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday in support of a legislative fix to the loophole. "Reforming this law will allow the proper protections that patients deserve. … I know I am one of many patients who have suffered due to the way the current law is written.” That’s why Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Washington, sponsored Senate Bill 167 amending Title 75, the Vehicle Code, to remove medical cannabis from the law’s definition of controlled substance and insert language that says “if the individual is a medical marijuana patient in compliance with the provisions of the Medical Marijuana Act, proof of actual impairment shall be required.” This is similar to the way drivers found in possession of prescribed drugs are treated, Bartolotta said in a December cosponsorship memo. The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association is among the supporters of the measure. “DUI reform is the most pressing issue facing our medical cannabis patients,” said Patrick Nightingale, a criminal defense attorney based in Pittsburgh. “The intent [of the medical cannabis program] could not have been to render hundreds of thousands of patients unable to operate a vehicle.” Nightingale told the committee that prosecution of cannabis DUIs is inconsistent across the state. Some district attorneys withdraw charges against registered patients, while others pursue convictions based on the drug’s Schedule 1 classification. “There is no consistency unfortunately, and that makes life interesting not only for defense attorneys, but our clients,” he said Tuesday. In Roedts’s case, the state dropped the charges after the arresting officer testified under oath that he lied about seeing signs of impairment. The court also viewed a recording of Roedts’s field sobriety test, which confirmed he passed with no signs of intoxication. Pennsylvania State Police Major Robert Krol said officers don’t pursue DUI charges unless a driver shows signs of impairment. The agency said it supports the bill. “Normally, we’re not going to get to the point that we are obtaining blood unless we’ve got indicators [of impairment],” he said. “We don’t go on fishing expeditions, per se, to identify whether people have something in their system or not unless we have other evidence.” Lauren Vrabel, a licensed pharmacist, told the committee that existing drug screenings present “misleading representations of intoxication” because the tests detect the presence of inactive THC metabolites that “will not interact with receptors to produce a high.” “What this actually represents is simply consumption,” she said. “It is not an indicator of the time frame of consumption. Therefore, measuring [carboxy THC] to prove intoxication at the time of operating a motor vehicle is arbitrary.” Roedts said, despite the withdrawn charges, the event triggered a ripple effect of negative consequences throughout his life and abused his “rights and privacy.” Local newspapers published his DUI charge, which jeopardized his jobs as both a music teacher and fire inspector. “I felt embarrassed that I had to reveal personal medical information just to clear my name so I would not be terminated from both my jobs,” he told the committee. “I had to make them aware that I was a legal patient and was not impaired.” Roughly 368,000 active registered patients in Pennsylvania use medical cannabis to treat 23 conditions, from cancer to autism to chronic pain to anxiety to opioid use disorder. Bartolotta said her bill "will provide critical protections for medicinal cannabis patients by ensuring responsible use of their legal medicine does not give rise to a criminal conviction."
- Thursday, September 23rd, 2021 Man allegedly throws beer bottle from vehicle during pursuit by Crown Point police CROWN POINT — A Hammond man with two 15-year-olds in his vehicle allegedly led Crown Point police on an intoxicated, high-speed chase from the Old Courthouse Square into Merrillville early Sunday morning. Burnell D. Williams IV, 33, is facing two felony charges and a host of misdemeanor and traffic offenses for his actions during the pursuit, according to court records. It began at 3:20 a.m. when Crown Point Officer Dan Lee allegedly spotted Williams speeding and driving the wrong way on Court Street with his vehicle's headlights turned off. Police said they pursued Williams northbound on Main Street as he continued speeding and swerving side-to-side with his headlights still off. Ride along with Officer Jimmy Weller as he patrols the region's border of Lake Michigan as part of the Lake County Sheriff's Marine Unit. Video by Connor Burge. Williams appeared to give up at the intersection of Main Street and Anderson Street. But he quickly sped off when Lee approached his stopped vehicle, police said. Police said the chase ultimately ended in 6300 block of Waite Street in Merrillville after Williams backed into a Crown Point squad car. Throughout the pursuit, Williams was spotted throwing several items, including a beer bottle, from his vehicle, police said. Records show Williams is accused of operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a minor in the vehicle and resisting law enforcement using a vehicle — both level 6 felonies. He's also been charged with two misdemeanor counts of operating while intoxicated, resisting law enforcement, and leaving the scene of an accident, records show. Police said the two Hammond juveniles in the vehicle with Williams were released to a parent without charges at this time.
- Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021 Man charged after allegedly driving local team while under the influence MARTINSBURG — A Harpers Ferry man driving a charter bus of Hedgesville High School athletes has been charged with allegedly driving under the influence after a football game in Morgantown on Friday evening. James Blair Currie, 64, has been charged with DUI per se, DUI, driving while impaired by alcohol, reckless driving, negligent driving, numerous counts of DWI of alcohol per se while transporting a minor and numerous counts of DUI of alcohol while transporting a minor, according to a press release from the Cumberland, Maryland, Police Department. On Friday, police said they responded to an Ali Ghan Road business for a report of a driver who was operating a charter bus under the influence of alcohol. Upon officers’ arrival, they spoke with the operator of the bus, Currie, who exhibited signs of impairment. After conducting Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, officers said they observed additional evidence of impairment and placed him under arrest. Currie was later released on citations pending his trial at district court. “As your principal, the health and safety of our students and staff is a priority, as is keeping you informed with facts of school situations when they occur,” Hedgesville High Principal Ron Lyons said in a message sent to school parents. Lyons went on to say that this event occurred in the early morning hours of Saturday, involving the HHS football and cheer teams on their return trip home. “The teams were traveling east through Allegany County, Maryland, on I-68 on two buses chartered by Varsity Travel Company, when members of our coaching staff noticed the driver of the lead bus was driving erratically and at a high rate of speed,” Lyons continued. “Coaches called law enforcement from the bus as they traveled through Allegany County.” According to the message, the trailing bus was able to signal the lead bus to stop at a Love’s Travel Center just east of Cumberland, where they were met by police. “After the buses were stopped safely at approximately 1:30 a.m., all members and coaches of the teams on the bus in question were safely removed from the situation,” Lyons said. “... The students were consolidated onto the remaining bus and returned safely to Hedgesville High School. All student athletes and coaches made it home by approximately 5 a.m. (Saturday) morning.” Lyons thanked the actions of the coaches in handling this “serious situation.” “I am extremely saddened that this occurred but very grateful that our coaches and students reacted the way they did,” he said. “The safety of our students is our No. 1 priority, and I thank law enforcement, our students and coaching staff for their actions that resulted in returning our Eagle athletes and staff home safely.”
- Tuesday, September 21st, 2021 Man called 911 over and over to say he was ‘tired’ Dispatch got tired of dealing with him. An Indiana man who continually called 911 to announce that he was “tired” will now be spending two months in county jail, according to court records obtained Friday by The Smoking Gun. Daniel Schroeder, 61, was taken into custody Tuesday night in connection with the four calls he made that evening “stating he was tired,” according to the police report obtained by the outlet. Daniel Ray Schroeder can rest up in jail. Schroeder made the calls the day after pleading guilty to an early misuse of the emergency system, in which he admitted to phoning 911 to state his displeasure with a relative who “was not following his rules,” the outlet reports. For that offense, he was ordered to spend six months in jail — a sentence that was suspended so long as he “does not call 911 unless it is an emergency,” according to The Smoking Gun. He pleaded guilty Wednesday to violating that rule and was sentenced to 60 days behind bars on the misdemeanor charge, to run concurrently with the amended sentence in the first case, of 60 days in jail, according to the outlet. Though he doesn’t seem to know much about the reason for 911, Schroeder is no stranger to the law, even this year. Schroeder was charged in May with possession, leaving the scene of a crash, and operating a vehicle while intoxicated after allegedly driving drunk through a cemetery — nearly three times the legal limit — only to damage a minimum of four headstones, WEHT reported at the time.
- Monday, September 20th, 2021
Police: Claverack woman charged after crash
CLAVERACK — A Columbia County woman was charged Monday night after her vehicle rolled over in Claverack, Beau Duffy, director of public information for state police, said.
Dana M. Skabowski, 46, of Claverack was charged with driving while intoxicated and aggravated driving while intoxicated, both unclassified misdemeanors, Duffy said.
At about 8:08 p.m., a car was being driven by Skabowski north on Spook Rock Road, when the car left the road and hit a utility pole, snapping the pole off at the base. The car continued and overturned on a lawn, Duffy said.
Columbia County 911 sent Claverack Fire Department and Greenport Rescue Squad to the scene.
Paramedics evaluated Skabowski, who refused medical treatment.
An investigation by police determined Skabowski had a blood alcohol content of .21%. She was taken to the Livingston state police barracks, where she was charged and later released with appearance tickets for Town of Claverack Court, Duffy said.
Fire police closed Spook Rock Road in the area of the crash.
National Grid responded to replace the pole.
State police investigated. They were assisted by Greenport police.
All firefighters were back in service at 10:18 p.m.
Stories of the Week
- Sep 13 Sep 19Man who caused deadly Phoenix crash had meth in wallet
- Sep 6 Sep 12Murder charges stand in case against woman accused of killing 2 road workers in OWI crash
- Aug 30 Sep 5 Driver sentenced to 7 years for striking and killing 11-year-old Gresham boy
- Aug 23 Aug 29 Okinawa-based sailor accused of drunken driving after early morning hit-and-run
- Aug 16 Aug 22 Doctor admits to OWI fatality Baby died, dad injured in Bluffton collision
- Aug 9 Aug 15 Lawyer who was driving 94 mph pleads guilty in fatal DWI crash in Bedford
- Aug 2 Aug 8 N.J. man charged with DWI after driving car over bridge, police say
- Jul 26 Aug 1 Brewery Surveillance Video Shows Trooper's Actions Before Drunk Driving Crash in Southbury
- Jun 28 Jul 4 GBI: No injuries after officer shot at alleged DUI suspect's car tire during chase, infant was in car
- Jun 21 Jun 27 SCOTUS Refuses 'To Print a New Permission Slip for Entering the Home Without a Warrant'
- Jun 14 Jun 20 Kingman box truck driver gets 16 years in crash that killed 5 bicyclists
- Jun 7 Jun 13 ‘Melrose Place' actress Amy Locane resentenced to 8 years in prison for fatal DWI crash
- May 31 Jun 6 Following a DUI Arrest, Maine Defense Lawyer Banned From Representing Defendants
- May 24 May 30 Woman charged with DWI in crash that injured off-duty Haverhill police officer running for mayor
- May 17 May 23 Woman charged with DWI in crash that injured off-duty Haverhill police officer running for mayor
- May 10 May 16 Driver, 19, accused of being under the influence of drugs in Poway crash that killed father, 13-year-old son
- May 3 May 9 Driver, 19, accused of being under the influence of drugs in Poway crash that killed father, 13-year-old son
- Apr 26 May 2 Man says he tried to cover up when urinating in resident's yard
- Apr 19- Apr 25 Willoughby Hills attorney who struck police cruiser while drunk receives stayed suspension
- Apr 12- Apr 18 Should you drive when taking prescription medication?
- Apr 5- Apr 11 Appeals court considers blood-alcohol test in fatal Acadia crash
- Mar 29- Apr 4 Senate leader charged with DUI, reckless driving, evading police, and driving down the wrong side of the highway
- Mar 22- Mar 28 New York State Police arrest motorist 3 times in same day
- Mar 15- Mar 21 UK alumna Alex Otte becomes president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving
- Mar 8- Mar 14 Drunk driver hid in bushes after crash, police say
- Mar 1- Mar 7 Two dead after an alleged impaired driver hit them in driveway at home
- Feb 22- Feb 28 Breathalyze This! States with the Most DUIs (2021)
- Feb 15- Feb 21 Meet the Obscure Court Handling Bruce Springsteen's DWI Case
- Feb 8- Feb 14 Crash near Portage elementary school leads to drunken driver with a 'road beer,' police say
- Feb 1- Feb 7 Britney Spears' Ex-Husband Jason Alexander Arrested on DUI and Drug Charges Busted.
- Jan 25- Jan 31 New Boston councilman charged with OVI
- Jan 18- Jan 24 Wanted, intoxicated driver arrested for trying to drag race Indiana officer, police say
- Jan 11- Jan 17 Warrant issued for missing Eureka man
- Jan 4- Jan 10 Driver, passenger arrested after OVI-related crash
- Dec 28- Jan 3 Intoxicated driver charged with killing pedestrian in Wyoming