Father and Son to Prison

Arizona Daily Sun-: "Father follows son to prison

By LARRY HENDRICKS
Sun Staff Reporter
09/27/2005

He was charged with driving drunk about a month after his son was accused of driving drunk and killing a Flagstaff cyclist. Now he'll be going to prison just like his son.

On Monday, Wayne Thompson, 39, was sentenced to 2� years in prison by Judge Mark Moran of Coconino County Superior Court.

Thompson was indicted by a county grand jury June 16 on two counts of aggravated DUI stemming from a May 14 traffic stop in the county. He was accused of driving without a license and having a blood-alcohol content over the 0.08 legal limit. "

Centuries Old DUI Defense

AccessNorthGa.com - North Georgia's Newsroom: "Lawmaker uses centuries-old law as DUI defense

The Associated Press - ATLANTA

State Rep. David Graves, charged with drunken driving for a second time, was denied by a judge Tuesday in his contention that his position as lawmaker means he cannot break the law while the Legislature is at work.

Graves, a Republican from Macon, Ga., tried to use a centuries-old provision in the state constitution to argue that he should not be prosecuted for a DUI he received in Cobb County in February. The arrest was made during Georgia's 2005 session of the General Assembly.

Cobb State Court Judge Irma B. Glover denied Graves' request to use the 'legislative immunity' defense. Graves' attorney, William C. 'Bubba' Head, immediately filed a motion to appeal the decision to the Georgia Supreme Court."

New York Daily News - Home - Gooden's DWI charge downgraded

New York Daily News - Home - Gooden's DWI charge downgraded: "Gooden's DWI charge downgraded

BY LEO STANDORA
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Florida prosecutors dropped a drunken-driving charge against fallen baseball star Dwight Gooden yesterday, but slapped him with a new count of reckless driving.
The legal maneuvering came as Gooden pleaded not guilty to fleeing a cop who stopped his car in Florida last month because the officer thought the former Mets and Yankees star was intoxicated.
The 41-year-old former Cy Young winner didn't appear for his arraignment and had his lawyer read his plea into the court record."

Money Raised for Safe Rides Home

WNYT...Live LOCAL Late-Breaking: "Husband of DWI victim starts fund
Money raised to help provide safe rides home

By ABIGAIL BLECK

The husband of a Troy woman killed by a drunk driver in Florida announced plans Monday to keep drunk drivers off the road right here in the Capital Region.
Mark Balistreri is channeling his grief and anger into a plan that will make our streets safer and at the same time celebrating a wife who he's having a very hard time living without.

Fragments from Annette and Mark Balistreri's 19 years together stand in every corner and hang on every wall at the home they shared in Troy."

CBC News - CBC Sports: Dwight Gooden surrenders to police

CBC News - CBC Sports: Dwight Gooden surrenders to police: "Dwight Gooden surrenders to police
Last Updated Fri, 26 Aug 2005 07:04:25 EDT
CBC Sports
Troubled former baseball player Dwight Gooden turned himself in to police Thursday. He had been missing since early Monday, after driving away from a suspected drunk driving traffic stop near his Tampa, FL. home."

Suspect sought in fatal DUI crash

Suspect sought in fatal DUI crash: "Suspect sought in fatal DUI crash
FHP: Previously convicted Daytona man may have fled to Texas
Kristen Reed
Sentinel Staff Writer

September 23, 2005

Troopers are searching for a Daytona Beach man they say was driving drunk last month when his car crossed the median and slammed head-on into another vehicle, killing three vacationing New Yorkers.

Investigators this week received the results of blood tests that showed David Michael Brown had a blood-alcohol level of 0.10, more than Florida's 0.08 legal limit for driving drunk.

Brown is now wanted on three counts of DUI manslaughter, but troopers could not find him at several locations in the Daytona Beach area."

Ex-FBI agent fails in bid to slash his DUI jail term

Ex-FBI Agent in Jail: "Ex-FBI agent fails in bid to slash his DUI jail term. A judge ordered David Farrall to serve the remainder of his 90-day DUI jail sentence. The ex-FBI agent had asked to be released early.

BY EVAN S. BENN
ebenn@herald.com

Just three weeks into a 90-day sentence for drunken and reckless driving, former FBI agent David Farrall on Wednesday asked the judge who sentenced him to let him out of jail early.

Farrall, 42, of Coconut Creek, was convicted on charges stemming from a November 1999 collision that killed two Lauderhill brothers.

In asking the judge to reduce his client's sentence, attorney John Howes on Wednesday argued that Farrall has ``lived an exemplary life.''

But Broward Circuit Judge Marc Gold ordered Farrall back to jail for the remainder of his three-month term."

Bucs: Kick returner thrilled to be back

Bucs: Kick returner thrilled to be back: "Kick returner thrilled to be back
Kick returner Torrie Cox played Sunday after serving a one-game suspension resulting from a DUI arrest.

STEPHEN F. HOLDER
Published September 27, 2005

TAMPA - Cornerback Torrie Cox returned to the lineup against the Packers after his DUI arrest two weeks ago earned him a one-game suspension. The missed game was difficult to swallow, but it allowed Cox to return with a renewed passion. 'I just wanted to be back,' Cox said. 'We're winning right now. And I can't sit out and not be a part of this. This is my team, too, my teammates, coaching staff. It felt good just to be out there. It had me amped up just to be out there on the field.' Cox said he accepted the penalty imposed by team officials, who decided he would be inactive for the home opener against Buffalo.

'When something happens, you have to pay the price for it,' Cox said. 'It was hard to just watch, but it's something that happened. I just get back on track and keep my head focused and get out here and help this team win.' Cox still must deal with the DUI charge and resulting probation violation that led to a second arrest days later. In the meantime, Cox's focus is special teams."

Area man pleads guilty to DUI manslaughter

Area man pleads guilty to DUI manslaughter: "Area man pleads guilty to DUI manslaughter
By Larry Keller
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Monday, September 26, 2005
Clinton D. Jackson, 25, of Coconut Creek, pleaded guilty Monday to DUI manslaughter, with the state dropping two other charges in connection with the October 2004 death of tow truck driver Alan W. Fyfe on Interstate 95 north of Glades Road.
Circuit Judge Edward Garrison sentenced Jackson to four years in prison, to be followed by eight years' probation. He faced up to 15 years of incarceration if convicted at trial."

Horse, truck, DUI charge - York Daily Record

Horse, truck, DUI charge - York Daily Record: "Horse, truck, DUI charge
Police said a drunken horse rider forced others off the Rail Trail then drove a truck.
By BRENT BURKEY
Daily Record/Sunday News
Tuesday, September 27, 2005

When a Springfield Township man rode his horse home from a Glen Rock bar Sunday afternoon, police said, he was running people off the York County Rail Trail with his galloping steed.
But it wasn�t until Van Ertel got home and jumped in his pickup that Pennsylvania State Police arrested him for driving under the influence."

DUI death brings 5-year term

TAVARES -- A judge Monday sentenced a federal corrections officer to five years in state prison for DUI-manslaughter in the death last year of a bicycle rider in Leesburg.

Before learning his punishment, Purdie K. Burkes tearfully pleaded with the judge for mercy and leniency. He apologized to Michal Kathleen McPherson's family and described the incident as an accident."

Take Bush DUI in Context, MADD Says

Take Bush DUI in Context, MADD Says: "Take Bush DUI in Context, MADD Says

Attitudes Have Changed Since the 1970's


Times and attitudes have changed greatly since George W. Bush was stopped for drinking and driving, a Texas Mothers Against Drunk Driving spokepersons says.
Thanks to organizations like MADD, drunk drivers today not only face stiffer penalties and fines, drinking and driving is no longer socially accepted as it once was, in the era of the 'cocktail party.'"