Sacramento, CA - Nearly every week we report about police officers who receive DUI citations or arrests. We do so for several reasons.
First, it shows that police are human beings too and are susceptible to, and regularly break the same laws that the ordinary, non-criminal citizen does. Second, it is actually a positive thing in our view when police officers arrest one of their own. It indicates that they are applying the law evenly and fairly. Many skeptics believe that most police officers stopped for DUI are let off without an arrest as a professional curtsey. We report cases like this to illustrate that this isn't the case.
This most recent report comes out of Sacramento, where the California Highway Patrol arrested Sacramento Police Officer Keith Hughes for drunk driving. The arrest came after witnesses reported his car along a high traffic portion of Hazel Avenue in Sacramento. The vehicle was in drive, and Officer Hughes was asleep behind the wheel.
The fire department responded because of the threat of a medical emergency, but when the fire personnel observed him, they suspected that his unconsciousness was caused by alcohol intoxication. That is when they called the police.
Under California DUI law, a person doesn't have to be driving to be arrested for DUI. A law called "actual physical control" allows police to arrest a suspected drunk driver if they are behind the wheel, even when passed out.
"When an agency other than the police is first on the scene and calls the police, there is a higher probability that the police will arrest one of their own," said Oregon DUII lawyer, Bart Herron.
"Any time you are dealing with more than one agency, whether its two police departments, or police and fire, it just increases the likelihood that everybody involved will do the right thing added Florida criminal defense lawyer John Musca. "Multiple reports from multiple agencies tend to act as a balancing factor."
The Sacramento Police Department will conduct their own investigation of Officer Hughes and determine the appropriate sanction separate from the criminal DUI case that he will now face. If convicted, or if he loses his license to the California, it will make it difficult to carry out his duties as a police officer. But like everybody who gets a DUI when nobody gets hurt, there is a strong argument that Officer Hughes deserves the benefit of the doubt and a second chance. For now, he will be treated like any other California DUI defendant, and will have to go through the justice system in Sacramento County.
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Monday, December 28, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Sacramento Cop Accused Of DUI
A Sacramento police officer has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, the California Highway Patrol said Tuesday.
Officer Christopher Hughes, 39, was booked over the weekend, CHP Officer Lizz Dutton said.
Dutton said the case was reported as a medical emergency Saturday afternoon at Hazel Avenue and Piedra Way.
Hughes' vehicle was spotted in a lane of the road and he slumped over the steering wheel, Dutton said.
When CHP officers responded, they found Hughes was found to be intoxicated, the CHP said.
Sacramento police Sgt. Norm Leong confirmed the arrest and said the department is conducting an administrative investigation.
Source
Officer Christopher Hughes, 39, was booked over the weekend, CHP Officer Lizz Dutton said.
Dutton said the case was reported as a medical emergency Saturday afternoon at Hazel Avenue and Piedra Way.
Hughes' vehicle was spotted in a lane of the road and he slumped over the steering wheel, Dutton said.
When CHP officers responded, they found Hughes was found to be intoxicated, the CHP said.
Sacramento police Sgt. Norm Leong confirmed the arrest and said the department is conducting an administrative investigation.
Source
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Sacramento Cop Arrested for DUI
SACRAMENTO - CHP arrested Sacramento Sacramento Police Officer Chris Hughes, who goes by "Keith," and booked him in the Sacramento County jail for DUI.
"There are over 1,100 men and women in this department and we're all human. However we do expect our officers to hold themselves to a higher standard," Sgt. Konrad Von Schoech said.
A higher standard, even when off-duty.
CHP said witnesses spotted the officer in his car along a busy stretch of traffic on Hazel Avenue near Madison late Saturday afternoon. He was asleep at the wheel and his car was in drive.
The fire department responded for what they thought may be a medical emergency. But when firefighters got there, they suspected Hughes was drunk and called police.
On Monday, we tried to talk with Officer Hughes. No one answered at the front door.
"What I can tell you is that a thorough and concise administrative investigation will be conducted by the Sacramento Police Department. And at the conclusion of that investigation, appropriate action will be taken," Von Schoech said.
For now, Officer Hughes has been pulled from patrol.
Source
"There are over 1,100 men and women in this department and we're all human. However we do expect our officers to hold themselves to a higher standard," Sgt. Konrad Von Schoech said.
A higher standard, even when off-duty.
CHP said witnesses spotted the officer in his car along a busy stretch of traffic on Hazel Avenue near Madison late Saturday afternoon. He was asleep at the wheel and his car was in drive.
The fire department responded for what they thought may be a medical emergency. But when firefighters got there, they suspected Hughes was drunk and called police.
On Monday, we tried to talk with Officer Hughes. No one answered at the front door.
"What I can tell you is that a thorough and concise administrative investigation will be conducted by the Sacramento Police Department. And at the conclusion of that investigation, appropriate action will be taken," Von Schoech said.
For now, Officer Hughes has been pulled from patrol.
Source
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Sacramento police officer arrested on suspicion of drunk driving
A Sacramento police officer, Christopher Hughes, 39, was booked into Sacramento County Jail over the weekend after being arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, a California Highway Patrol spokeswoman said.
Hughes' vehicle was noticed in a traffic lane at Hazel Avenue and Piedra Way in Orangevale on Saturday afternoon, said CHP officer Lizz Dutton. Hughes was slumped over the steering wheel.
CHP officers suspected Hughes had been drinking and arrested him, Dutton said.
Source
Hughes' vehicle was noticed in a traffic lane at Hazel Avenue and Piedra Way in Orangevale on Saturday afternoon, said CHP officer Lizz Dutton. Hughes was slumped over the steering wheel.
CHP officers suspected Hughes had been drinking and arrested him, Dutton said.
Source
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Who is the D.A.? SLO County's District Attorney avoids the limelight
An inconspicuous, brown wooden door at a far corner on the second floor of the San Luis Obispo County Library opens to the Local History Room, where one can find a wealth of reference material about the county origins, from books about its early settlements to old censuses.
Inside a maroon metal file cabinet at one end of the room, newspaper clippings are neatly organized into several categories, from historical buildings to old grand jury reports. Inside a file labeled "SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY" a couple dozen aged clippings highlight achievements and critical decisions by the county's district attorneys over the years. The D.A. from 1979 until 1984, Christopher Money, is the subject of many of the articles as is his successor, Barry LaBarbera. Beyond LaBarbera, there's nothing.
Who's missing? If you don't know, you're not alone.
A New Times reporter wandered among the crowd at a Farmers Market in downtown SLO, randomly posing one question: "Can you name our D.A.?" Of the 50 people asked, just one-a middle-aged, silver-haired man in a blue collared shirt and leather jacket-answered correctly.
"Gerry Shea," he said. Bingo.
Gerald T. Shea, 59, has headed the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office for more than a decade. Elsewhere, aside from supervising teams of deputies and investigators, district attorneys are the public faces personifying the local justice systems. They typically court and revel in publicity.
Shea, on the other hand, is rarely recognized in public or quoted in the media. He's been mentioned or quoted only 43 times since 2001 in The Tribune, for example: just over four times per year on average, and most of those quotes were in 2003 and 2004 regarding his controversial handling of a vehicular manslaughter case against the son of the county's treasurer. In light of how infrequently he's been quoted in local media or has stepped into the public spotlight, unless you're a lawyer or behind bars you probably would not have been able to name him, either.
Why would Shea's name matter to anyone other than lawyers and defendants? In less than a year, county residents will vote on who will run the office responsible for administering justice here and keeping criminals off our streets. Shea has declined to state whether he will run again in 2010 for another four-year term. If he continues at his position, he would be the longest-serving D.A. in SLO County in more than 50 years, yet hardly anyone knows anything about him.
New Times wanted to know more about this important elected official who steers clear of the limelight and what his reelection would mean for the county.
Source
Inside a maroon metal file cabinet at one end of the room, newspaper clippings are neatly organized into several categories, from historical buildings to old grand jury reports. Inside a file labeled "SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY" a couple dozen aged clippings highlight achievements and critical decisions by the county's district attorneys over the years. The D.A. from 1979 until 1984, Christopher Money, is the subject of many of the articles as is his successor, Barry LaBarbera. Beyond LaBarbera, there's nothing.
Who's missing? If you don't know, you're not alone.
A New Times reporter wandered among the crowd at a Farmers Market in downtown SLO, randomly posing one question: "Can you name our D.A.?" Of the 50 people asked, just one-a middle-aged, silver-haired man in a blue collared shirt and leather jacket-answered correctly.
"Gerry Shea," he said. Bingo.
Gerald T. Shea, 59, has headed the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office for more than a decade. Elsewhere, aside from supervising teams of deputies and investigators, district attorneys are the public faces personifying the local justice systems. They typically court and revel in publicity.
Shea, on the other hand, is rarely recognized in public or quoted in the media. He's been mentioned or quoted only 43 times since 2001 in The Tribune, for example: just over four times per year on average, and most of those quotes were in 2003 and 2004 regarding his controversial handling of a vehicular manslaughter case against the son of the county's treasurer. In light of how infrequently he's been quoted in local media or has stepped into the public spotlight, unless you're a lawyer or behind bars you probably would not have been able to name him, either.
Why would Shea's name matter to anyone other than lawyers and defendants? In less than a year, county residents will vote on who will run the office responsible for administering justice here and keeping criminals off our streets. Shea has declined to state whether he will run again in 2010 for another four-year term. If he continues at his position, he would be the longest-serving D.A. in SLO County in more than 50 years, yet hardly anyone knows anything about him.
New Times wanted to know more about this important elected official who steers clear of the limelight and what his reelection would mean for the county.
Source
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Golf Cart Driver Accused Of DUI
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Police arrested a golf-cart driver on suspicion of driving under the influence.
David Loucks, 61, was taken into custody at about 6:15 p.m. Thursday in the 2500 block of Rio Linda Boulevard, a police report said.
An officer spotted the golf cart traveling along Rio Linda Boulevard near Plaza Avenue and became suspicious. There are no golf courses in the area.
The officer pulled the car over and noticed that Loucks appeared to be intoxicated, the report said.
Source
David Loucks, 61, was taken into custody at about 6:15 p.m. Thursday in the 2500 block of Rio Linda Boulevard, a police report said.
An officer spotted the golf cart traveling along Rio Linda Boulevard near Plaza Avenue and became suspicious. There are no golf courses in the area.
The officer pulled the car over and noticed that Loucks appeared to be intoxicated, the report said.
Source
Monday, September 28, 2009
DUI crackdown intensifies in Elk Grove
The Labor Day season began early for the Elk Grove police and more than a dozen law enforcement agencies.
They conducted a heavy “saturation patrol” of Elk Grove two Fridays before the holiday when parties and heavy alcohol consumption are expected.
Elk Grove Sgt. Brian Winsor gave maps of Elk Grove’s bars and restaurants that serve alcohol to a dozen officers during a briefing.
“If you don’t have any more questions then let’s go out there and get them,” he told them before their DUI street patrol on Aug. 28.
They arrested three drivers suspected of being intoxicated that night, Elk Grove police spokesperson Christopher Trim reported.
Heightened crackdowns like saturation patrols and DUI street checkpoints were a regular sight during weekends this summer in Elk Grove.
Elk Grove police arrested eight DUI suspects just between Aug. 21 to 23, according to police watch summaries.
Such operations are also a part of the state-funded Avoid the Capital 15 program that unites 15 law enforcement agencies across Sacramento County.
“We’ve been deploying every weekend through this program and we will continue to deploy through that and beyond,” Elk Grove Police Chief Robert Lehner said.
Authorities arrested 129 DUI suspects in Sacramento County during the first week of the Avoid the Capital 15 program’s major enforcement period this summer, according to program statistics. No fatal DUI collisions were also reported during that time.
Lou Costanza, a spokesperson for the TMD Group that’s marketing the Avoid the Capital 15 program, said that the program’s task force historically targeted DUI suspects during holidays like Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day.
“It’s nice to have one arrest and no fatalities, but to have 100 arrests and no fatalities is really good too,” he said.
Lehner said that the task force mainly works to cut down the number of DUI-related collisions and fatalities.
“This is all about reducing the effects of alcohol-related driving,” he said.
In Elk Grove, Trim reported that DUI cases and arrests decreased from 365 in 2007 to 305 in 2008.
Winsor credited the decrease to the police’s DUI crackdowns.
“Almost every weekend, we’re out there,” he said. “We’re doing a good job of getting the word out.”
He added that the police also had improved training in spotting drunk drivers and mentioned that the grant funding was a “huge help.”
However, Winsor also noted the April case where a suspected drunk driver allegedly hit and killed a motorcyclist near Elk Grove Regional Park.
“It wasn’t her first DUI,” he said, adding that suspect Rebecca Vela had a few prior DUI convictions.
The number of young women arrested for drunken driving reportedly rose 60 percent in Sacramento County since 2000. Winsor said that he could not begin to speculate about the reasons why, saying they could be due to new fads or social pressures.
“It doesn’t make any difference why, it’s incumbent upon us to make sure that we get out there and take them off the streets,” he said.
They conducted a heavy “saturation patrol” of Elk Grove two Fridays before the holiday when parties and heavy alcohol consumption are expected.
Elk Grove Sgt. Brian Winsor gave maps of Elk Grove’s bars and restaurants that serve alcohol to a dozen officers during a briefing.
“If you don’t have any more questions then let’s go out there and get them,” he told them before their DUI street patrol on Aug. 28.
They arrested three drivers suspected of being intoxicated that night, Elk Grove police spokesperson Christopher Trim reported.
Heightened crackdowns like saturation patrols and DUI street checkpoints were a regular sight during weekends this summer in Elk Grove.
Elk Grove police arrested eight DUI suspects just between Aug. 21 to 23, according to police watch summaries.
Such operations are also a part of the state-funded Avoid the Capital 15 program that unites 15 law enforcement agencies across Sacramento County.
“We’ve been deploying every weekend through this program and we will continue to deploy through that and beyond,” Elk Grove Police Chief Robert Lehner said.
Authorities arrested 129 DUI suspects in Sacramento County during the first week of the Avoid the Capital 15 program’s major enforcement period this summer, according to program statistics. No fatal DUI collisions were also reported during that time.
Lou Costanza, a spokesperson for the TMD Group that’s marketing the Avoid the Capital 15 program, said that the program’s task force historically targeted DUI suspects during holidays like Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day.
“It’s nice to have one arrest and no fatalities, but to have 100 arrests and no fatalities is really good too,” he said.
Lehner said that the task force mainly works to cut down the number of DUI-related collisions and fatalities.
“This is all about reducing the effects of alcohol-related driving,” he said.
In Elk Grove, Trim reported that DUI cases and arrests decreased from 365 in 2007 to 305 in 2008.
Winsor credited the decrease to the police’s DUI crackdowns.
“Almost every weekend, we’re out there,” he said. “We’re doing a good job of getting the word out.”
He added that the police also had improved training in spotting drunk drivers and mentioned that the grant funding was a “huge help.”
However, Winsor also noted the April case where a suspected drunk driver allegedly hit and killed a motorcyclist near Elk Grove Regional Park.
“It wasn’t her first DUI,” he said, adding that suspect Rebecca Vela had a few prior DUI convictions.
The number of young women arrested for drunken driving reportedly rose 60 percent in Sacramento County since 2000. Winsor said that he could not begin to speculate about the reasons why, saying they could be due to new fads or social pressures.
“It doesn’t make any difference why, it’s incumbent upon us to make sure that we get out there and take them off the streets,” he said.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Injury Attorney Sacramento CA
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To ensure that you get the best representation, you should consider carefully which injury attorney to approach. Injury laws aim to give justice to victims and your lawyer should try to achieve this for you. As soon as you meet an untimely accident you should seek an injury attorney right away. Don’t wait for your body to fully recover before finding any legal help. The recovery period can be long and if no financial aid will come during that time you will be confronted with bills after bills. Not only lawyers of injury cases allow you to hire them on contingency basis, they will also agree to meet you for consultation at the place that is convenient to you. This is a stylish method to obtaining even more affordable injury attorneys Sacramento. The question is how and guess what? It is also advisable to have an attorney present when you’re dealing with your insurance company. This way, you’re guaranteed that you will get the true value of your injury claim. Let your attorney paint you realistic expectations to look forward to should your case go to trial. This will prevent you from stressing out which will only burden you further on top of your physical encumbrance.
Accident lawyers aren’t always the most trusted people in the world but they really can help you alleviate the problems that come with accidents. Hiring an injury attorney boils down to the fact that when a person meet an accident somebody should answer for it financially since the injured person will have a lot to face in terms of monetary problems and he’ll likely be incapacitated to take care of them on his own. I’ve been testing out really cheap injury attorneys Sacramento recently. I will, however, give you a injury attorney Sacramento that dismantles medium for a injury attorneys Sacramento. Lawyers are the victims’ allies when they’re denied of their rights and claims that they are legally entitled to. Being legally represented means the other party will think twice about ripping you off and it will also teach him a lesson that should not be taken for granted.
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When you hire an injury attorney you allow him to assume several responsibilities and represent you in appearances throughout the settlement of your case. A good injury atorney should weigh the validity of the case first before filing a lawsuit. If your lawyer thinks your case has enough merit warranting a full trial, he’ll do the legal works, go to court and do everything within his power to best represent your case to the court. Now you might not care if your inexpensive injury attorney Sacramento seems obvious, but think about it. A contingency fee is the most common form of compensation for accident lawyers. It means that client and lawyer have achieved an agreement where the client holds no financial obligation to the lawyer unless the case is resolved in favour of them. When a settlement is finally made, the lawyer will either keep a portion of the settlement won or the client will pay a specific amount regardless of the amount of settlement received.
To ensure that you get the best representation, you should consider carefully which injury attorney to approach. Injury laws aim to give justice to victims and your lawyer should try to achieve this for you. As soon as you meet an untimely accident you should seek an injury attorney right away. Don’t wait for your body to fully recover before finding any legal help. The recovery period can be long and if no financial aid will come during that time you will be confronted with bills after bills. Not only lawyers of injury cases allow you to hire them on contingency basis, they will also agree to meet you for consultation at the place that is convenient to you. This is a stylish method to obtaining even more affordable injury attorneys Sacramento. The question is how and guess what? It is also advisable to have an attorney present when you’re dealing with your insurance company. This way, you’re guaranteed that you will get the true value of your injury claim. Let your attorney paint you realistic expectations to look forward to should your case go to trial. This will prevent you from stressing out which will only burden you further on top of your physical encumbrance.
Accident lawyers aren’t always the most trusted people in the world but they really can help you alleviate the problems that come with accidents. Hiring an injury attorney boils down to the fact that when a person meet an accident somebody should answer for it financially since the injured person will have a lot to face in terms of monetary problems and he’ll likely be incapacitated to take care of them on his own. I’ve been testing out really cheap injury attorneys Sacramento recently. I will, however, give you a injury attorney Sacramento that dismantles medium for a injury attorneys Sacramento. Lawyers are the victims’ allies when they’re denied of their rights and claims that they are legally entitled to. Being legally represented means the other party will think twice about ripping you off and it will also teach him a lesson that should not be taken for granted.
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