DUI troubles in Las Vegas

[Jenksismyhero]

1.) I was thinking 4-5 beers a normal 9 inning game for a person who likes beer is about right. So my question to those who are so appalled by DUI ... have you ever had 4 beers at a Sox game and driven home?? You likely would get a DUI. You are not necessarily a horrific person, are you??

2.) Drunking boating and you were anchored?? You must have been FURIOUS at the cop.

3.) Very nice post, but again, what about 4-5 beers? Likely you can drive fine. So is the perpetrator a person who should be thrown in jail 2 years??

I tell you, the campaigns worked on me. I just don't drink and drive. I won't have ANY beers at a friend's party or a game or anything if I'm driving. And I like a cold beer. If it's cold and not named "Bud" I love beer.

 

As to 1), I think you're irresponsible the first time, but your life shouldn't be over for one mistake (but a heavy punishment is 100% warranted). But 3 mistakes? Come on. That is inexcusable.

[RockRaines]

2.) Drunking boating and you were anchored?? You must have been FURIOUS at the cop.

Pontoon boat, not even moving, bunch of 30 year olds not really making much noise at all. I've been on my lake driving boats since i was 8 legally since I was 12. Never seen anything like that EVER. They handcuffed me to their boat, took me in without a shirt or shoes on, strapped me down to a bed and took blood then handcuffed me to the floor of the jail for 14 hours without being able to get a drink or piss.

 

All for sitting on my pontoon celebrating someones bday and unfortunately being the only boat out there at 5pm.

[G&T]

Pontoon boat, not even moving, bunch of 30 year olds not really making much noise at all. I've been on my lake driving boats since i was 8 legally since I was 12. Never seen anything like that EVER. They handcuffed me to their boat, took me in without a shirt or shoes on, strapped me down to a bed and took blood then handcuffed me to the floor of the jail for 14 hours without being able to get a drink or piss.

 

All for sitting on my pontoon celebrating someones bday and unfortunately being the only boat out there at 5pm.

 

Uh...where was this?

[greg775]

Pontoon boat, not even moving, bunch of 30 year olds not really making much noise at all. I've been on my lake driving boats since i was 8 legally since I was 12. Never seen anything like that EVER. They handcuffed me to their boat, took me in without a shirt or shoes on, strapped me down to a bed and took blood then handcuffed me to the floor of the jail for 14 hours without being able to get a drink or piss.

 

All for sitting on my pontoon celebrating someones bday and unfortunately being the only boat out there at 5pm.

 

OM fricking gawd. This is almost barbaric. WTF? Did your lawyer say you could sue? Not to be gross but did you just piss on the floor? I'd think you could sue. If you got to go, you got to go.

 

Were you found guilty? Or plead down?

[Jenksismyhero]

Yeah that sounds wrong on all sorts of levels.

[iamshack]

I guess one of my main points is that there are hundreds of thousands of people driving while intoxicated every night in this country.

 

An alarmingly large percentage of US drivers has received at least one DUI.

 

Compare that to other misdemeanor or felony crimes.

 

Debate all you want in regards to the malicious intent or the stupidity or whatever, but the sheer number of people doing this on a nightly basis tells me that there is an alcohol problem that cannot currently be handled by our current infrastructure.

 

I'm just trying to think of ways for our infrastructure to handle that differently, because I don't think the prominent role of alcohol in our culture is changing any time soon.

Edited May 23, 2012 by iamshack

[greg775]

Yeah that sounds wrong on all sorts of levels.

 

You'd think they could tell he was not hammered and treat him a little better than that. Human dignity and all that.

And on a lake and boating? I mean cops are experienced. There has to be a way to notice a guy is not that drunk.

[iamshack]

These were the chicks Rock was hanging with, not the police

[StrangeSox]

An alarmingly large percentage of US driver's has received at least one DUI.

 

How is that state derived? I'm skeptical that it may be "number of DUI's/US adult population" which would overstate how many people have DUI's. I believe that the "50% of marriages end in divorce" is similar in that there's a lot of people with 2+ divorces so it is a little misleading.

[iamshack]

How is that state derived? I'm skeptical that it may be "number of DUI's/US adult population" which would overstate how many people have DUI's. I believe that the "50% of marriages end in divorce" is similar in that there's a lot of people with 2+ divorces so it is a little misleading.

Very well could be...even if it is overstated, do you really challenge the crux of the argument?

 

The number, whether it is 30% or 10%, is still astonishingly high.

[Kyyle23]

My dad used to live on one of the Fox chain lakes(Pistakee), and there was a massive change in the approach to lake DUI's. The thing that really sucks is cops can board your boat and search, no questions asked. They basically have free reign to board and bust, so you better hope that you don't catch their eye and that you are doing everything right while driving or anchored. We have seen plenty of people busted for being loud and rowdy, yet at Blarneys island every thursday there are boat races and wet t-shirt contests and you could probably have a 95 percent breathalyzer fail rate from everyone involved.

 

It is a very uneven enforcement of the law

[greg775]

My dad used to live on one of the Fox chain lakes(Pistakee), and there was a massive change in the approach to lake DUI's. The thing that really sucks is cops can board your boat and search, no questions asked. They basically have free reign to board and bust, so you better hope that you don't catch their eye and that you are doing everything right while driving or anchored. We have seen plenty of people busted for being loud and rowdy, yet at Blarneys island every thursday there are boat races and wet t-shirt contests and you could probably have a 95 percent breathalyzer fail rate from everyone involved.

 

It is a very uneven enforcement of the law

 

Good god. They allow the boat races with drunk boaters and bust the normal Joes who had a couple beers. Cmon. Drunken boating? If you get a lake DUI can it affect your driving privileges on land, too?

[RockRaines]

Uh...where was this?

 

Sister lakes in SW mich. Spent the night in Paw Paw county jail

OM fricking gawd. This is almost barbaric. WTF? Did your lawyer say you could sue? Not to be gross but did you just piss on the floor? I'd think you could sue. If you got to go, you got to go.

 

Were you found guilty? Or plead down?

I just sat there bored as hell for the entire night until I blew a 0.4. When I went to court the judge literally laughed and said we dont get too many of these, I paid 250, had my boating license suspended for 4 months dec-march and pled down to OWI which is like driving a lawnmower drunk. I spent over 7k on the entire thing.

 

My dad used to live on one of the Fox chain lakes(Pistakee), and there was a massive change in the approach to lake DUI's. The thing that really sucks is cops can board your boat and search, no questions asked. They basically have free reign to board and bust, so you better hope that you don't catch their eye and that you are doing everything right while driving or anchored. We have seen plenty of people busted for being loud and rowdy, yet at Blarneys island every thursday there are boat races and wet t-shirt contests and you could probably have a 95 percent breathalyzer fail rate from everyone involved.

 

It is a very uneven enforcement of the law

They literally can board whenever wherever. We've never had cops on our lake until recently and they basically ruined the 4th of july fireworks show by boarding almost every boat parked on the lake. Mind you this is a lake where generations of people have been on it and alot of us are southside chicagoans who know each other, we have basically no outsiders and its been self policed my entire life.

 

Good god. They allow the boat races with drunk boaters and bust the normal Joes who had a couple beers. Cmon. Drunken boating? If you get a lake DUI can it affect your driving privileges on land, too?

Yes, they very well could have stuck me with DUI in mich and illinois and stripped my license.

 

[Dick Allen]

I'll make this brief.

A friend of mine got his third DUI in the past four years in Vegas a couple weeks ago. He got one in Kansas City, one in Vegas two years ago to go with this one. His court date is in August; he has no attorney yet.

He was caught SLEEPING at a red light in his car and I don't know what his blood totals were. He has not received the results.

 

I told him to call an attorney NOW.

I told him his license actually might already be suspended as I believe DMZ does not have to tell you it's been suspended. It's your responsibility to find out.

 

My question to u is (perhaps you have gotten DUI or know people who had multiple DUIs) ...

1.) Will judge find out about the DUI in Kansas City? Or will that one remain separate?

2.) Does the fact he was sleeping at stoplight matter in his case? That seems pretty serious/dangerous.

3.) With 2 DUIs, will he serve jail time?

4.) Are there any circumstances you still get to drive your car for a year when license is suspended?

5.) Can an awesome attorney get him off scot free?

 

And on a personal level, do you think he is an irresponsible asshole for doing this repeatedly? Or do you think people make mistakes?

THANK YOU for any advice you can give.

He's 28 years old and the Vegas cops had his mom bail him out of jail; I don't know how they got her number back in Kansas, etc.

 

3 DUIs in 4 years, he needs more than attorney or 3. I have a friend who is f***ed up for life since the age of 15 due to a drunk driver, so I have zero tolerance, althought, hypocrite that I am, I am sure I have driven over the limit several times in my life.

Edited May 23, 2012 by Dick Allen

[Reddy]

Welcome to the light!

 

Why doesn't this same mentality work for something like pregnancy or drug use? If you choose to do it, deal with the consequences....not societies responsibility to pay for it...

drunk driving endangers others while having sex doesn't?

[cabiness42]

1.) I was thinking 4-5 beers a normal 9 inning game for a person who likes beer is about right. So my question to those who are so appalled by DUI ... have you ever had 4 beers at a Sox game and driven home?? You likely would get a DUI. You are not necessarily a horrific person, are you??

Never had more than one beer at a Sox game if I was driving. There's this handy thing called the 'L' that takes people home without having to drive.

 

I'm in favor of having two 'levels' of DUI. As it stands now (in every state I know of) someone who is .09 and someone who is .18 are both committing the exact same crime, but I think we'd all agree that the person who is .18 is much more likely to cause an injury/death and to some extent is making a much more irresponsible decision by driving.

 

 

[G&T]

Never had more than one beer at a Sox game if I was driving. There's this handy thing called the 'L' that takes people home without having to drive.

 

I'm in favor of having two 'levels' of DUI. As it stands now (in every state I know of) someone who is .09 and someone who is .18 are both committing the exact same crime, but I think we'd all agree that the person who is .18 is much more likely to cause an injury/death and to some extent is making a much more irresponsible decision by driving.

 

Most states have "aggravated DUI" based on various factors including BAC levels.

[Steve9347]

Pontoon boat, not even moving, bunch of 30 year olds not really making much noise at all. I've been on my lake driving boats since i was 8 legally since I was 12. Never seen anything like that EVER. They handcuffed me to their boat, took me in without a shirt or shoes on, strapped me down to a bed and took blood then handcuffed me to the floor of the jail for 14 hours without being able to get a drink or piss.

 

All for sitting on my pontoon celebrating someones bday and unfortunately being the only boat out there at 5pm.

You are Soxtalk's Cedric Benson.

[Texsox]

And these are all for the most part ineffective.

 

The issue is, many people make the incorrect decision once they begin drinking. You're asking someone to make a responsible decision once they are already impaired. It's just not going to happen a lot of the time.

 

I agree. The biggest issue with alcohol is it takes away your decision making ability. Right when you need to make a good decision you are least likely to make it.

 

If only more people knew that. Why not spend money in education programs and treatment programs funded by DUI fines? Oh wait, that is what most states do.

 

So if people can't help driving drunk, what shoudl we do? Allow it? Ban alcohol? Close bars and restaurants? Making bars and restaurants and their employees more responsible for monitoring their customer's condition is a nice step in the right direction. It should be sober people serving them.

[Balta1701]

I agree. The biggest issue with alcohol is it takes away your decision making ability. Right when you need to make a good decision you are least likely to make it.

 

If only more people knew that. Why not spend money in education programs and treatment programs funded by DUI fines? Oh wait, that is what most states do.

 

So if people can't help driving drunk, what shoudl we do? Allow it? Ban alcohol? Close bars and restaurants? Making bars and restaurants and their employees more responsible for monitoring their customer's condition is a nice step in the right direction. It should be sober people serving them.

If you increase an establishment's liability, you're just going to close down more establishments. Not even because they do something wrong, but because their insurance costs will skyrocket.

 

If we want to have a society that is restaurant free, that's a way to get there.

 

The alternative IMO is to be proactive with public and organized transit options. You could probably even get businesses involved in this if you could establish that it would help their bottom line (it would for me at least, I'd buy more alcohol on nights out if I knew I had a transit option to get home). And there are lots of ways to do it, even in smaller communities (Tipsy-tow programs, arranged drivers who can bike back to their location, etc.).

[greg775]

Never had more than one beer at a Sox game if I was driving. There's this handy thing called the 'L' that takes people home without having to drive.

 

I'm in favor of having two 'levels' of DUI. As it stands now (in every state I know of) someone who is .09 and someone who is .18 are both committing the exact same crime, but I think we'd all agree that the person who is .18 is much more likely to cause an injury/death and to some extent is making a much more irresponsible decision by driving.

 

Yes but you have to get out of the L somewhere and get in your car and drive the rest of the way home.

[SoxFan562004]

Most states have "aggravated DUI" based on various factors including BAC levels.

Yeah, IL has felony DUIs with factors from previous ones to driving without insurance/license other factors. It's been awhile since I dealt directly with DUIs on a regular basis, but I believe it's at the SA's discretion whether to felonize them, then even if they are they can still plead down to a misdo DUI in a felony court room.

 

For the first post, if this was IL and in certain counties, he would be going to jail and his license would probably be gone for a looooong time. Now it depends how the others were resolved. In IL you can amend to a reckless, but then it depends what charge you actually plead to. If it's a number with a DT in the middle, then it's kind of hard to hide, but if it's a DUI charge and plead to a reduced charge with a TR number, it's basically like they never had a DUI.

 

Some counties in IL, at least 3-4 years ago, had people pleading sign an affidavit saying they've never pled to a DUI anywhere else, but not sure if that was ever challenged or common these days.

 

 

[cabiness42]

Yes but you have to get out of the L somewhere and get in your car and drive the rest of the way home.

 

Nope, didn't have to do that.

[Balta1701]

Nope, didn't have to do that.

For well designed, integrated public transit, this is exactly what should be said in reply.

[lasttriptotulsa]

Never had more than one beer at a Sox game if I was driving. There's this handy thing called the 'L' that takes people home without having to drive.

 

I'm in favor of having two 'levels' of DUI. As it stands now (in every state I know of) someone who is .09 and someone who is .18 are both committing the exact same crime, but I think we'd all agree that the person who is .18 is much more likely to cause an injury/death and to some extent is making a much more irresponsible decision by driving.

 

I live in WI where we have the most leniant drunk driving laws in the country and even we have a graduated system. Between .08-.12 is just and OWI. .12 plus is an OWI and and seperate ticket for driving over .12. Each around $800. Once you get to .17 its automatically required to have a blow device in your car when you get your license back. I got an OWI about 4 years ago and it really didn't cost all that much. $800 for the OWI. $200 alcohol assessment, $200 class and about $30/month insurance increase for 3 years. WI is also the only state in the country where a 1st drunk driving is not a crime. Its only a misdemeanor. They take you in and do mugshots, etc., but never even put you in a cell. All you have to do is call someone to pick you up. As lenient as they are tho, one is enough for me. I think everyone makes mistakes, but there's no excuse for getting more than one.