Saturday, May 18, 2013
The National Transportation Safety Board wants another lowering of the blood-alcohol standard for drunk driving. It stands at .08; the NTSB wants it at .05.
The National Transportation Safety Board wants the blood-alcohol threshold for drunk driving to be lowered to .05 from .08. Wisconsin followed the rest of the country from a .10 to .08 standard in 2003, under the threat of losing federal highway funds. The state had almost 29,000 DUI arrests in 2011, almost 10,000 fewer than in 2000 but still the sixth-highest per-capita amount in the country. And police regularly arrest people for driving with concentrations two and three times the current legal limit, and/or for multiple convictions. Will a lower limit make Wisconsin citizens safer in any way? Or is it simply an unnecessary government intrusion? Vote in our poll and comment below. Related polls:
Friday, April 26, 2013
A Caledonia couple was injured in an accident in Feb. 2011. The man who hit them is accused of driving under the influence.
A Delavan man accused of driving under the influence of prescription drugs when he caused a car accident that injured two people in 2011 was charged Thursday. Court records indicate charges were files on April 10, and Angel Burgos, formerly of Milwaukee, appeared Thursday in Racine County Circuit Court to face charges of driving under the influence of a controlled substance causing injury, second or subsequent offense and operating while intoxicated causing injury, second or subsequent offense. If convicted of both felonies, he could face up to 12 years in prison and/or up to $20,000 in fines. Because Burgos has previous OWI convictions, he could get more time tacked onto any sentence he might receive. According to the criminal complaint, …
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Sunday's St. Patrick's Day is among the biggest binge drinking events of the year in Wisconsin. Is it the biggest?
Almost any national ranking of alcohol consumption finds Wisconsin near the top. Forbes Magazine named Milwaukee “America’s Drunkest City” in 2006. A story from 24/7 Wall St. ranked the state No. 6 among beer-drinking states in 2011, citing statistics that say Wisconsin has more binge drinkers and heavy drinkers than any other. And at least one study suggests Wisconsin has the most drunk drivers in the nation. In a state that loves to find an excuse to lift a glass, which special event inspires the most drinking to excess? Vote in our poll and discuss the issue in our Comment stream.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Caledonia police pulled a car over for not having its plate registered to the car it was on, and as a result, pulled the happiness out of three teens' joy ride.
Teenagers out riding around Monday night got more than they bargained for when they were pulled over because their license plate wasn't registered to the car they were driving. According to Caledonia police Lt. Gary Larsen, officers were behind a car at 6:17 p.m. in the 6200 block of Douglas when they ran a routine check of the license plate. When it came back that the plate was not registered to the car to which it was attached. More, police say the plate was linked to someone with a suspended license. So, they pulled the car over. Inside, officers say they found three teenagers and the strong smell of marijuana. The driver, a 17-year-old male was given a municipal citation for operating under the influence of drugs, first offense. During…
Sunday, December 9, 2012
An Oak Creek man arrested for drunk driving last week has six prior convictions, but only one since 1996. How much should that time span factor into what punishment he faces now, if at all?
Should the time between drunk driving arrests have an impact on how those people are handled in the courts? An Oak Creek man was arrested for operating while intoxicated last week near Mitchell International Airport. The 51-year-old man has six prior convictions, but only one in the last 16 years. If a person’s second OWI comes at least 10 years after the first, then it is generally treated like a “first offense” in Wisconsin. But if it happens a third time — no matter when any of them occurred — then the person is considered to have two first-offense convictions and a third-offense conviction. In the case of the Oak Creek man, he was given a two-year prison sentence for his sixth offense, in 2002, but it was “stayed,” essentially turning …
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Suspect tells police he drank five beers and two shots before driving, but claims he was doing the speed limit when an SUV turned left in front of him.
- POLICE & FIRE
- Joe Petrie
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Tuesday, November 13, 2012
A 22-year-old Pleasant Prairie man is accused of crashing into an SUV while driving drunk and speeding through Caledonia Friday. Kevin T. Rasch was charged in Racine County Circuit Court Monday with one count of causing injury while intoxicated and six counts of second-degree reckless endangerment. If convicted, he faces up to 31 years in prison and $152,000 in fines. According to the criminal complaint: On Friday, Caledonia police officers were called to a car crash at the intersection of Highway 32 and 5 Mile Road, involving three cars, one of which was missing. A car with three people inside stopped headed eastbound on 5 Mile saw an SUV waiting to turn left from northbound Highway 32, when Rasch came speeding southbound in a Pontiac …
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Marshall D. Ambrose, 37, was pulled over on the west frontage road for not having his seat belt on, but then the officer smelled something a little funny.
- POLICE & FIRE
- Joe Petrie
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Thursday, October 25, 2012
A 37-year-old Caledonia man is accused of driving his car after smoking marijuana in the Town of Raymond. Marshall D. Ambrose was charged in Racine County Circuit Court Thursday with one count of operating with a restricted controlled substance in his blood stream (sixth offense), one count of possession of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. If convicted, he faces up to 4 1/2 years in prison and $20,500 in fines. According to the criminal complaint: On Wednesday, Ambrose was driving an Oldsmobile on the west frontage road near 3 Mile Road when a Racine County sheriff's deputy on patrol noticed he wasn't wearing a seat belt. The deputy followed Ambrose and pulled him over just north …
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Daniel Hess faces a homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle charge after he allegedly hit a van while under the influence of drugs in April.
- POLICE & FIRE
- Joe Petrie
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Thursday, October 18, 2012
A 38-year-old Racine man is facing homicide charges for his role in a fatal car crash in April on Six Mile Road. Daniel J. Hess was charged in Racine County Circuit Court Thursday with one count of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years and $100,000 in fines. According to the criminal complaint: At 6:26 a.m. April 2, Hess was travelling eastbound on Six Mile Road near Foley Road when he hit a van heading in the opposite direction. The driver of the van, Michelle Schluechtermann, was killed in the incident. Hess told officers he took Percocet before driving. A blood test revealed he had Oxycodone, Hydromorphine and Methadone in his system at the time of the incident. Hess is being held in Racine …
Friday, July 20, 2012
The Milwaukee man reportedly had a blood alcohol level three times above the legal limit to drive. He now faces a felony charge.
A 50-year-old Milwaukee man is facing felony drunk driving charges after he allegedly rear-ended a car while driving through Caledonia Wednesday. Sergej Jastrebov was charged Friday in Racine County Circuit Court with one count operating while intoxicated, as a fourth offense within five years and one count of operating a motor vehicle after revocation of his license. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison and $12,500 in fines. According to the criminal complaint: At 2:17 p.m. a man was in the southbound lane of Middle Road and stopped while waiting to turn westbound onto Stephan Road. Suddenly, the man looked in his rear view mirror and saw Jastrebov about to rear end him in a van. Caledonia police officers were called to the …
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Suspect had been out on bail since April for a burglary charge before getting into May wreck.
A 20-year-old Racine man is facing multiple charges after he wrecked his car while driving drunk in Caledonia and needed to be taken to the hospital via Flight For Life. Joshua R. Larson was charged in Racine County Circuit Court Tuesday with one count of second offense operating while intoxicated, one count of operating a motor vehicle with a prohibited alcohol concentration and two counts of felony bail jumping. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison and $12,200 in fines. According to the criminal complaint: Witnesses reported at 12:06 a.m. May 21, Larson was driving a Chevrolet Camero at 80 to 100 miles per hour in the 7700 block of Highway 32 when his car left the road, smashed through a telephone pole, then continued into …
me
1:29 am on Sunday, May 19, 2013
Answer to the original question is ..........NO! more ›