Newport News VA DUI/DWI Defense Attorney Blog
On behalf of John J. Rice, Attorney & Counselor at Law posted in Drunk Driving Charges on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
In a unique turn of events, a Roanoke County General District Court judge dropped a pending DUI charge against former county official Doug Chittum after Chittum spent time in jail following a court hearing on his June 2011, arrest. The charge resulted from a June 28, 2011, traffic stop in which Chittum was reportedly staggering, slurring his speech and emanating an odor of alcohol.
The fact that the charge was dropped is unique because Chittum actually pled "no contest" to the drunk driving charge when he appeared in court on February 8, 2012. He was also facing a civil citation for failing to take a breath or blood alcohol test, but prosecutors agreed to drop that in exchange for his plea.
On behalf of John J. Rice, Attorney & Counselor at Law posted in Underage Drinking on Friday, February 17, 2012
Two years ago Anna Stuckey attended a party in Richmond with two friends and coworkers from the Navy base at Norfolk. After stopping for gas, Stuckey ended up on a back road in Stonehouse where she missed a curve in the road and slammed into a tree. The impact killed one passenger, who suffered a broken neck in the crash.
Stuckey was charged with involuntary manslaughter, reckless driving, underage DUI, and driving too fast for highway conditions. She admitted to police that she had had two beers at the party and that she had been driving too fast for the unfamiliar road. Her blood alcohol level three hours after the crash was .06, below the Virginia's legal limit of .08.
On behalf of John J. Rice, Attorney & Counselor at Law posted in Underage Drinking on Wednesday, February 15, 2012
The pressure of high school is immense. There is a lot of pressure for kids to perform well academically, athletically and maintain an active social life. Many kids are influenced by their peers and by what they perceive to be popular amongst the greater high school population throughout the country.
Last week, multiple high school students were arrested in Virginia for underage drinking. The arrests occurred after a high school basketball game, including one at a McDonalds where a fight allegedly broke out. These arrests follow a recent trend in arrests related to underage drinking throughout the region.
On behalf of John J. Rice, Attorney & Counselor at Law posted in Drunk Driving Charges on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Driving under the influence of alcohol is without a doubt a very serious matter. Many people face drunk driving charges in Virginia, and many times judges can use their discretion in sentencing a person. Proposed law changes in the Virginia House of Delegates would increase the penalties for drunk driving convictions. This means that a more rigorous defense may be necessary.
The laws would increase the penalty for those convicted of killing or injuring a person while driving drunk, as well as tighten the restrictions on driving after a DUI conviction. The laws would mandate that anyone convicted of a DUI install an ignition interlock device when they are convicted of a DUI for the first time.
On behalf of John J. Rice, Attorney & Counselor at Law posted in Drunk Driving Charges on Monday, February 6, 2012
Super Bowl Sunday is a great excuse for eating and drinking with friends in Newport News. Even for those who do not care about the outcome of the game, the commercials are a yearly draw. But for anyone who may have had one drink too many before driving home a Virginia drunk driving charge might be a costly mistake.
Those leaving Super Bowl game parties between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. are more likely to be driving under the influence of alcohol - possibly as many as three out of every ten drivers on the road is drunk - according to researchers. Every year, many suspected drunk drivers are arrested after the game ends.
On behalf of John J. Rice, Attorney & Counselor at Law posted in Drunk Driving Charges on Thursday, February 2, 2012
A group has released a report this month on the safety of Virginia roads. The report by the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety ranked Virginia one of the worst for traffic safety laws, including DUI laws. They also provided suggestions to the state lawmakers on what laws could increase safety on the roads.
One of their suggestions was to make it mandatory that all drivers convicted of a DUI be forced to put ignition interlock devices in their vehicle. These devices restrict drivers who have blood alcohol contents above a preset limit from starting their vehicles. Laws that restrict drivers can be embarrassing, and make a solid DUI defense even more important.
On behalf of John J. Rice, Attorney & Counselor at Law posted in Drivers License Suspension or Revocation on Tuesday, January 31, 2012
On Jan. 27, 2012 a truck driver was found guilty of a hit-and-run accident stemming from a 2010 incident involving the driver's 18-wheeler and a sheriff's deputy. In addition to the hit-and-run, the prosecution had also sought a DUI for the driver based on the large amount of prescription medication found in his bloodstream. The prescription for the medication was for him and he had no alcohol in his system. However, the state felt that the levels of the prescribed drug were above that of someone using them therapeutically - hence the DUI charge.
The trial lasted three days and the jury deliberated for 8 hours, with the jury beginning deliberations on Thursday and not reaching a verdict until the next day. The state felt that the length of deliberation was because there was a split on whether to convict the driver or to acquit. This is a good example of how an experienced DUI defense attorney can help those facing DUI charges and a driver's license suspension.
On behalf of John J. Rice, Attorney & Counselor at Law posted in Drunk Driving Charges on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Hitting a school bus can get someone into a lot of trouble. Add to it a DUI charge, and the alleged crime takes an even more serious turn. A Virginia woman is now facing a DUI charge after allegedly overcorrecting her vehicle, hitting a school bus.
It is unclear what tests were conducted to determine that the woman may have been under the influence of alcohol. She was airlifted to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. No one on the school bus was injured in the crash. Had someone on the bus been injured, charges might have been even more severe. Since this accident involved a school bus, it will be watched closely by the media, prompting assumptions before the woman has a fair trial.
On behalf of John J. Rice, Attorney & Counselor at Law posted in Felony DUI on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
A veteran of the Iraq war has faced a lot of problem since his return from the battlefield. The man served three tours in Iraq over the course of his 10 year career in the military, and saw horrific tragedy. Now, the Newport News resident has been charged with involuntary manslaughter for a crash that resulted in two people's deaths following a string of drunk driving charges during his time in the military.
The man showed past signs of post-traumatic stress syndrome, a disorder that affects people who have been exposed to great trauma, and is common among military personnel who have served in war zones. Now, the man is faced with criminal charges that carry very serious penalties.
On behalf of John J. Rice, Attorney & Counselor at Law on Wednesday, January 11, 2012
We all know that drunk driving is unsafe and can cause harm to the driver and others on the road. With the new Virginia legislative session starting this week, many lawmakers expect to take up legislation that will make penalties for driving under the influence stricter.
Getting charged with driving under the influence can have devastating consequences to your family, professional and social lives. Now, lawmakers hope new legislation will allow for interlock devices that test your blood alcohol content level to be installed in vehicles of drivers who are convicted of DUI, even after the first offense. They act as a breathalyzer that restricts drivers from driving if there is alcohol in their systems. The car will not start if alcohol is detected.
