From our Chicago DUI Lawyers Celebrity arrest files………

‘Pulp Fiction’ writer sentenced in fatal DUI crash
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VENTURA, Calif. — An Oscar-winning screenwriter of “Pulp Fiction” has been sentenced to a year in jail for causing a fatal traffic crash in Southern California.

Roger Avary was sentenced Tuesday in a Ventura court.  He also received five years of probation.

Avary pleaded guilty in August to gross vehicular manslaughter and drunken driving for the 2008 crash that killed a passenger in Avary’s Mercedes in Ventura County. Authorities say Avary’s car was traveling at more than 100 mph when it crashed into a telephone pole.

Avary’s wife was ejected from the vehicle and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Avary and Quentin Tarantino share the 1995 Academy Award for writing “Pulp Fiction.” He also co-wrote the screenplay for the movie “Beowulf.”

The Law Offices of James E. Fabbrini have years of experience protecting people charged with drunk driving. From first time offenders to felonies, our Chicago DUI lawyers have successfully fought DUI charges in Chicago and the surrounding areas.

Protect your freedom, avoid trouble, and save yourself money. Contact our office today. All consultations are absolutely free. Call us at (312) 494-3131 or e-mail us your questions at Contact@WindyCityLawFirm.com

Bravo to the legislators in Wisconsin for treating 1st time DUI offenders fairly and not bowing to pressure from organizations such as MADD.

Wisc. drunk drivers to get ticket on first offense

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin lawmakers have passed tougher drunk driving laws but even under the new rules, a first-time drunken driving offense will still mean a mere traffic ticket.

A bill passed unanimously by the state Assembly earlier this month strengthens other parts of the law, like making driving drunk a felony on a fourth offense instead of a fifth in some cases. But a first offense would be a crime only if someone under 16 is in the car. It usually means a fine of up to $300 and maybe a lecture from a judge.

“We want to see people deterred from driving drunk,” said Paul Jenkins of Mequon, whose pregnant stepdaughter and her 10-year-old daughter were killed last year by a repeat drunken driver. “This bill doesn’t do that.”

Suggesting that stiffer penalties deter people from committing crimes just doesn’t fly.  And what about other activities that are scientifically proven to be FAR more dangerous than drinking and driving , like texting and driving (TWI)?  Where’s the outcry for jail time for people caught TWI?

We’re not suggesting repeat offenders shouldn’t be punished accordingly, our problem is that when it comes to Drunk Driving offenses, MADD wants everyone locked up – 1st time or 5th time.  Let’s have the punishment fit the crime.  From our Chicago DUI Lawyers – nice job Wisconsin.

Read between the lines here and look who is upset as their cash grab wasn’t put into the new DUI law in Maryland.

State’s new DUI laws are called insufficient
Mandatory treatment should be included, critics say

By Don Markus | don.markus@baltsun.com

Drunken driving laws that go into effect Wednesday are missing a key component – mandatory treatment for offenders – according to those who have had a vested interest in reducing alcohol- and drug-related traffic fatalities in Maryland.

Michael Gimbel, the former Baltimore County director of substance abuse whose program was used as a model by the National Commission Against Drunk Driving, contends that legislators should make treatment mandatory for all first-time offenders.

Of course he does – he stands to make lots of money treating all those first-time offenders.

In fact, Gimbel said, the term “first-time offender” is a misnomer when it comes to drunken drivers.

“The reality is that these people drove drunk hundreds of times before they got caught the first time,” said Gimbel, a former drug addict and alcohol addict.

How does Gimbel know this? What study is he referring to?

“I’m not saying that the laws are bad, that we shouldn’t have tough laws. We should. But we haven’t balanced it with any treatment,” said Gimbel, who now does consulting work on addiction and runs a hospital program warning high school athletes about steroids.

Do we have mandatory treatment for murders?  Strong arm robbers? Rapists?  Where’s  Mr. Gimbel’s outrage calling for treatment for that segment of our society?  Or could it be that his main concern is making money?

What’s MADD’s take on all this?

Caroline Cash, the executive director of the Maryland and Delaware chapters of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said her organization was disappointed that only four of 42 recommendations made by the task force passed both houses.

MADD’s recommendation to require those with at least one DUI to install an ignition interlock system, into which a motorist must blow before being able to start the car, was passed unanimously by the state Senate but did not even make it to the House for a vote.

Ah, yes.  MADD.  A group to whom the concept “innocent until proven guilty” means nothing.  Fortunately, the Maryland House of Representatives still recalls that maxim of our justice system.  Looks like MADD’s goal of a Prohibition Nation takes another hit.

Better luck next time.

Warning, your Rights are under attack…………

DUI law pits police vs. hospital procedure

Illinois State law says police officers can require suspected drunken drivers to submit to a blood test if they’re involved in a serious or fatal accident.

But what, if any, obligation do hospitals have to carry out an officer’s request to draw a DUI suspect’s blood?

That’s one of the questions raised by the arrest of an emergency room nurse at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center during a dispute with a police officer over drawing blood from a suspected DUI driver.

If the police officer didn’t have probable cause to arrest the accused for drunk driving, why is the officer allowed to drag the accused all around town to obtain that probable cause?  4th Amendment, anyone?

And if you dare question the police?

[The nurse] said the officer handcuffed her and made her sit in a squad car for 45 minutes after she told him the hospital could not draw blood until the driver was admitted as a patient.

Where’s all this headed anyways? Surely we are going to work to avoid this kind of ridiculous situation in the future, right?

In an effort to expedite blood draws for DUI suspects, the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police is trying to work with paramedics and firefighters to draft legislation requiring paramedics to draw blood at the direction of police officers investigating alcohol-related crashes resulting in death or great bodily harm, said Limey Nargelenas, a lobbyist for the group.

Draft legislation to expedite this?

The group said it recognizes that there may be resistance from paramedics who worry they would have to go to court to regularly testify in DUI cases.

Uh, yeah. Paramedics, DUI defense attorneys, wrongfully accused motorists, and those pesky people that believe in our Constitution.

The new rendition policy, right here at home.  Welcome to the war.

From the “don’t do this” files……

Woman who skipped hearing in DUI arrested on same charge

A Saylorsburg woman wanted by the Monroe County sheriff’s office for failure to appear at a hearing on drunken driving charges was caught driving drunk Sunday night, state police say.

Courtney Consalazio, 24, was stopped by state police around 10 p.m. after pulling into the parking lot of a closed gas station on Route 209. Police said Consalazio appeared to be drunk, and a records check showed she was wanted for failure to appear at a court hearing.

Continue reading “Woman Arrested For DUI After Skipping Prior DUI Court” »

Our Chicago Lawyers have used a lot of DUI Defense strategies in the past, but we’ve never tried something like this.

Marengo man rides motorcycle in McHenry County courtroom to contest DUI charge

Judge not impressed, suspends defendant’s license

Everyone laughed, says Carl Ahrens, when the Marengo man drove his battery-powered miniature motorcycle in a McHenry County courtroom this week.

The display was supposed to persuade a judge to throw out his DUI ticket for operating the Razor MX500 with a blood-alcohol level of 0.18.

“The judge laughed and even said, ‘My turn,’ ” Ahrens said. “I thought I had him on my side.”

The laughter faded quickly, though, when Judge Thomas Meyers suspended Ahrens’ license for 6 months on the DUI charge.

Continue reading “Man Rides Motorcycle Into Court To Contest DUI Charges” »

Our Illinois DUI Lawyers have been following the legislative process in Wisconsin as they near the passage of a re-vamped drunk driving law.  Here are the latest remarks from Wisconsin’s Governor regarding the process.

Wis. governor wants to sign ‘strong’ DUI bill

MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle says he wants to sign a “good, strong bill” toughening drunken driving laws in Wisconsin.

The state Assembly last week passed a bill that would make the fourth offense a felony, instead of the fifth offense as is current law. It would also make a first offense a crime if someone under age 16 is in the car.

Continue reading “Wisconsin Governor Wants “Strong” DUI Bill” »

Compare and contrast these two stories. A New Jersey man was given 4 1/2 years for his 16th Drunk Driving conviction while here in Illinois, a Kane County judge has sentenced a a McHenry County man to eight years in prison after the defendant pleaded guilty to his seventh driving under the influence offense.

Man draws 8 years in 7th DUI case

ST. CHARLES, Ill. – The defendant, 49year-old Michael R. Miller of Union, admitted guilt to aggravated driving under the influence and was sentenced under a plea deal accepted Monday by Kane County Associate Judge Patricia P. Golden.

Continue reading “Eight Years For DUI #7” »

From our celebrity arrest files comes word that a former Olympic track star has been arraigned on drunk driving charges on New York’s Long Island.

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) — Derrick Adkins of West Hempstead — who lives on a street named in his honor — was arrested on the Meadowbrook Parkway on Aug. 29. A Nassau County District Attorney spokesman says Adkins was released on his own recognizance after Wednesday’s arraignment.

State police say Adkins was seen drifting in and out of lanes at almost 2 a.m. A trooper also said he smelled alcohol on the driver’s breath.

Adkins won a gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles at the Olympic games in Atlanta in 1996.

The Law Offices of James E. Fabbrini have years of experience protecting people charged with drunk driving. From first time offenders to felonies, our Chicago DUI lawyers have successfully fought DUI charges in Chicago and the surrounding areas.

Protect your freedom, avoid trouble, and save yourself money. Contact our office today. All consultations are absolutely free. Call us at (312) 494-3131 or e-mail us your questions at Contact@WindyCityLawFirm.com

Our Chicago Attorneys stumbled on a terrifying 911 call released today by Wisconsin authorities involving a woman urging “help” because her husband was allegedly drunk driving and refused to stop.

Wife dials 911 from passenger seat to report husband’s drunken driving

Wauwatosa, WI — Wisconsin authorities have released a chilling 911 call made by a woman trapped in a car with her drunk husband behind the wheel. “We need help! We need help!” you can hear the woman screaming. “My husband’s drunk and he’s driving and he won’t let me drive.”

The call was made Friday as the woman, her husband and their young son circled a Wauwatosa elementary school.

Continue reading “Wife Calls 911 From Car To Report DUI Husband” »