Officer Elizabeth Ward resigns following DUI charges

Two Boulder, CO police officers have resigned from their positions after being accused of DUI in separate cases. 40-year-old detective, Scott Morris and 46-year-old DUI officer, Elizabeth Ward were police veterans of 12-years and 5-years, respectively.

An internal investigation review board had presented recommendations to the Boulder police force that the pair be fired from their positions. However, Morris and Ward both resigned before an official ruling could be made in their cases.

Morris was arrested in November on DUI charges after being pulled over for going 76 mph in a 55 mph zone. Ward was arrested the following month after an off-duty officer spotted her weaving on the interstate. 

Two Boulder Police Officers Charged with DUI Resign is a post from: Fort Myers Criminal Attorney, Fort Myers Criminal Defense Lawyer

Police Officer Offers His Own Plea Bargain In DUI Case

Ft. Myers DUI attorneys note reports in the St. Catherine Standard about the recent complications to a drunk driving case in Sarina, Ontario, where a police officer texted the female suspect, “If you buy me a beer, I’ll forget everything at trial.”  The woman had been pulled over in March, 2011 for hitting curbs on both sides of the street on a snowy local road. A Breathalyzer test administered at the scene revealed her to be well over the legal limit. She was arrested and subsequently charged for driving under the influence. Problems arose when she saw her arresting officer at a local bar some weeks later, and he sent her the offending text. The suspect replied “I wish it worked that way.”  Defense attorneys argued these “entirely inappropriate comments” put the value of the police Breathalyzer results into question.  While noting the officer’s comments were “incredibly stupid,” the presiding judge said he found no reason to doubt the validity of the alcohol tests, and nevertheless ruled the defendant guilty as charged.

Police Officer Offers His Own Plea Bargain In DUI Case is a post from: Fort Myers Criminal Attorney, Fort Myers Criminal Defense Lawyer

Baseball legend Carlton Fisk was arrested for DUI

According to reports by the Boston Globe, Baseball legend Carlton Fisk was arrested for DUI and other criminal vehicular offenses after New Lenox, Illinois police found him unconscious behind the wheel of his vehicle in a corn field on October 22nd, 2012, an open bottle of vodka between his legs.  He was transported to a local hospital by paramedics, who determined he was severely intoxicated. Based on police evidence, Fisk was also charged with an illegal lane change. and illegal transportation of alcohol. The retired Major League Baseball catcher was voted to the All-Star team 11 times in his career, winning 3 Silver Slugger Awards, and elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000. Released from custody after posting bail, Carlton Fisk was expected back in court on November 29.

Carlton Fisk Found In A Cornfield, Charged With DUI is a post from: Fort Myers Criminal Attorney, Fort Myers Criminal Defense Lawyer

Marco Island Mother Arrested

The Naples Daily News reports Marco Island mother Patricia Ann Libby was arrested on October 25th and charged with DUI, DUI property damage, duty upon damaging an unattended vehicle and neglect of a child. Dropping off her children at Tommie Barfield Elementary,  she pulled her Hyundai into a parking space within the school parking lot and rammed a Smart Car, before backing up, hitting the car again, and then reversing and hitting the vehicle yet a third time before police on the scene forcibly persuaded her to stop. After undergoing a field sobriety test, she was taken into immediate custody. As your Ft. Myers drunk driving attorneys can tell you, frequently a DUI arrest will be accompanied by other criminal charges, as happened in this disturbing case.

Marco Island Mother Arrested is a post from: Fort Myers Criminal Attorney, Fort Myers Criminal Defense Lawyer

Our Fort Myers DUI attorneys expect there may be more situations like this, from both players and fans, now that we are in the midst of baseball’s spring training season.

Watching the Boston Red Sox gear  up for the season has been a favorite spring past time in Fort Myers for years. Right along with that goes the tradition of throwing back a few ice-cold, over-priced beers. But law enforcement is going to be on high-alert, looking to nab anyone who has been drinking and driving.

In the most recent case, Boston Red Sox pitcher Bobby Jenks was reportedly leaving Babe’s, a Fort Myers strip club, when he struck two vehicles in the parking lot.

He was stopped by Lee County Sheriff’s deputies after he drove onto a sidewalk on Colonial Boulevard.

He then made a mistake that many individuals do when stopped for a DUI – he admitted to wrongdoing. He reportedly told the deputies that he was going to be honest, that he was leaving the strip club because he had just hit two cars. When deputies asked him to submit to a sobriety test, Jenks told them ahead of time that he would fail it. He also told them he had taken several muscle relaxers.

It’s important to note here that you do yourself no favors when giving information to arresting deputies on the scene. It is advised that you be polite and follow orders, but you are under no obligation to tell them where you have been, where you are going or how  much you have had to drink. You also do not have to submit to sobriety tests, particularly if you believe you will fail.

Jenks was reportedly unable to produce a urine sample requested by police, but a breathalyzer test detected no alcohol in his system. These facts may work in his favor. Still, his spontaneous utterances to investigators could present challenges in the case.

Deputies at the scene reported he was “shaking uncontrollably” and had some trouble speaking, but could find nothing medically wrong with him. He was ultimately charged with  DUI, hit-and-run and three counts of DUI with property damage.

His arrest came on the heels of minor league Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Matthew Brian Bush, 26,who was accused of hitting a 72-year-old motorcyclist on U.S. 41 in Port Charlotte before fleeing the scene.

The motorcyclist remains hospitalized in serious condition in the intensive care unit, according to The Naples Daily News. He reportedly has multiple broken bones, lung damage and brain hemorrhaging.

The charges against Bush are more serious, given the fact that he allegedly seriously hurt someone. A simple conviction for a hit-and-run with serious death or injury can result in a minimum two-year prison sentence. Combined with the DUI charge, the consequences may be more serious.

It’s incumbent upon anyone charged with a DUI in Fort Myers or elsewhere in Florida to immediately contact an experienced criminal defense attorney.

If you have been arrested for a crime in Florida, the Fort Myers criminal defense attorneys at Musca Law can build an effective defense on your behalf. To learn more about how we can help you, contact us today for a confidential consultation at (800) 687-2252.

Fort Myers DUI Watch: Spring Training Season is a post from: Fort Myers Criminal Attorney, Fort Myers Criminal Defense Lawyer