May 2011 Archives

Perhaps Arizonians are finally realizing the dangers of impaired driving along with the severity of the legal penalties for such a crime -- and the statistics prove it. Law enforcement agencies across the Grand Canyon state cracked down on drunk drivers over Memorial Day Weekend. Statewide statistics show that with heightened enforcement from Wednesday May 25 to Sunday May 29, authorities arrested 462 people on suspicion of DUI, reports the Associated Press.

The hundreds of Arizona DUI arrests over Memorial Day weekend came after officers made more than 11,000 traffic stops across the state. Of the 462 arrests, 146 drivers were reportedly booked on extreme DUI charges (BAC level at or above .15 percent).

Don't eat ice cream and drive.

These are some words that you're probably not used to hearing, as ice cream doesn't usually cause impairment. However, an ice cream parlor in Old Town Scottsdale has found a way to make the dessert a 21 and older treat.

Lee's Cream Liqueur Ice Cream Parlor on Stetson Drive features ice cream flavors made with alcoholic liqueurs, reports Fox News. Owner Lee Turner said that there's enough alcohol in each ice cream scoop to get you "feeling good" and that his idea of the alcoholic ice cream creation came when he started pouring alcohol on top of ice cream at parties.

Arizona motorists should be especially careful when it comes to drinking and driving this holiday weekend, as law enforcement agencies across the state have announced that they will be cracking down on DUI crimes.

Most police departments will be focusing their anti-drunk driving enforcement efforts on the weekend patrols — Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Yet the Associated Press reports that Phoenix police officers will be starting their DUI enforcement campaign a bit early with targeted enforcement beginning on Wednesday, which is set to continue until Monday May 30.

A driver was arrested for unlawful flight and DUI on May 16 after allegedly leading Phoenix, Mesa and other police officers on a 90-minute chase across the Valley. Yet it could be questionable as to whether or not the suspect really was impaired at the time of the pursuit.

The Arizona Republic reports that a Department of Public Safety officer tried to pull over 30-year-old Bo Wyatt in the East Valley after he was seen driving nearly 20 miles over the speed limit. But Wyatt reportedly continued to drive after he was wanted and led authorities on chase to west Phoenix and then back to Mesa.

The Tempe Police Department took alcohol-related crimes seriously last week during a three-day operation in which 141 people were arrested. According to The Republic, the 141 arrests in Tempe consisted of 92 arrests for alcohol violations and 27 arrests for DUI.

Last week's enforcement operation came during Arizona State University's graduation week, where drunk driving and underage drinking laws were heavily enforced. Twelve of the 27 drivers arrested for DUI were reportedly under the legal drinking age of 21 and five of the 27 DUI suspects were arrested for extreme DUI (BAC level at or above .15 percent).

Should all individuals suspected of a DUI in the state of Arizona be entitled to a jury trial? While most people would assume that all criminal defendants have the constitutional right to have their case evaluated by a jury of their peers, the U.S. Supreme Court and a 2005 Arizona Supreme Court have placed limits on the right to jury trial for offenses requiring less than six months of jail. Furthermore, a recently passed Arizona law (SB 1200) limits a DUI defendant's right to a jury trial.

Yet one Phoenix attorney is gathering support to challenge the provision of SB 1200 that takes away the jury trial for some DUI defendants. The Arizona Republic reports that paperwork has been filed for a referendum that would repeal this provision . Now, all concerned Arizona residents must collect 86,405 valid signatures by July 19, so that voters could have the final say on whether DUI defendants have the right to a jury trial.

Not all law enforcers and county officials follow the rules of the road in Arizona. According to AZ Family, a former Maricopa County detention officer was sentenced to 10.5 years in prison on Tuesday after pleading guilty to counts of manslaughter and endangerment.

The defendant, Adrian Salazar Guzman, had been accused of killing 27-year-old Alisha Marie Trejo on October 16. Trejo was on her motorcycle at a stop sign in Goodyear, when Guzman apparently hit her from behind with his vehicle. Goodyear police said that Guzman had told authorities after the fatal crash that he had been drinking throughout the day and that he had left a bar just one half hour before the crash.

Cinco de Mayo, celebrated annually on May 5, has become one of the biggest celebrations of the year in the state of Arizona. With all the parties and festivities that take place, alcohol consumption is common and thus drunk driving becomes a problem. This year, a statewide DUI task force decided to target impaired drivers and heavily enforce DUI-related crimes.

KTAR reports that Arizona's DUI task force not only enforced DUI offenses on Cinco de Mayo, but throughout the entire weekend. Between Thursday May 5 and Saturday May 7, the taskforce arrested 511 drivers across the state on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Two children were sitting on a sidewalk coloring in the town of Whiteriver when they were suddenly hit by a '95 Dodge Dakota pickup truck. White Mountain Independent reports that the driver of the truck was identified as 19-year-old Adrienne L. Shipp, who then allegedly tried to flee the scene of the accident.

Apparently, the driver hit the children after failing to make a proper left turn on Alchesay Road and drove through a wooden fence, into a front yard. The driver was not injured after the crash, but a 5-year-old child on the sidewalk named Larnell Quinero was killed as a result of the crash and a 4-year-old girl named Jermaine Foster, who was transported to Phoenix Children's Hospital to be treated for injuries, was critically injured from the alleged DUI accident.

Commercial drivers in the state of Arizona are subjected to different standards for DUI offenses than other drivers on the road. This is because commercial drivers operate larger vehicles, such as trucks, trailers, and buses, that are more difficult to maneuver. Hence, it's important that these drivers are not impaired at all in order to protect the safety of others.

Arizona Revised Statute 28-1381 states that if a person is driving a commercial motor vehicle that requires the driver to have a commercial driver's license, then the driver can be charged for DUI if he or she has a blood-alcohol concentration of just .04 percent or more. The legal limit for a standard DUI in Arizona is .08 percent.

Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that is sometimes be associated with partying and drinking. But before the festivities begin on May 5, it's important to do designate a sober driver so you can avoid a DUI arrest.

A DUI conviction can lead to severe penalties in the state of Arizona, where the offense carries much greater consequences than a speeding ticket in the state. The Mohave Daily News reported that students at Mohave High School learned about all the consequences of driving under the influence last week in their law enforcement class while making a trip to the local courthouse.