Mar 5, 2013 | Criminal Defense, DUI & DWI, Felony DUI, Uncategorized
On December 18, 2012, Charlotte Mecklenburg patrol officers and policemen teamed with the Mecklenburg ABC Law Enforcement to file an astonishing total of 89 DWI charges. The checkpoint was set up on University City Boulevard late on Friday evening and early into Saturday morning.
This particular checkpoint was the “kick off” to the later 25 checkpoints that the Enforcement Team plans to hold throughout Charlotte this year.
According to reports, the checkpoint was equipped with a large bus that was standing by to administer breathalyzer tests to the person suspected of drinking and driving. The checkpoint was instituted as part of a statewide “Booze It or Lose It” campaign in which the force wished to prevent drunk driving and educate the public of the serious dangers in connection to driving while intoxicated.
This particular checkpoint was set up were targeted towards college students attending the University of North Carolina at the Charlotte Campus. The Campus has numerous entrances, one being located directly off of University City Boulevard.
After all was said and done, 24 people were charged with driving with a revoked license. Moreover, 18 people were charged for operating tractor-trailers or semi’s without having the proper operator’s license. Of the 89 charges issued, only seven were awarded to people who were driving while intoxicated. The remaining 29 charges were due too minor traffic violations.
If you or someone you know has been charged with a DWI, or any other traffic violation, contact the law offices of Reeves, Aiken,and Hightower,LLP. Our criminal attorneys understand the hardships that come with any criminal charges and want to help you or someone you know through his/her difficult time. We are licensed in both North and South Carolina, where you can contact us at 704-499-9000 or 877-374-5999 toll-free.
Jan 7, 2013 | DUI & DWI, Uncategorized
DWI’s in North Carolina are no longer limited to just “driving while intoxicated;” apparently, after the conclusion in State v. Dellinger in 1985, North Carolina residents can also be charged with a “RWI,” or riding horses while intoxicated. State v. Dellinger, 73 N.C. App. 685 (1985).
I jest of course as the charge being called something different; however the result is the same: if you are caught riding a horse while intoxicated, you can be arrested and charged with a “DWI.” In Dellinger, the defendant was convicted for driving while impaired, based upon his riding of a horse down a secondary street. His blood alcohol concentration was at a 0.18, .10 degrees over the legal limit. The court’s rationale was to apply the same traffic laws to a person riding an animal, or having an animal pull a carriage or any sort of vehicle, should be held to the same standard as those simply driving vehicles. Moreover, the definition of “vehicle,” was left broad by legislature, implicating that horses are vehicles within the meaning of North Carolina’s General Statute 20-138.1, the statute that prohibits impaired driving. N.C. Gen. Stat. 20-138.1(2011).
Subsequently, the legislature acted a few years after the Dellinger conclusion, and made an express determination that a person should not be held to the same standards as one convicted of driving while impaired for riding a horse. The court also tossed around the idea of eliminating bicycles and lawnmowers from the definition of a “vehicle,” as well.
In 2006, the issue was brought to the legislature’s attention again for inactivity, and legislature finally removed “bicycle and lawnmower” from the definition of the prescribed vehicle that can yield the “driver” a DWI.
Oddly however, the legislature did not remove horse riding from the modes of transportation in question. They did not examine and amend the definition which still including horses, as well as failing to repeal North Carolina’s General Statute 20-171, which help aid with definition to begin with. N.C. Gen. Stat. 20-171(2011).
Thus, as of this date, horses (and a presumably other animals) will remain in the definition of “vehicle,” for the purposes of issuing a DWI. Remember not to drink and drive, nor drink and ride according to this strange southern statute.
Whatever the case may be, and whatever type of “DWI” you have been charged with, contact the law offices of Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower to have your claim evaluated. We are licesnsed in both North and South Carolina, where you can contact us at 704-499-9000 or 877-374-5999 toll-free.
Dec 31, 2012 | Car Accidents, DUI & DWI, Trucking/Tractor-Trailer Accidents, Uncategorized
According to North Carolina Highway Patrol, a 48-year-old North Carolina man is dead after being struck by a car while he was pushing his stalled SUV on McArthur Road.
The man was pushing his 1995 Ford SUV early Wednesday morning wen he was struck from behind by a man driving a 2013 Hyundai.
The 31-year-old driver of the Hyundai was charged with driving under the influence.
There was also a woman witness who had been steering the SUV. However, she left the scene after the accident.
Authorities are continuing their investigation into the incident.
Studies reveal that of the 10,839 people who were killed in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes in 2009 were drivers with a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher. The remaining fatalities that year consisted of 2,891 motor-vehicle occupants and 667 non-occupants. If you plan on consuming alcohol, be sure to make plans for your traveling or arrange for a designated driver. Unfortunately, drunk driving continues to injure people and take lives, despite widespread action to counteract and prevent its occurrence. If you have been involved in a drunk driving incident, call the Attorneys of Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower at 704-499-9000 or 877-374-5999 toll-free.
Dec 28, 2012 | Car Accidents, Child Accidents, DUI & DWI, Personal Injury, Uncategorized
A tragic two-car crash has left a grandmother and her daughter dead late Wednesday night.
The crash happened around 9:30 p.m. at Independence Boulevard and Matthews Township Parkway near the Matthews Festival Shopping Center.
According to authorities, a Honda CRV and a Chevrolet Trailblazer collided when a woman driving the CRV attempted to turn left onto Independence Boulevard and was struck by the Trailblazer traveling northbound on Matthews Township Parkway.
A 62-year-old woman and her 37-year-old daughter were both killed in the crash. The younger woman’s two children were also injured in the wreck, but are expected to survive.
The 28-year-old driver of the Trailblazer is charged with DWI and reckless driving in the crash. He remains in the hospital with injuries.
In fatal crashes that occurred in 2009, the highest percentage of drivers with a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher were ages 21 to 24, followed by drivers ages 25 to 34. Drunk driving is an epidemic that affects people across the country. If you or someone you know is involved in alcohol-impairment motor-vehicle collision, please call the Attorneys of Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower at 704-499-9000 or 877-374-5999 toll-free.
Dec 28, 2012 | Car Accidents, Child Accidents, Personal Injury, Uncategorized
A North Carolina driver is facing charges after being involved in a fatal crash in Salisbury Sunday morning.
According to North Carolina State Troopers, the driver was speeding and driving drunk when the crash happened on Sunday on Goodnight Road.
A 14-year-old boy was killed in the crash.
The suspect is currently in jail under a $1 million bond.
Details on the crash are still forthcoming.
In 2009, a total of 1.314 children ages 14 and younger were killed in traffic collisions. 181 of those fatalities occurred in alcohol-impaired crashes. Drunk driving affects people of all ages. If you or someone you love has been injured or killed by a drunk driver, call the Attorneys of Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower at 704-499-9000 or 877-374-5999 toll-free.
