dwi checkpoints Archives - Korner Law

Judge Gives Former St. Louis Cop Probation for Off-Duty Crash

Jason Korner — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 17:02:19 +0000

On behalf of The Law Office of Jason A. Korner posted in DWI / Drunk Driving Charges on Wednesday, July 31, 2013.

Earlier this week, a sentence was handed down in a drunk driving case involving a former officer with the St. Louis Police Department who was involved in a serious accident during the holiday season two years ago.

According to the court documents, the then 27-year-old police officer drove his vehicle the wrong way down a one-way street in South City during the early morning hours of December 24, 2011 before colliding with a patrol car being driven by an on-duty police officer who had just finished working a DWI checkpoint.

The accident left the on-duty officer with injuries to his leg and hip, while the passenger in the car being driven by the off-duty officer suffered a severe head injury. Fortunately, both men have since recovered from their injuries.

The court documents also state that immediately after the crash, the off-duty officer carried a strong odor of alcohol and showed certain signs of intoxication. Furthermore, it indicated that investigators found beer cans strewn throughout the interior of his automobile, and that he refused to submit to either a breath or blood test.

While awaiting trial on multiple DUI-related charges, the off-duty officer was suspended without pay and ultimately resigned from the force in August 2012. Just last month, he pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree assault, causing injury by driving while intoxicated.

In recent developments, the officer was sentenced earlier this week to five years probation with special conditions, including complete abstinence from alcohol, 60 hours of community service, mandatory attendance at AA meetings and participation in a victims’ impact panel.

While many people have expressed outrage over the purported lienency of the sentence handed down by the presiding judge, it should be pointed out that the off-duty officer already lost his job because of the incident and suffered considerable public embarrassment.

Furthermore, the attorney representing the off-duty officer has pointed out that his client has not only avoided alcohol altogether since the crash, but that he is incredibly sorry for everything that transpired.

“I don’t think one night defines a person in any way,” he said.

If you have been arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, you should strongly consider speaking with an experienced attorney who will explain your options, and fight to protect your future and your freedom.

Source: The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Former St. Louis cop gets probation in a drunken driving case,” Tara Kulash, July 30, 2013; KMOV, “Former St. Louis police officer gets probation for drunk-driving collision,” Lauren Trager, July 30, 2013

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DWI in St. Louis – Holiday Law Enforcement Tactics

Jason Korner — Sun, 26 May 2013 17:37:39 +0000

By Jason Korner of The Law Office of Jason A. Korner posted in DWI / Drunk Driving Charges on Sunday, May 26, 2013.

DWI arrests in the St. Louis area should increase this Memorial Day Weekend due to a new stategy put in place by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Each Missouri State Highway Patrolman will be responsible for a twenty mile stretch of highway, and will patrol that section of highway vigialantly. The main focus for law enforcement is to ticket people who are speeding and to get drunk drivers off the roadways over the holiday weekend. It’s called the Twenty Mile Trooper Program.

Law enforecement believes this program will work as good or better than traditional checkpoints at removing drivers who are under the influence of alcohol from the roads. It is important for drunk driving attorneys to pay attention to drunk driving arrests that occur within the Twenty Mile Trooper Program because the troopers are out with the stated purpose of making drunk driving arrests. These arrests will have to be investigated specifically for illegal stops by over zealous troopers.

Drunk driving arrests that occur over holiday weekends must always be investigated for the possibility of illegal or pretextual stops. Law enforcement tends to put in the news how successful these programs are, and they evaluate the success by the number of arrests made. It has been announced that these special patrols will take place on Highway 44 and Highway 70, so be aware if you live in Fenton, Eureka, or St. Charles.

Source: www.fox2now.com, “Police Cracking Down on Drunk Drivers This Holiday Weekend,” Anthony Kiekow, May 24, 2013.

Our firm specializes in the field of drunk driving defense. We pay special attention to issues such as illegal stops, especially for arrests that occur during a holiday weekend. To find out more please visit our webpage with more information on DWI’s and our DWI Results.

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DWI Arrests Posted on Twitter by Minnesota State Patrol

Jason Korner — Mon, 13 May 2013 17:30:01 +0000

By Jason Korner of The Law Office of Jason A. Korner posted in DWI / Drunk Driving Charges on Monday, May 13, 2013.

People arrested for DWI will now have their age and gender posted on Twitter by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. On May 10th the Minnesota Highway Patrol launched a crackdown on drunk driving that included posting the location of all drunk driving arrests along with the demographic information of the person arrested. It appears the original idea was to post the names of the people arrested for drunk driving as a way to publicly shame them. The crackdown included over 150 police cars focused solely on drunk driving enforcement. The date of the enforcement effort was not chosen at random, but rather it coincides with the beginning of the Minnesota fishing season that begins on May 11, 2013.

It will be interesting to see if other communities around the country pick up this idea of public shaming. With the emphasis on drunk driving enforcement in the St. Louis area, it would not be surprising to see municipalities like Town & Country or Maryland Heights experiment with similar tactics. There is also Jefferson County which has been already been pushing the envelope when it comes to drunk driving enforcement by implementing roaming DWI checkpoints in attempts to circumvent social media postings about checkpoint locations.

This is yet another example of law enforcement jumping to the conclusion of guilt and punishment before letting the legal process play out in court. With an experienced attorney, and many defenses available, it is possible to avoid a conviction even after an arrest for drunk driving.

Source: MyFoxTwinCities.com, “Minnesota State Patrol to Post DWI Arrests on Twitter,” May 9, 2013.

– Our firm is experienced in handling all issues involving drunk driving charges in and around the St. Louis area. For more information please see our DWI page and our Jefferson County DWI page.

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Parade Organizers Hope Cooler Ban Will Curb Underage Drinking

Jason Korner — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:01:14 +0000

On behalf of The Law Office of Jason A. Korner posted in Underage Drinking on Monday, February 25, 2013.

They finally did it. The organizers of Dogtown’s famed St. Patrick’s Day Parade banned coolers from this year’s event. The Ancient Order of Hibernians hope to curb excessive drinking and underage drinking on what is traditionally, right or wrong, a fairly beer-centered celebration.

Incidentally, St. Patrick’s Day is also when a lot of people who didn’t expect to go to jail end up there because of an alcohol-related charge such as DWI. St. Louis residents should keep in mind that police officers are likely to be on the lookout for any broken tail lights or any other kind of irregularity that might lead to a drunk driving charge.

As for the parade itself, the festivities in Dogtown get underway shortly after noon on March 17. Celebrants will probably notice a number of police checkpoints around the neighborhood. People of legal age can buy beer from the local bars or street vendors, but those sales will cease at 6 p.m., and two hours later the bars will shut down.

If revelers do find themselves under suspicion of driving while intoxicated, then they would do well to apprise themselves of their rights as soon as possible. Even during celebrations like St. Patrick’s Day, police officers are obliged to adhere to specific guidelines regarding how an arrest is conducted.

The penalties for DWI or underage drinking in Missouri are serious, so it is important that anyone who is up against such charges is fully aware of the available legal options for achieving the best outcome possible.

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Dogtown St. Patrick’s Day Parade to ban coolers,” Diane Toroian Keaggy, Feb. 12, 2013

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November Sobriety Checkpoints to Increase

Jason Korner — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 18:29:24 +0000

On behalf of The Law Office of Jason A. Korner posted in DWI / Drunk Driving Charges on Tuesday, November 13, 2012.

In any driving situation where intoxication may be a factor, care and caution are the best policies to adopt. Aside from the obvious interest in safety, both for themselves and others, Missouri drivers have an added incentive to exercise caution when intoxicated: strict police enforcement.

All this month, local police in Lake Saint Louis are heightening the case for sober driving in the area. Officers plan to install numerous sobriety checkpoints throughout November in hopes of cracking down on drunk drivers. Local motorists may find themselves pulled over, even if they have been driving sensibly and without probable cause for intoxication.

Officers do not plan to reveal where the DWI/DUI checkpoints will be located, but drivers can expect to be pulled over and checked, even in the middle of traffic. Those who fail sobriety tests will be arrested, while anyone under the legal limit of intoxication will be let go after a short delay.

The Lake Saint Louis Police Chief acknowledged the inconvenience and lost time that checkpoints will cause drivers who have not been drinking, but also anticipates that “cooperation and patience from citizens will assist in this important public safety effort.”

These sorts of random checkpoint stops can both work to protect Missouri roadways and possibly infringe upon drivers’ rights, regardless of if they are intoxicated or sober. Residents of Lake Saint Louis should keep in mind their rights to resist an unlawful search, and know that even if they are arrested for drunk driving they have numerous legal options than can help to reduce or even completely dismiss charges. If beset with allegations of drunk driving, the best decision any driver can make is to contact an attorney with experience in DWI and DUI law.

Source: Stl Today, “Lake Saint Louis police to conduct sobriety checks,” Brian Flinchpaugh, Nov. 5, 2012

Increased police enforcement can quickly lead to an unexpected drunk driving charge. For information on how to avoid strict sentencing, contact our St. Louis DWI law page.

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