July 2011 Archives

Former Phoenix Coyotes goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, will serve 15 days in the Maricopa County Jail for a drunk driving conviction he incurred last February, reports the Edmonton Journal.

Khabibulin, often known as "The Bulin Wall" and currently the goaltender for the Edmonton Oilers, was pulled over in Phoenix for driving approximately 25 miles per hour over the speed limit in his black Ferrari and was later charged with an "extreme DUI" when he was found to have a blood-alcohol content level that was twice the legal limit.

You didn't mean for it to happen. One-or-two drinks turned into one-too-many, and suddenly you find yourself on the side of the road with an officer shining a light on you as you perform a sobriety test. You wish you hadn't gotten into the car, and now you may have to deal with the consequences of a DUI arrest. But should you deal with it alone?

Hiring a Phoenix DUI attorney to represent you can be pricey, but facing the full consequences of a DUI conviction can be even more severe. Here are a few things to consider when you've been arrested for a DUI:

Twenty-eight-year-old Travis Ward is under arrest for joy riding in an ambulance Sunday morning, after he stole the Phoenix Fire Department vehicle from the scene of a house fire and blazed a path of property destruction, reports ABC 15.

Emergency response crews were busy putting out a fire in a house containing two people, according to Phoenix Fire Captain Troy Caskey, when Ward allegedly took advantage of the distraction and stole the vehicle for a destructive ride around town.

Ward reportedly drove through streets, alleys and a park and managed to hit several objects, from a street sign to a fence, before ultimately crashing into a house containing unsuspecting resident Tyler Healey, ABC 15 stated.

The laws against DUI offenders just got a lot more complicated.

Among the flurry of laws going into effect Wednesday, one lessens DUI penalties by allowing first- and second- time DUI offenders to continue to work while they serve their sentence, while another will revoke a first-time offender's right to a jury trial.

The former, HB 2369, lessens the impact of the penalty on motorists convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, allowing them to leave jail for up to 12 hours a day to go to work or school while they serve out their sentence.

A standoff involving a suspected impaired, female driver and a male passenger of a silver van ended Tuesday morning on Mesa Drive after police surrounded the vehicle and possibly stun gunned the couple, reports ABC15.

The news broadcast television station aired video showing authorities approaching the van after it parked on the side of the road.

Two motorcycle riders miraculously survived a hit-and-run with serious but non-life-threatening injuries after a driver suspected of driving impaired rear-ended their bike with her SUV Saturday night in Gilbert, reports ABC15.

The female driver, described as in her late 20s, fled the scene after she hit the motorcycle while merging into traffic near Recker and Warner roads. She was later apprehended in the neighborhood by authorities and is suspected of DUI.

For those of you lucky enough to score tickets to Major League Baseball's All-Star Game at Chase Field on Tuesday, you may have been on the lookout for Sheriff Joe Arpaio's infamous DUI chain gangs. But alas, in a change of heart motivated by thoughts of the children and the nation's pastime, Sheriff Joe announced his decision to cancel the chain gangs' appearance a day before the game while signing pink underwear with the slogan, "Let's Play Ball," reports The Arizona Republic.

Sheriff Joe had recently received media attention for his creation of chain gangs consisting of volunteers who had been convicted of driving under the influence performing service tasks while literally chained to each other. Three chain gangs were created - one all-female, one all-male and one consisting solely of undocumented immigrants.

Surprise resident Brent Kruse could have gotten away with the convenient crime of shoplifting beer from a store less than a mile away from his house while drunk if he hadn't forgotten one key thing while driving - always remember to turn on your headlights.

The 30-year-old was approached by a police officer just as he was about to enter his home after he noticed that Kruse arrived without his headlights on, reports The Arizona Republic.

That is one more for Sheriff Joe.

One more chain gang, that is. Just last week we reported on the all-female chain gang Sheriff Joe Arpaio had set up for those convicted of DUI in his jurisdiction. Now, so as not to discriminate, Sheriff Joe has one more Arizona DUI chain gang, this time of undocumented immigrants, which will be picking up trash during the All-Star game, reports The Arizona Republic.

The all-undocumented gang will join all-female and all-male gangs cleaning up outside of Chase Field next week. There are several things all the gang members (so to speak) have in common: they are an all volunteer squad and they have all been convicted of driving under the influence.

If you're planning to go out and have drinks in Tucson on this year's Fourth of July, then you may want to consider taking a ride on the Tipsy Tow so that you and your vehicle can get home safely. Arizona Daily Star reports that AAA Arizona is offering this free-ride home service on Sunday so that DUI accidents can easily be avoided.

Tucson drinkers can call 1-800-222-4357 from 6 p.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. Monday and request a Tipsy Tow, which will give drivers and their passenger a free ride plus a free one-way tow to their destination. The best part is that this service is free of charge and doesn't require an AAA membership.