tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84141293258265756772024-03-13T19:06:02.484-07:00DuPage-DUI-AttorneyWelcome to the DuPage-DUI-Attorney Blog
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-29479933624030754752014-07-31T16:17:00.000-07:002014-07-31T16:17:41.501-07:00Christensen receives Avvo Client Choice AwardWheaton DUI Defense attorney, <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">Brent M. Christensen</a> has been recognized by AVVO, the premier on-line Attorney rating agency, as a Client's Choice Award Winner for the year 2014 with distinction for DUI defense.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-153104284370500162013-12-31T10:54:00.001-08:002013-12-31T10:54:35.995-08:00New Laws to Take Effect Will Increase DUI Arrests With the new year also comes the effective date of new laws in Illinois. What was legal to do on December 31st will not be legal to do the following day. Two of these new laws are of particular interest to me in my capacity as a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">DUI defense lawyer</a>. They should also be of particular interest to Illinois motorists who would like to avoid having to employ the services of a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/atty-bio.html">defense lawyer such as myself.</a><br />
<br />
Both of these new laws will provide all <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/isp-dui.html">Illinois police officers</a> with fresh reasons to pull you over, even if your seat belt is on, you're obeying the speed limit, and your driving is otherwise perfect. Once pulled over for these new offenses, if the police reasonably believe that you are under the influence of alcohol or other substances, you could be on your way to a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/wheaton-dui.html">DUI arrest</a>.<br />
<br />
The first of these new laws concerns hand-held mobile phone use. As of January 1, 2014, if the police in <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/carolstream-dui.html">Carol Stream</a>, <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/naperville-dui.html">Naperville</a>,<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/downersgrove-dui.html"> Downers Grove</a>, or any of the many other municipal police agencies who concentrate resources on traffic enforcement catch you holding your phone up to your ear while driving, you are likely to be stopped. Mobile phone use will be allowed only with hands-free, blue tooth operation, where you can dial either by voice or pressing one button.<br />
<br />
As an attorney with over twenty-years' experience in <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">defending Illinois DUI cases</a>, I can comfortably predict that police agencies will be VERY aggressive in using this new law to justify traffic stops that they hope will lead to more DUI arrests. My advice therefore, along with the other advice I give clients and potential clients, is to turn your mobile phone off completely before getting behind the wheel. The temptation to check your phone when you receive a message alert may be too difficult for you to resist. And one of the times when you succumb to that temptation will be when you are being watched by a diligent, eager police officer. If that diligent, eager police officer smells alcohol on your breath, your next phone call will likely be from the police station.<br />
<br />
While "hands-free" use is allowable, if the police can prove your phone was in use AND if the police are somewhat less than honest, I can predict a scenario where a driver <i>is</i> using his phone "hands free" but where the diligent, eager, and less-than-honest police officer will testify that he "saw the phone in the driver's hand." Is such a scenario likely? Not very. But I wouldn't bet against it. Such a potential scenario can be avoided if the driver simply turns the phone off. This would be of particular importance if the driver has consumed any alcohol.<br />
<br />
The second law will affect fewer people potentially, but will also result in an increase in traffic stops and potential DUI arrests. As of January 1, 2014, tossing a cigarette butt out the window of car is much more likely to result in a traffic stop than it was in the past. HB-3243 amends the Illinois Litter Control Act, changing the definition of "litter" to include cigarettes. While such nefarious littering activities are already prohibited by many local ordinances, in my experience as a DUI defense lawyer, tossing a cigarette out the car window, is the black swan of police excuses to make a traffic stop. Possible - but I've never seen one. Well, that is, at least until 2014. This seemingly minor change to the definition of "litter" under state law will provide the eager DUI patrol officer with yet another reason to follow you - if not pull you over - on what he is hoping will be another DUI notch on his belt. Yet another reason your New Year's resolutions should include quitting smoking.<br />
<br />
In any case, as always - be smart and be safe. Happy New Year from the Law Offices of Brent M. Christensen.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-57607403264408699542013-05-03T10:38:00.001-07:002013-05-03T10:38:57.381-07:00When Pulled Over by the Police Avoid Common ExcusesWe always advise clients to talk as little as possible during a police encounter - including a traffic stop. By all means be polite - but do NOT think that you will be able to talk your way out of anything. Police Officers have heard it all before and they are trained to use the statements made in this voluntary chatter against you. <br />
<br />
Responses men and women give to police after being pulled over for driving infractions provide interesting insight into the differences between men and women. And from a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/bio.html">DUI defense lawyer</a>'s perspective, a valuable insight into the things arresting officers hear most often.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="hotdog" style="border-bottom: 5px solid #e4e4e4; border-top: 5px solid #e4e5e4; clear: both; display: inline; float: right; margin: 10px; padding: 5px 0px; width: 255px;">For More Info: <a href="http://bmcdui.com/">www.bmcDUI.com</a></div>Males are far less likely than females to give the excuse that they were lost in an attempt to explain away their wrongdoing, according to a recent survey by Insurance.com.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, men more than women try to shirk culpability by blaming the navigation system or claiming to be chivalrous. They’ll say, “I’m just helping someone out,” as in going to pick up a drunk girlfriend.<br />
<br />
Men are also quicker to claim they weren’t being dangerous or reckless.<br />
<br />
Besides saying they are lost, women tell police that they didn’t see a sign or had to go to the bathroom far more often than men do.<br />
<br />
Insurance.com commissioned the survey of 500 licensed drivers aged 18 and over, in which they were asked what excuses, if any, they have given to the police after getting pulled over.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">Law Offices of Brent M. Christensen</a> advises that this type of information is useful knowledge for people to have if they are pulled over for any reason. Having some knowledge about what the police hear all the time could help you when formulating your response to the initial police contact. Decisions you make at this stage can make a big difference in the outcome of a case. If you or a loved one would like to discuss a pending DUI case or the steps that you need to take to avoid a DUI in the first place, contact the Law Offices of Brent M. Christensen, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.bmcdui.com/wheaton-dui.html">Wheaton</a>, IL at 630-510-3252. <br />
<br />
Here is a list of the most common ones in order of popularity, followed by the percentage of men versus women who used the excuse.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>I couldn’t see the sign telling me not to do it: 20.4%</strong><br />
Men: 38%<br />
Women: 62%<br />
<br />
<strong>I’m lost and unfamiliar with the roads: 15.6%</strong><br />
Men: 35%<br />
Women: 65%<br />
<br />
<strong>I didn’t know it was broken (as in headlight or taillight): 12.4%</strong><br />
Men: 39%<br />
Women: 61%<br />
<br />
<strong>Everyone else was doing the same thing: 6.4%</strong><br />
Men: 56%<br />
Women: 44%<br />
<br />
<strong>I’m having an emergency situation in my car (i.e., spilled hot drink in lap): 5.4%</strong><br />
Men: 67%<br />
Women: 33%<br />
<br />
<strong>I missed my turn/exit: 4.8%</strong><br />
Men: 54%<br />
Women: 46%<br />
<br />
<strong>I had to go to the bathroom: 4.6%</strong><br />
Men: 35%<br />
Women: 65%<br />
<br />
<strong>I didn’t do anything dangerous: 4.2%</strong><br />
Men: 71%<br />
Women: 29%<br />
<br />
<strong>I was on my way to an emergency: 4%</strong><br />
Men: 55%<br />
Women: 45%<br />
<br />
<strong>My GPS said it was the right thing to do: 2.2%</strong><br />
Men: 82%<br />
Women: 18%<br />
<br />
<strong>I’m just helping out; I wasn’t even supposed to be driving: 2%</strong><br />
Men: 90%<br />
Women: 10% Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-226351099002466382013-04-03T09:48:00.000-07:002013-04-03T09:48:22.102-07:00A Primer on a Misunderstood Field Sobriety TestOf the three standardized field sobriety tests - the <b><a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/hgn.html">Horizontal Gauze Nystagmus (HGN)</a> </b>is the one least understood by clients who've been arrested for<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/"> DUI in Illinois</a>.<br />
<br />
Unlike the One Leg Stand Test and the Walk and Turn Test, the HGN test, does not have anything to do with coordination and little to do with instructions (although the failure to follow the instruction to "keep one's head still" is frequently cited by prosecutors as evidence of impairment).<br />
<br />
Nystagmus is an uncontrollable tremor of the eye. All people have some nystagmus but intoxication causes it to become more readily observable in most people. The HGN test involves an officer holding a stimulus (a finger or a pen) in front of the driver's face while watching the driver's eyes. Before the HGN test begins the officer looks for nystagmus while the eyes are resting. If the officer sees resting nystagmus the HGN test is not to be relied upon.<br />
<br />
To begin the test, the officer has the driver hold their head still while following the stimulus with their eyes. The officer smoothly and slowly moves the pen or finger back and forth across the driver's face and slightly above their eye line. First the officer looks to see whether the driver's eyes smoothly track the stimulus, then the officer sees whether the driver's eyes quiver while focusing on the extreme left and right, and finally the officer looks for nystagmus when the eyes focus on the stimulus at less than a 45 degree angle.<br />
<br />
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the HGN is failed if the officer observes nystagmus in both eyes under at least two of the three conditions (e.g. eyes do not track smoothly and nystagmus at the extreme left or right).<br />
<br />
However, a driver may exhibit nystagmus for several reasons other than intoxication, including medical conditions and officer error. For example, if the officer holds the stimulus too high it can create nystagmus. If the officer moves the pen too quickly back and forth it can cause nystagmus. If the test is administered in a location where there are quickly moving objects within the driver's field of view (e.g. cars on the freeway) it may cause nystagmus. If an officer performs the HGN test repeatedly or takes too much time performing the test, the driver's eyes may become fatigued and exhibit nystagmus.<br />
<br />
Because the questionable correlation between intoxication and nystagmus many Illinois judges do not give great weight to HGN tests in a DUI trial. However, if you were given the HGN test make sure to talk to an attorney to determine whether the test was administered accurately and whether it may be used at trial, or in a hearing to rescind<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/sss.html"> Statutory Summary Suspension</a>.<br />
<br />
If you or a loved one has been charged with a DUI or would like more information on what to do if pulled over for a DUI, please contact the <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">Law Offices of Brent M. Christensen</a> please send us an <a href="mailto:info@bmcdui.com">e-mail</a> or call 630-510-3252.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-89115613002715052952013-03-30T14:26:00.001-07:002013-03-30T14:26:35.122-07:00Legal Plight of Lake County DUI Lawyer Illustrates the Two Sides of a DUI Case<h1>DUI lawyer for Ditka sons faces own legal fight</h1><div class="shareTop"> <div class="nextgen-share-tools"> <ul class="nextgen-left"><li> <img alt="print" class="icon" src="http://www.chicagotribune.com/hive/images/icons/printicon_boxed.png" /> </li>
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<tr><td> <img alt="Robert Ritacca" border="0" height="439" src="http://www.trbimg.com/img-514b3b0f/turbine/chi-dui-lawyer-for-ditka-sons-faces-own-legal--001/580/580x439" title="Robert Ritacca" width="580" /> <div class="small"> Robert Ritacca <span class="credit">(<span class="photographer">Gurnee Police Department photo</span>)</span> </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div></div><div class="articlerail"> <div class="articleRelates module"> <ul><li class="relatedTitle" style="float: none;">Related</li>
<li class="newRelatedItem"> <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/suburbs/highland_park_deerfield/chi-ditkas-son-pleads-guilty-to-dui-gets-probation-20130130,0,4101071.story" target=""><img alt="Ditka's son pleads guilty to DUI, gets probation" height="105" src="http://www.trbimg.com/img-51094a08/turbine/chi-ditkas-son-pleads-guilty-to-dui-gets-probation-20130130/187/187x105" title="Ditka's son pleads guilty to DUI, gets probation" width="187" /></a> <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/suburbs/highland_park_deerfield/chi-ditkas-son-pleads-guilty-to-dui-gets-probation-20130130,0,4101071.story" target=""><span></span>Ditka's son pleads guilty to DUI, gets probation</a> </li>
<li class="newRelatedItem"> <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/suburbs/grayslake_gurnee_round_lake/chi-mugs-chicago-suburbs-gurnee,0,4496525.photogallery" target=""><img alt="Suburban Chicago arrest photos" height="105" src="http://www.trbimg.com/img-51522ac7/turbine/chi-mugs-chicago-suburbs-gurnee/187/187x105" title="Suburban Chicago arrest photos" width="187" /></a> <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/suburbs/grayslake_gurnee_round_lake/chi-mugs-chicago-suburbs-gurnee,0,4496525.photogallery" target=""><span></span>Suburban Chicago arrest photos</a> </li>
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</a></div></div></div></div><span class="toolSet" style="width: 335px;"> <div class="byline">This article illustrates that every DUI case has two aspects: Criminal and Civil.</div><div class="byline"> </div><div class="byline">Although one might be found NOT guilty of the criminal aspect of a DUI case. It is quite possible that the civil aspect of the case - the Summary Suspension of one's license - will rear its ugly head. Nonetheless, in most cases, the<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/"> Law Offices of Brent M. Christensen</a> advises clients to decline chemical tests AND Field Sobriety Tests. If you or a loved one has been charged with a DUI in DuPage County please call the Law Offices of Brent M. Christensen - 630-510-3252</div><div class="byline">---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------d <br />
<span class="dateString"></span> </div></span> The attorney who represented two sons of Mike Ditka in recent DUI cases was cited Sunday for driving on a suspended license, which resulted from the lawyer’s own arrest for DUI in October, according to court records and police.<br />
Attorney Robert Ritacca, 62, of Wadsworth, was pulled over in Gurnee at about 11:15 a.m. Sunday, Police Commander Jay Patrick said.<br />
Ritacca had been found not guilty of a drunken driving charge filed against him in Highland Park on Oct. 27, according to court records. But despite being ultimately cleared of the DUI, Ritacca lost his driver’s license for a year because he declined to take a breathalyzer or field sobriety test.<br />
Ritacca denied he’d been drinking. He said he refused the tests because he was feeling effects of a medical condition from which he suffers called cerebral vasculitis, which has caused him to become “disoriented and lose focus.”<br />
The attorney did have a permit enabling him to drive if he had a breath alcohol ignition interlock device, or BAAID, installed in his vehicle, Patrick said. The BAAID device was not installed in Ritacca’s 2005 Corvette at the time of his arrest, Patrick said.<br />
Ritacca said the Corvette had been in his garage for the past five months because it “doesn’t do good in the snow.” He said he took it out Sunday to get gas, and said that he had an appointment Wednesday to have the BAAID installed.<br />
After being stopped, Ritacca was taken to the Gurnee police station, where he said he was handcuffed to a desk until 3:30 p.m.<br />
“They wouldn’t let me talk to anybody and wouldn’t give me anything to drink,” he said.<br />
Ritacca also said he was “strip searched” and “patted down” five times.<br />
Patrick said Ritacca was cuffed with one wrist to a ring on the booking desk for brief periods during booking but was also given the option of waiting in a cell, which he said Ritacca declined. Patrick said Ritacca was given “at least two, possibly three phone calls” while in custody.<br />
“I believe his claim of being patted down five times and being strip searched is inaccurate. The entire process was video recorded,” Patrick said via email.<br />
According to Patrick, Ritacca was also charged with failure to show valid insurance. His vehicle was impounded under a local ordinance which allows police to seize any vehicles that are driven by someone with a suspended or revoked license, Patrick said.<br />
When charged with the DUI in Highland Park, Ritacca was also charged with aggravated assault of a police officer and resisting a police officer, according to court records. Both charges were later dropped by prosecutors.<br />
Ritacca claims that after declining the sobriety testing, he was taken to the Highland Park station, where an officer “twisted my arm back and I pulled it back.”<br />
Highland Park police referred questions to the police chief, who did not return a call seeking comment.<br />
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s office sent the case to McHenry County because of the potential conflict of interest since Ritacca tries cases in Lake County, Ritacca said. He was found not guilty of the DUI and the other charges were dropped.<br />
Ritacca is due in court on April 11 on the current charges.<br />
He represented Mark Ditka when the son of the former Bears coach pleaded guilty to aggravated DUI in January. Ritacca was also the lawyer for Mark Ditka’s brother, Michael P. Ditka, when a felony DUI case was dropped against him in early 2012.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-18654857919854765822012-08-03T06:01:00.000-07:002012-08-03T06:01:02.965-07:00What is a BAIID?If you've been charged with a<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/"> DuPage DUI </a>- or a DUI anywhere in Illinois for that matter - the chances are that you also received a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/sss.html">Statutory Summary Suspension</a>. Although there are many ways to get this summary suspension thrown out or "rescinded"
sometimes, despite the best efforts of your<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/"> DUI Defense Lawyer</a>, the judge will not
rescind the summary suspension. When this occurs, first-time offenders are eligible for a Monitoring Device Driving Permit in Illinois (MDDP). The "monitoring device" is called a "BAIID."<br />
<br />
BAIID is short for “breath alcohol ignition interlock device.” These machines are installed at your expense by companies approved by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White. The BAIID requires a driver to blow into the device when they first start their car.
A driver of a BAIID vehicle must retest within the first 5 to 15 minutes, and when driving for longer periods of time the driver must also test about twice every hour. The device records each test and any violation is reported to the monitoring agency. The BAIID will not allow the car to be started if it detects a BAC of .025 or greater.
If during operation it detects a BAC of greater than .025, then a warning signal will be emitted, and after coming to a complete stop the car cannot be re-started until the driver has a BAC of less than .025.<br />
<br />
BAIID devices utilize “fuel cell technology” to measure the presence of alcohol in the sample chamber. Fuel cells, like many breath alcohol devices have limitations, specifically when it comes to discerning ethyl alcohol from other alcohols:
A fuel cell is a device designed to continually convert fuel and an oxidant into direct current. As used for breath testing, alcohol is used as the fuel and oxygen from the atmosphere as the oxidant. Alcohol is converted in the fuel cell to acetic acid, producing two electrons for each alcohol molecule. These electrons produce an electrical current that serves to quantitate the amount of alcohol. Acetic acid further reacts at a much slower rate to form oxygen, carbon dioxide and water…Fuel cells can potentially respond to other alcohols such as methyl-, isopropyl-, and n-propyl alcohol, and to acetaldehyde.
<br />
<br />
It is important to know this because if you are ever charged with a BAIID violation the problem may be as simple as knowing that the device registered for ethyl alcohol (beverage alcohol) when the actual triggering substance was something else.<br />
<br />
Sometimes, as part of a plea agreement, DUI offenders may be required to install a BAIID as part of their sentence. This could mean that the BAIID is installed for longer than just the period of the Statutory Summary Suspension. In my experience as a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/wheaton-dui.html">DUI defense lawyer in Wheaton</a>, I have seen an increase in the use of BAIID in sentencing particularly in <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/naperville-dui.html">Naperville DUI cases</a>. If you've been charged with a DUI and would like to discuss your case please feel free to call the <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/atty-bio.html">Law Offices of Brent M. Christensen</a> at 630-665-5965, for a free, no-obligation consultation.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-45999887980273398002012-08-02T08:48:00.001-07:002012-08-02T08:49:32.415-07:00Dealing with the Police in a DUI stopIn previous blog posts, I've discussed at some length the importance of not incriminating yourself during a Police stop for a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">DuPage DUI</a> arrest. In order to have the best chance at overcoming your <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">DuPage DUI case</a>, it is very important that you volunteer as little information to the police as possible. Frequently this will mean "taking the 5th amendment" and refusing to answer questions.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately for most people facing DUI charges, particularly from aggressive police agency tactics like those employed in<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/naperville-dui.html"> Naperville DUI arrests</a>, it is very hard to be polite but firm with the police. This video should help.<br />
At the<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/wheaton-dui.html"> Law Offices of Brent M. Christensen</a> I encourage all my clients to share this with their friends so they can have the best chance of surviving a DUI police encounter.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yqMjMPlXzdA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-11464642256418557072012-08-02T05:00:00.000-07:002012-08-02T05:00:13.294-07:002010 Illinois Alcohol Impaired Driving Fatalities Data<header> <h1 id="page-title">
Illinois</h1>
</header>
<div class="block block-system" id="block-system-main" role="main">
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<img alt="" src="http://www.centurycouncil.org/sites/default/files/state-images/il.gif" /></div>
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<div class="state-facts">
As one who concentrates his law practice exclusively in the field of<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/"> DuPage DUI Defense</a>, I am always interested in the data that claims to support the enforcement of DUI laws. There has yet to be a serious study on the effect of lowering the legal limit for DUI to .08. In any case here are the data for 2010.</div>
<div class="state-facts">
<br /></div>
<div class="state-facts">
2010 Alcohol Impaired Driving Fatalities (AIDF) Data</div>
<table class="factblock"><tbody>
<tr><td class="left bottom rule highlight">Total Alcohol Impaired Driving Fatalities</td><td class="right rule"><span class="statestat">297</span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="left bottom rule highlight">Under 21 Alcohol Impaired Driving Fatalities</td><td class="right rule"><span class="statestat">39</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="state-facts">
2010 Alcohol Impaired Driving Fatalities per 100,000 Population</div>
<table class="factblock"><tbody>
<tr><td class="left bottom rule highlight">Alcohol Impaired Driving Fatalities per 100K pop</td><td class="right rule"><span class="statestat">2.3</span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="left bottom rule highlight">Under 21 Alcohol Impaired Driving Fatalities per 100K pop</td><td class="right rule"><span class="statestat">1.1</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="state-facts">
2000-10 Change in Alcohol Impaired Driving Fatalities per 100K pop</div>
<table class="factblock"><tbody>
<tr><td class="left bottom rule highlight">10-year Change in Alcohol Impaired Driving Fatalities per 100K pop</td><td class="right rule"><span class="statestat">-41.1%</span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="left bottom rule highlight">10-year Change in Under 21 Alcohol Impaired Driving Fatalities per 100K pop</td><td class="right rule"><span class="statestat">-48.5%</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="state-facts">
Percent of Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities Involving high BAC drivers (.15+)</div>
<table class="factblock"><tbody>
<tr><td class="left bottom rule highlight">BAC = .15+</td><td class="right rule"><span class="statestat">73.9%</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="state-facts">
Percent of Drivers in Fatal Drunk Driving Crashes Involving Repeat Offenders w/BAC .15+</div>
<table class="factblock"><tbody>
<tr><td class="left bottom rule highlight">BAC = .08-.14</td><td class="right rule"><span class="statestat">26.7%</span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="left bottom rule highlight">BAC = .15+</td><td class="right rule"><span class="statestat">73.3%</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="state-facts">
2008-09 12-20 Year Old Alcohol Consumption (latest available)</div>
<table class="factblock"><tbody>
<tr><td class="left bottom rule highlight">Past Month Alcohol Consumption</td><td class="right rule"><span class="statestat">28.4%</span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="left bottom rule highlight">Binge Drinking in Past 30-days</td><td class="right rule"><span class="statestat">19.6%</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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</div>
If you have been arrested for <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">DUI in DuPage County</a>, or if you've received a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/naperville-dui.html">Naperville DUI charge</a>, please contact the<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/wheaton-dui.html"> Law Offices of Brent M. Christensen</a> for a free consultation at 630-665-5965.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-22267213460155582182012-08-01T20:18:00.001-07:002012-08-01T20:18:57.347-07:00If Illinois wants to reduce DUI incidents it should adopt a law similar to France. Don't hold your breath.With many municipalities in DuPage County like <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/naperville-dui.html">Naperville</a>, <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/wheaton-dui.html">Wheaton</a> and <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/elmhurst-dui.html">Elmhurst</a> charging their DUI under local ordinance there's an argument to be made that these towns use DUI enforcement first and foremost to raise revenue. Of course, the police departments in this towns would undoubtedly bristle at such an allegation by a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">DuPage DUI defense lawyer</a> like myself. They would say it's all about public safety.<br />
<br />
It would be interesting to see these police departments put their money where their mouths are and back an entirely new regime of DUI enforcement statewide. What if Illinois required all vehicles to be equipped with Breath Analysis Ignition Interlock Devices? If this were the case DUI incidents would be dramatically reduced.<br />
<br />
So too, would revenue for these high DUI writing municipalities though, not to mention the bars and taverns who depend on people paying for lots of drinks.<br />
<br />
French law could be a good model for a new DUI enforcement regime. France is serious about cutting down on drunk
driving: A new law requires all drivers in the country to carry a
breathalyzer in their vehicles or be fined. Car accidents kill 4,000
people there each year, and drunk driving is the main cause of those
accidents, the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18662555" target="_blank">BBC</a>
reports. The government hopes the move will save 500 lives annually by
encouraging those who feel boozy to test themselves before deciding to
get behind the wheel.
But the
fine for ignoring the law isn't huge, at just under $14. But it will
apply to all drivers in the country, including foreigners, after
November 1; random checks will be put in place to enforce it. It doesn't
go into effect until then because there is a shortage of breathalyzer
kits—tens of millions will be needed, a huge boon to manufacturers. In
fact, some opponents of the law claim it was only passed because the
industry lobbied for it.<br />
<br />
If you or someone you love has been charged with a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">DUI in DuPage County</a>, call 630-665-5965 for a free consultation. <br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-87766518089825589302012-08-01T17:18:00.002-07:002012-08-01T17:18:15.215-07:00DuPage County DUI arrest statistics for 2011The Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists has released its DUI arrest statistics for police agencies throughout Illinois. Not surprisingly, <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/naperville-dui.html">Naperville</a>, <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/elmhurst-dui.html">Elmhurst</a>, and <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/carolstream-dui.html">Carol Stream</a> led DuPage County Municipalities with <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">DUI arrests</a>. However, DUI arrests for Naperville and Carol Stream were down from numbers posted in 2010, Rounding out the top five municipalities for DuPage DUI arrests for 2011 were Itasca and Downers Grove.<br />
<br />
Perhaps the most surprising element in the 2011 stats are not the fact that some of the leading municipalities were down slightly from 2010, but rather the relatively huge increase in DUI arrests by some municipalities.<br />
Where Naperville DUI arrests were down by about 7% and Carol Stream down by about 3% from the previous year, <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/elmhurst-dui.html">Elmhurst DUI cases</a> were up by over 15%.<br />
<br />
The biggest increase in DUI arrests were by <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/downersgrove-dui.html">Downers Grove</a> and Itasca. In 2010 Downers Grove made 184 DUI arrests. But in 2011, Downers Grove made 236 arrests, and increase of over 28%. <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/itasca-dui.html"> Itasca's fortunes for DUI arrests were even more stunning - up 45% over last year - from 182 in 2010 to 264</a> in 2011.<br />
<br />
These variations are not easily explainable. If the economy were the issue why would Elmhurst be up and Naperville down? Why would Carol Stream have slipped while Itasca soars? As a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">DuPage DUI attorney</a> who's practiced DUI defense for more than 18 years, I suspect that the difference is based on the motivation supplied to officers of certain departments. I would suggest that although they would never admit to maintaining DUI arrest "quotas" I believe it's hard to draw a different conclusion.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-13236414020873296162012-07-31T13:45:00.002-07:002012-07-31T13:45:31.280-07:00What Happens on the First Court Date in a DuPage DUI CaseThe sizable majority of people who get arrested for DUI have never been to court for anything more than a routine traffic ticket. As a<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/"> DuPage DUI Defense Attorney</a>, I am frequently asked about what happens in court on the first DUI court date if one does not have a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/atty-bio.html">lawye</a>r.<br />
<br />
After being arrested for DUI most defendants "bond out" and receive a scheduled court date as part of their bail bond. If you were driving on a public roadway or in "actual physical control of a vehicle" on public property, when you were arrested you also would typically receive a "<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/sss.html">Notice of Summary Suspension</a>" or "Law Enforcement Sworn Report."<br />
<br />
On the first court date for a DuPage DUI the court would basically address two issues. One would be arraignment of the criminal charges against you. This would be where the judge advises you of the nature of the charges against you and informs you of the range of possible penalties. The judge will also inquire about whether you intend to hire an attorney. If you need time to hire an attorney the judge will typically give you a continuance for that purpose. However, the continuance would not delay the onset of the summary suspension.<br />
<br />
If you've filed a petition to rescind the statutory summary suspension of your driver's license, the court will also ask if you are prepared to proceed to a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/sss-hearing.html">hearing</a> on that matter.<br />
<br />
For a free consultation on DUI representation in DuPage call <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/wheaton-dui.html">Wheaton DUI Attorney, Brent Christensen</a> at 630-665-5965.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-45294764796608476792012-07-30T09:20:00.001-07:002012-07-30T09:20:29.526-07:00Court Supervision for a DUI Could Mean Trouble forCourt Supervision is available once in a lifetime in Illinois for DUI sentencing purposes. And indeed for DUI offenders who are eligible, <a href="http://www.dupageco.org/COURTS/">DuPage Judges</a> will typically impose court supervision rather than a conviction because of the downstream consequences of a DUI conviction (upon conviction for DUI the <a href="http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/">Secretary of State</a> shall revoke the Defendant's driver's license). Court Supervision is, by definition <i>not </i>a conviction.<br />
<br />
The problem is that some jurisdictions don't recognize the Illinois regime for Court Supervision. Most notable among these jurisdictions is <a href="http://www.canada.gc.ca/home.html">Canada</a>. Canada considers DUI to be a "serious offense" and <i>can be</i> a basis for Canada to bar entry into the country.<br />
<br />
Some<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/"> DuPage DUI defense attorneys</a> overlook this fact and will not address the issue properly before plea bargaining. Thus setting their client up for a big surprise down the road when he or she has to go to Toronto or somewhere else in the Great White North for business or pleasure.<br />
<br />
If you regularly travel to Canada and have a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">DuPage DUI case</a> pending make sure to discuss this with your attorney before you agree to Court Supervision. If you've had supervision for a DUI within the last five years and are expecting to travel to Canada, you should contact the <a href="http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/chicago/index.aspx?view=d">Canadian consulate</a>. <br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-66111739697488897942012-07-29T07:52:00.000-07:002012-07-29T07:52:03.880-07:00Getting a DuPage DUI Without DrivingLet's say you've just walked out of a bar after having one too many. You get to your car in the parking lot put the keys in the ignition but then decide that you shouldn't drive. You leave the car running, put the seat back and sleep it off.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, you can still be charged with a DUI. While you wouldn't be at risk for getting a statutory summary suspension in this scenario because you didn't drive on a public roadway, you could still be charged - <i>still found guilty</i> - of the criminal offense of Driving under the Influence of alcohol. As a<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/"> DuPage DUI Attorney</a>, I can tell you that these types of cases are not rare.<br />
<br />
Why these cases are not rare is explainable by two factors: The language of Illinois' DUI statute and the sometimes ridiculously strict <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">enforcement regime for Dupage DUIs</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">DUIs in DuPage</a> - whether they are charged under local ordinance as a Naperville DUI or Wheaton DUI , <br />
or whether they are charged under by say the Illinois State Police - are all based on the <a href="http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=062500050K11-501">Illinois Vehicle Code</a>:<br />
<br />
<code></code><code style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: x-small;">Sec. 11-501. </span></code><code style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: x-small;">Driving
while under the influence of alcohol, other drug or drugs, intoxicating
compound or compounds or any combination thereof.
</span></code><br />
<code style="color: #990000;"> </code><code style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: x-small;">(a) A person shall not drive or be in actual physical control of any vehicle within this State while:</span></code><br />
<code style="color: #990000;"> </code><code style="color: #990000;"> </code><code style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: x-small;">(1) the alcohol concentration in the person's blood </span></code><br />
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<tr><td><code><span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: x-small;"> </span></code></td><td><div align="justify">
<code><span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: x-small;">or breath is 0.08 or more based on the definition of blood and breath units in Section 11-501.2;</span></code></div>
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<code> </code><code> </code><code><span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: x-small;">(2) under the influence of alcohol;</span></code><br />
<code> </code><code> </code><code><span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: x-small;">(3) under the influence of any intoxicating compound </span></code></div>
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<code><span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: x-small;">or combination of intoxicating compounds to a degree that renders the person incapable of driving safely;</span></code></div>
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<code> </code><code> </code><code><span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: x-small;">(4) under the influence of any other drug or </span></code></div>
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<code><span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: x-small;">combination of drugs to a degree that renders the person incapable of safely driving;</span></code></div>
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<code> </code><code> </code><code><span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: x-small;">(5) under the combined influence of alcohol, other </span></code></div>
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<code><span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: x-small;">drug or drugs, or intoxicating compound or compounds to a degree that renders the person incapable of safely driving; or</span></code></div>
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<code> </code><code> </code><code><span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: x-small;">(6) there is any amount of a drug, substance, or </span></code></div>
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<code><span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: x-small;">compound
in the person's breath, blood, or urine resulting from the unlawful use
or consumption of cannabis listed in the Cannabis Control Act, a
controlled substance listed in the Illinois Controlled Substances Act,
an intoxicating compound listed in the Use of Intoxicating Compounds
Act, or methamphetamine as listed in the Methamphetamine Control and
Community Protection Act. </span></code></div>
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A careful reading of the statute indicates just how it is you could get a DUI even if you weren't driving. Being in "actual physical control" of any motor vehicle within the State is the key phrase. Reviewing DUI case law will reveal a consistent theme: Whether there is "actual physical control" is to be determined on a "case by case basis." Unfortunately for well-intentioned drivers who think they'll be fine by "just sleeping it off" this case-by-case analysis has resulted in a line of appellate cases that suggest if the keys are anywhere near the driver, much less the ignition, the defendant can be found <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">guilty of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol</a>, even though there was no driving.<br />
<br />
If you need to discuss this issue with <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/atty-bio.html">DuPage DUI Lawyer Brent Christensen</a>, feel free to comment on this post or call 630-665-5965. <br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-17685508940456728892012-07-28T10:40:00.000-07:002012-07-28T10:40:09.475-07:00DUI Not the Only Way to Lose Your License as a Result of Alcohol ConsumptionAs I've discussed before in this blog, part of a<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/"> DuPage DUI</a> charge usually includes not only a criminal component, but also a civil, <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/sss.html">driver's license suspension</a> component. Although it is my job to defend drivers who've been charged with DUI in <a href="http://www.dupageco.org/">DuPage County</a>, I can understand the legislative intent in taking away someone's driver's license when its likely they've abused the license by negligently deciding to drive.<br />
<br />
But what if you haven't been driving at all? I'm not talking about sitting in the car with the keys in the ignition when your drunk. As I've discussed before even this innocuous behavior can and does result in DUI charges. What if you're just at a party and the police are somehow called? And what if you're underage?<br />
Remember no cars, no driving.<br />
<br />
Well believe it or not if someone under the age of 21 is caught by the police having consumed any amount of alcohol that unlucky person could be charged with underage consumption of alcohol. OK that's not so surprising. But what if a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">DUI defense lawyer</a> like myself were to tell you that even if this under 21 year old<br />
pled guilty and received court supervision for this "drinking ticket" the Illinois Secretary of State would suspend that driver's license for 12 months.<br />
<br />
Yep, that's right. You can join the Army, go to Afghanistan, fight for your country, come home with <a href="http://www.ptsd.va.gov/">PTSD</a> and go to a welcome back party before your 21st birthday. If you're then talking to a friend and a police officer happens by and smells the odor of alcohol . . .you can be arrested. You go to court without a lawyer, plead guilty, get court supervision and then the bomb really drops when Jesse White sends you a letter telling you your license is suspended.<br />
<br />
As a DuPage DUI <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/atty-bio.html">Defense attorney</a> occasionally clients approach me with this type of problem. Frequently the solution is to plea bargain with the prosecutor for an amendment of the charge to something like disorderly conduct which does not carry a mandatory or discretionary license suspension. If you've been arrested for DUI or any alcohol related offense the <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">Law Offices of Brent M. Christensen</a> can help. Call 630-665-5965 for an appointment.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-66912013162035007162012-07-27T09:15:00.000-07:002012-07-27T09:15:14.442-07:00Top Three Things Not to Do if You're Stopped by Police After Consuming AlcoholIn <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">DuPage DUI cases</a>, the question of whether to submit to chemical testing is not the first issue. Indeed, how you handle yourself during the initial traffic stop could either create more defense options in court or reduce them. For purposes of this discussion let's assume that for whatever reason, you have consumed an amount of alcohol that would probably put you over the legal blood alcohol limit of .08 and are driving yourself home and you get pulled over.<br />
<br />
Here are the Top Three Things NOT to DO:<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Number 3: Do Not Admit to consuming alcohol</span><br /><br />The best way to do this is to take the 5th amendment. Saying "On advice from counsel, I rely on the protections afforded me under the 5th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and therefore respectfully decline to answer." If you have your wits about you, you can use this answer for virtually every question the police ask you in a potential <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">DUI traffic stop</a>. So when the police ask, "where are you coming from," or "how much have you had to drink," taking the 5th can be a smart option.<br /><br />This won't get you out of being arrested. If the police officer asks you this question, even if you don't think you're "that drunk" there is a high likelihood that if the cop asks you this question he has already concluded that you have been drinking. Now he wants you to admit it. By using "taking the 5th" you give yourself and your lawyer something to work with in court. <br />
<br />
If you're going to use this strategy then you should use it all the way. Except for routine booking questions like "what is your name" and "what is your address" taking the 5th amendment is a response that you can give to any question by the police at any time.<br />
<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Number 2: Don't Do Field Sobriety Tests</span><br />
There are three standardized field sobriety tests. The <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/hgn.html">horizontal gaze nystagmus test</a> (HGN) is an eye test. If the officer asks to look at your eyes and follow his finger or something else, he's trying to get you to do this test. Put your hand briefly over your eyes and say "<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/atty-bio.html">a lawyer told me not to do any tests</a>.". <br /><br />The same is true of the other two field sobriety tests: the <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/wat.html">walk and turn test</a> and the <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/ols.html">one leg stand test</a>. If the officer asks you if you know the alphabet, say "of course but a lawyer advised me not to do a test of reciting the alphabet."<br /><br /><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Number 1: Never take a breath test on the street</span><br /><br />There are two types of breath testing machines. One is a portable breath tester the other is larger at the police station. Refusing a portable breath test on the street is different from refusing the one at the station. If asked to blow in a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/pbt.html">PBT</a> on the street. I would almost always advise you to just say "NO!"<br />
<br />
Refusal of the PBT will not result in any driver's license sanction. Although the Officer may tell you he'll let you go if you blow under the legal limit, don't believe him. If he's asking you to take this test, in my <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">18 years experience as a DUI defense lawyer</a>, I can say categorically that the cop has already made the decision to arrest you. He is asking you to take the test to build his case. Don't let him do it. Always refuse the PBT.<br />
<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/wheaton-dui.html">Brent Christensen is a DUI Defense attorney with a practice in Wheaton, Illinois</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-41680658004924776492012-07-26T06:33:00.000-07:002012-07-28T16:11:34.560-07:00To Blow, or Not to Blow . . . That is the DUI Question<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">As a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">DUI Defense Lawyer</a>, I am frequently asked the question of whether one who's been arrested for a DUI should submit to chemical testing (<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/breath-test.html">breath</a>,<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/blood-test.html"> blood</a>, or <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/urine-test.html">urine</a>). To generalize with a simple yes or no is unfortunately not the correct answer. Indeed, whether to submit or not to chemical tests depends on a number of factors that most people just don't think about before they are pulled over for a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/wheaton-dui.html">Wheaton DUI</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Watch this blog over the next several weeks and we'll try to go through scenarios where it makes sense to submit and other scenarios where it does not make sense. In today's installment, we discuss the situation when you've already decided firmly to refuse and the police won't seem to take "no" for an answer. In this situation, even if the Police threaten you with obtaining a warrant - indeed - even if they have a warrant to take your blood by force - if you've decided to refuse stick with it. A steadfast refusal could set the stage for a defense based on the 4th amendment as this article discusses.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">When Does “No” Mean “No” in DUI Chemical Test Refusals</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>(This article by <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/naperville-dui.html">Naperville/Wheaton DUI Lawyer</a> Brent M. Christensen will appear in the September 2011 edition of the DCBA Brief, a law journal of the DuPage County Bar Association)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">It happens to every practitioner of DUI defense law at social functions. Following the usual chit-chat about weather and the state of one or more of Chicago’s professional sports franchises, non-lawyers and lawyers from other concentrations alike ask the question, “to blow or not to blow” in the context of a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/naperville-dui.html">DUI arrest</a>. The correct, yet invariably unsatisfying answer, “It depends,” generally results in a quick turn back to woes of the Chicago Cubs and other imminently more solvable puzzles. However, the recent advent of so-called “No Refusal Weekends” in DUI enforcement as well as a Third District case involving a warrantless and forcible <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/blood-test.html">DUI blood draw </a>invites a more detailed analysis of refusal of chemical testing in DUI arrests.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">In Illinois along with every other State, the concept of “<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/sss.html">implied consent</a>” allows the government to suspend, more or less summarily, the license of a driver whom law enforcement reasonably believes to be operating a motor vehicle on public roads while under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicants. In Illinois, refusal of any requested chemical test – breath, urine, and/or blood – by a driver reasonably suspected of DUI will result in a license suspension of one or three years, depending on the existence and timing of any prior DUI statutory summary suspensions. The threat of such a civil sanction for refusal of chemical testing most typically results in arrestees submitting to testing – giving the prosecution what is typically compelling evidence of guilt in the context of the criminal aspect of a DUI charge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">But what of the relatively rare arrestee who steadfastly refuses chemical testing? Shortly before Labor Day weekend in 2011, the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office in conjunction with the DuPage County Sheriff’s Department announced a DUI enforcement scheme dubbed “No Refusal Weekend” where, upon probable cause, the police request a search warrant from an on-call judge for a blood test which is then expeditiously carried out by a licensed phlebotomist who is on hand typically at a DUI check point (roadblock).</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">In <i>Schmerber v. California,</i> 384 U.S. 757, 86 S.Ct. 1826, 16 L.Ed.2d 908 (1966), the United States Supreme Court held the taking of a blood sample without the defendant's consent or a search warrant was a “reasonable” search under the fourth amendment where there was probable cause to believe the defendant was intoxicated, and the delay caused by obtaining a search warrant might have resulted in loss of evidence of the defendant's intoxication, given the natural dissipation of the alcohol in the defendant's blood. See <i>Schmerber,</i> 384 U.S. at 768–72, 86 S.Ct. at 1834–36, 16 L.Ed.2d at 918–20. In examining the reasonableness of the blood test procedure itself, the Court observed blood “tests are a commonplace in these days of periodic physical examinations and experience with them teaches that the quantity of blood extracted is minimal, and that for most people the procedure involves virtually no risk, trauma, or pain.” <i>Schmerber,</i> 384 U.S. at 771, 86 S.Ct. at 1836, 16 L.Ed.2d at 920. The Court further noted that the manner in which the procedure was conducted was reasonable, as the defendant's blood was taken “in a hospital environment according to accepted medical practices.” <i>Schmerber,</i> 384 U.S. at 771, 86 S.Ct. at 1836, 16 L.Ed.2d at 920.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">The Illinois Supreme Court largely adopted the reasoning in <i>Schmerber</i> in <i>People v. Todd,</i> 59 Ill.2d 534, 322 N.E.2d 447 (1975). <i>Todd</i> was a consolidated appeal from three DUI convictions in which the defendants sought interpretation of a provision of the Illinois Vehicle Code, arguing the statute prohibited the evidentiary use of blood samples obtained without a DUI arrestee's consent. <i>Todd,</i> 59 Ill.2d at 536, 322 N.E.2d 447 (citing Ill.Rev.Stat.1969, ch. 95 1/2, par. 144, and Ill.Rev.Stat.1971, ch. 95 1/2, par. 11–501). </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">However, the Illinois Supreme Court distinguished <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Todd</i> from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Schmerber </i>on the ground that the Illinois Vehicle Code at that time afforded a protection to DUI defendants greater than that required by <i>Schmerber,</i> stating <i>Schmerber</i> made it “clear that a compulsory blood test does not violate any constitutional rights of an individual merely because he objected to such tests.” <i>Todd,</i> 59 Ill.2d at 544, 322 N.E.2d 447. In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Todd</i>, the Illinois Supreme Court held that Illinois’ DUI statute did require consent to chemical testing for test results to be admissible as evidence. <i>Todd,</i> 59 Ill.2d at 544, 322 N.E.2d 447. <i> </i> The <i>Todd </i>court focused its attention on the statutory language of Section 11–501 the Vehicle Code, which, at the time provided:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">“Evidence based upon a chemical analysis of blood, urine, breath or other bodily substance shall not be admitted unless such substance was procured and such analysis made <i>with the consent</i> of the person as provided by this Chapter, whose bodily substance was so analyzed.” (Emphasis added.) Ill.Rev.Stat.1975, ch. 95 1/2, par. 11–501(c)(3).”</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">This “right,” discussed in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Todd</i> to refuse chemical testing was, in turn, repealed by Public Act 84–272, effective January 1, 1986. The current version of this provision can be found in Section 11-501.2(c)(1) of the Vehicle Code which provides:</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">:</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">“If a person under arrest refuses to submit to a chemical test * * *, evidence of refusal shall be admissible in any civil or criminal action or proceeding arising out of acts alleged to have been committed while the person under the influence of alcohol, or other drugs, or combination of both was driving or in actual physical control of a motor vehicle.” Ill.Rev.Stat.1981, ch. 95 1/2, par. 11–501.2(c).</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">But this amendment along with a line of appellate cases discussing it went only to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">admissibility</i> of the refusal in a criminal prosecution. In the context of a “no refusal weekend,” the immediate issue is not admissibility in the incipient future proceeding, but rather whether, in light of a search warrant, refusal to submit to blood testing could result in a garden-variety DUI arrestee being tied down in order for agents of the State to procure blood evidence <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ab initio</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">People v. Jones</i>, 214 Ill.2d 187, 824 N.E.2d 239, 291 Ill.Dec. 663 (2005) the Illinois Supreme Court passed on the lack of a “right” to refuse chemical testing in light of the 1986 changes to the vehicle code. In that case, Defendant Jones was arrested for DUI and hospital personnel administered blood and urine tests at the request of the arresting officer, but without defendant's consent. Jones moved to suppress the results of the blood and urine tests on the ground the tests were nonconsensual. Circuit Judge Geoge Bakalis granted the defendant's motion and ordered suppression of the test results. The State appealed, and the appellate court affirmed the suppression order. The Supreme Court reversed the Appellate Court, holding that Section 11–501.2 of the Illinois Vehicle Code (625 ILCS 5/11–501.2) did not grant a statutory right to refuse chemical testing to a DUI arrestee in a situation not involving the death or personal injury of another. But the Supreme Court took some pains to clarify its position on the notion that that blood could be <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">forcibly</i> drawn:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">“For purposes of clarification, our holding in this case does not give law enforcement officers unbridled authority to order and conduct chemical tests. We do not suggest that a DUI arrestee's lack of a right to refuse chemical testing under section 11–501.2(c)(2) permits law enforcement officers to use physical force in obtaining blood, urine, and breath samples. The Vehicle Code already eliminates any advantage a DUI arrestee might hope to gain from refusing chemical testing. Under section 11–501.2(c)(1), if a DUI arrestee refuses to submit to chemical testing, evidence of the refusal is admissible in the arrestee's DUI prosecution.”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">The issue of whether the Police can use force to obtain a blood test in a DUI left the realm of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">dicta</i> recently in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">People v. Farris</i>, 968 N.E.2d 191, 360 Ill.Dec. 112 (3<sup>rd</sup> District 2012). In that case, the Appellate Court confronted a situation where the arresting police officer sought consent from a DUI arrestee for a blood draw in a hospital emergency department following a motor vehicle crash. The defendant refused consent. The arresting officer then instructed a nurse to take a sample of the arrestee’s blood. Two police officers stood by while a doctor, a nurse, and another emergency department staff member held the defendant down and forcibly drew blood. One person was on either side of the defendant, each holding a wrist and shoulder, while another person held the arrestee’s legs as the nurse drew blood from one of the arm inside of the elbow. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">The result of this forcible blood draw was suppressed in the trial court and the State appealed. Relying heavily on the reasoning (and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">dicta</i>) in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jones</i>, the Appellate Court affirmed the trial court’s finding that the arresting officer lacked statutory authority to use force to obtain a blood sample. Left unanswered, however, is the question potentially posed by a “no refusal weekend” regime. What about a forcible blood draw in the context of a search warrant?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">The forcible blood draw in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Farris</i> was without warrant. As indicated earlier in this article, the typical “no refusal weekend” scheme centers on the police obtaining a warrant from an on-call judge for a blood draw. If a judge issued a requested warrant specifically providing that force <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">could</i> be used to obtain a blood sample, it is difficult to see how the rulings in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jones</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Farris</i> would protect a non-consenting DUI arrestee from a forcible blood draw ordered by a warrant. Under the U.S. Supreme Court’s reasoning in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Schmerber</i> it would appear that such an intrusion would not violate the 4<sup>th</sup> Amendment proscription against unreasonable search.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">As a practical matter, it is difficult to imagine a “no refusal weekend” scenario where a judge would sign a warrant specifically authorizing a forcible blood draw for an arrestee without a significant DUI history with no aggravating factors such as an accompanying motor vehicle accident with injuries. More likely, the issue of a forcible blood draw pursuant to a warrant would arise under more severe circumstances. In either event, Illinois case law is still unsettled on this most unsettling prospect of a “no refusal weekend.” Until that question is addressed head-on, the practitioner is well advised to stick to “It depends . . .” as the answer to the broad question of whether or not to submit to chemical testing following a DUI arrest.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">By: <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/atty-bio.html">Brent Christensen</a>, Attorney at Law</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-47878474639397574122012-07-25T05:51:00.002-07:002012-07-25T05:51:43.621-07:00Naperville DUI Arrests Again Top DuPage County MunicipalitiesAccording to the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists,<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/naperville-dui.html"> Naperville DUI arrests</a> have once again topped <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">DuPage County DUI</a> statistics.For the fifth straight year, Rockford has cuffed more drunken-driving
suspects than any other Illinois city outside Chicago, according to an
annual survey by the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists.<br />
A total of 686 drivers were arrested in Rockford last year, followed by Naperville with 622 and Springfield with 553<br />
.<br />
The
Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists gathered DUI arrest data from
more than 500 police departments around the state through a grant from
the Illinois Department of Transportation.<br />
AAIM officials say topping
the list does not necessarily mean a city has more drunken drivers than
other cities and is instead a credit to those departments' enforcement.<br />
<br />
In
Rockford, four traffic investigators are dedicated to arresting drunken
drivers, and the city uses technology to map problem areas, according
to Lt. Christine Bishop, the department's traffic commander.<br />
"We
take drinking and driving very seriously in Rockford because it's a
needless, senseless crime," Bishop said. "People die because of drunk
drivers, and it's completely preventable."<br />
Rounding out the top 10
cities for DUI arrests are Rock Island (465), Decatur (448),<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/elmhurst-dui.html"> Elmhurst </a>
(367), Elgin (352), <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/carolstream-dui.html">Carol Stream</a> (349), Peoria (306) and Normal (296).<br />
<br />
In
Chicago, which was counted separately, police collared 3,037 DUI
suspects in 2011, down about 17.8 percent from the year before. Illinois
State Police arrested 9,719 DUI suspects in 2011, a 9.5 percent drop.<br />
AAIM
also ranks departments by DUI arrest rates, which places Itasca on top
with 11.48 arrests per officer per year followed by Carol Stream with
5.63 and Rock Island with 5.60.<br />
<br />
Marti Belluschi, AAIM board vice
president and a crash survivor, said drunken driving trends in recent
years have been a mixed bag. Statewide, DUI arrests have been going
down, falling to 41,900 in 2010, down from 48,113 in 2008, according to
Illinois secretary of state figures. Belluschi hopes the decline means
awareness programs are having an impact but said police budget cuts also
are likely to have played a role.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/atty-bio.html">Brent Christensen, a Wheaton DUI attorney</a> suggests that money and not public safety concerns is the primary if unspoken motivation behind the leading DUI municipalities. "With respect to<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/"> DuPage County DUI</a> statistics, the municipalities at the top of the list charge their DUI under local ordinance rather than State Statute," Christensen said. AAIM stats confirms that other towns like <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/oakbrook-dui.html">Oak Brook</a>, <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/downersgrove-dui.html">Downers Grove</a>, <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/lombard-dui.html">Lombard</a>, <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/bloomingdale-dui.html">Bloomingdale</a>, <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/glendaleheights-dui.html">Glendale Heights</a> , <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/villapark-dui.html">Villa Park</a> and <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/wheaton-dui.html">Wheaton</a> all set minimum fines unlike towns like <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/bensenville-dui.html">Bensenville</a>, <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/hanoverpark-dui.html">Hanover Park</a>, <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/lisle-dui.html">Lisle</a> and <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/hinsdale-dui.html">Hinsdale</a>, which use the Illinois State Statute on DUIs.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-4800603639522838532012-07-24T13:24:00.003-07:002012-07-24T13:24:43.854-07:00Ambien Can Cause "Sleep Driving"<h1>
Kerry Kennedy DUI Arrest Likely Caused by Sleep Driving due to Ambien - Similar to one Successfully defended by Brent Christensen in DuPage County in 2008 <div class="arrow_icon">
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Kerry Kennedy's DUI arrest in a New York highway crash earlier this month was likely caused by <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zolpidem" rel="wikipedia" title="Zolpidem">Ambien</a>-induced sleep driving — the same drug responsible for former U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson’s crashes in Los Angeles last mont leading to his cabinet resignation. The details of Kennedy’s crash have all the hallmarks of sleep driving — the bizarre but disclosed side effect which causes users of Ambien to get out of bed and drive their cars while still asleep with no memory of their actions. It occurred in the early morning, likely just hours after she took the drug. She continued driving even though she had a flat tire. She was disoriented. She remembers nothing of the incident. And just like in John Bryson’s case, after Kennedy stopped the car at the bottom of an exit ramp, officers found her slumped behind the wheel.</div>
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Like Bryson, reports on the Kennedy incident now claim a seizure may have caused it. That’s despite warnings at the top of each Ambien medication guide advising users that taking it “may [cause you] to get up out of bed while not being fully awake and do an activity that you do not know you are doing [including] driving a car (‘sleep-driving’).” Many users refuse to believe this side effect can happen to them despite thousands of reported incidents in criminal dockets across the country and in the FDA’s Adverse Event Database.</div>
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Ironically, it was her cousin, former Congressman Patrick Kennedy, that first brought public attention to the problem of Ambien-induced sleep driving in 2006 when he crashed his Mustang convertible into a capitol hill barrier at 2 am telling officers he was late for a vote. Kennedy had gotten out of bed after taking Ambien and an anti-nausea medication. Around the time of Patrick Kennedy’s incident came a class action agains the drug maker complaining of another curious side effect: sleep eating. Plaintiff’s lawyer Susan Chana Lask cited examples of clients gobbling strange things after partially waking up in the middle of the night — raw eggs, including the shells, and buttered cigarettes.</div>
<br />
In the wake of the class action, and more than a dozen officially reported incidents of sleep driving, the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.0353363,-76.9830894&spn=0.01,0.01&q=39.0353363,-76.9830894 (Food%20and%20Drug%20Administration)&t=h" rel="geolocation" title="Food and Drug Administration">FDA</a> required the drug makers to revise the drug’s label. It now warns the 39 million people who take Ambien that the drug can cause them to eat, have sex or drive without knowing it and with no memory of their conduct. But it makes no mention of the legal ramifications that users like Kerry Kennedy face if they’re among the unlucky ones to suffer this purportedly rare side effect. (Ambien, made by French drug maker Sanofi, had peak annual revenues of $2.2 billion in 2006, the year before it went, according to IMS Health.)<br />
Defendants in drug-induced legal predicaments like Kennedy have begun invoking a novel legal strategy: the Ambien defense. Citing the FDA-mandated label, they’ve argued that sleep driving is a side effect not a criminal offense.<br />
<br />
Kennedy’s likely to get a fairer shake asserting the Ambien defense than most. Others defendants have had mixed results.<br />
<br />
In some cases, it has worked, saving defendants from serious jail time in cases involving vehicular assault and manslaughter. In 2008 <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">Brent Christensen, a Wheaton, Illinois dui attorney</a> successfully defended an Illinois woman under similar circumstances. In that case <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/atty-bio.html">Christensen's alleged DUI client</a> had driven for miles through multiple jurisdictions, including,<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/naperville-dui.html"> Naperville</a>, <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/lombard-dui.html">Lombard</a>, <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/glenellyn-dui.html">Glen Ellyn</a>, <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/villapark-dui.html">Villa Park</a> and <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/elmhurst-dui.html">Elmhurst</a>.This week, 45 year old flight attendant Julie Ann Bronson faces sentencing for a vehicular assault charge resulting from a 2009 Ambien-induced sleep driving incident in San Antonio, Texas. Bronson drank several glasses of wine during the evening before later taking an Ambien which the drug’s label warns against. She pled guilty and faced ten years in prison for crashing into a family of three and severely injuring an 18 month old girl. Bronson says she recalls taking an Ambien before going to bed and then waking up in a holding cell in her pajamas and barefoot. ”A lady told me I’d assaulted a woman and a child,” Bronson testified. ”I’d never hit anyone in my life. It was surreal. It was like a bad dream.” The jury believed she didn’t intend to get into her car and in a ruling last month, gave her probation instead.<br />
<br />
Bronson isn’t the first to avoid jail following sleep driving related fatalities. In 2006, Ki Yong O, a 36 year old lawyer from Andover, Mass. killed Anthony Raucci in an Ambien-induced sleep driving crash. In November 2007, a judge acquitted O of vehicular homicide ruling he couldn’t conclude “beyond a reasonable doubt” the defendant “was voluntarily intoxicated when he operated his motor vehicle.” Two years later a Fresno, Calif. jury acquitted Donna Neely, 56, of similar charges resulting from a crash that killed Cho Thao Her, a mother of 11 children.<br />
Others have had less success with the Ambien defense. Josh Shortt, a Loudoun County, Virginia firefighter and cop, was convicted for DUI in 2008 following an Ambien-induced sleep driving crash. He <a href="http://caselaw.findlaw.com/va-court-of-appeals/1544275.html">appealed the conviction</a> — which cost him his law enforcement career — all the way to the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.history.com/topics/supreme-court" rel="historycom" title="The Supreme Court of the United States">U.S. Supreme Court</a> — which declined to hear the appeal in March.<br />
<br />
In many cases, like Josh Shortt’s, judges and prosecutors have found the notion of sleep driving inherently implausible despite FDA recognition that it can — and has — happened. Though the FDA recommended drug makers investigate how and why it happens — no studies have been done. That may explain why despite the label change, physicians and patients continue to underappreciate the risk of it occurring. In the DuPage County, Illinois case, <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">DUI Defense lawyer, Brent Christensen</a> was able to convince prosecutors to reduce the charge to simple reckless driving in order to avoid the risk of going to trial on the DUI charge.</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-12516847421715695242012-07-23T11:28:00.001-07:002012-07-23T11:28:51.726-07:00Former Lake County Chief Judge Not Guilty of DUI, Guilty of Resisting<div class="mod-chitribarticletext mod-articletext" id="mod-a-body-first-para">
A four-year legal fight over <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">DUI charges</a> against Lake County's then-chief judge ended swiftly Monday when he was cleared of drunken driving after a one-day trial.<br />
But David Hall, who stepped down as chief judge after the arrest and retired this month following his diagnosis with Lou Gehrig's disease, was found guilty of resisting arrest in the April 2008 traffic stop.</div>
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Hall avoided jail, instead being sentenced to 100 hours of community service, 18 months of probation and a $1,000 fine. He could have received a year in jail for the resisting-arrest conviction.<br />
Prosecutors' ability to prove drunken driving was hampered by the fact that the officer who pulled over and pepper-sprayed the judge died a few weeks later. And an appeals court later ruled that a blood sample taken from Hall at a hospital after the traffic stop was mishandled and therefore inadmissible.<br />
During Monday's trial, overseen by a judge from Kane County, the officer who provided backup during the traffic stop, Mark Sosnoski, testified that Hall attempted to roll up his window, ignored an officer's order to exit the vehicle and turn off the ignition on his vehicle.<br />
<br />
It would appear that the ex-judge got lucky in two aspects of his DUI arrest. First the unavailabilty of the arresting officer would have made it difficult for the State's Attorney to ellicit enough testimony regarding the bad driving and the Defendant's state of inebriation. Second the suppression of the blood tests would have been the key piece of evidence even if the arresting officer had not died.<br />
<br />
The<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/"> Law Offices of Brent M. Christensen</a> has experience in dealing with this type of case and the results are frequently similar. Officers from the <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/naperville-dui.html">Naperville</a> and <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/oakbrook-dui.html">Oak Brook police departments</a> have been known to initate (or admit to initiating) DUI arrest too early in these types of resisting cases. <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/wheaton-dui.html">Wheaton DUI Lawyer Brent Christensen</a> would contend that skilled cross examination of the arresting officer at the <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/sss-hearing.html">summary suspension hearing</a> stage can often "trap" police officers into admissions that make it impossible for prosecutors to win these types of cases.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-8516180142771468582012-07-22T12:07:00.003-07:002012-07-22T12:07:52.626-07:00NFL Player Charged with DUI on Army Post<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">Drving under the influence of alcohol</a> is the single most common criminal offense charged nation-wide.<br />
The days of "getting out" of a DUI arrest because of celebrity status are also a thing of the past. Take for example this incident reported by the Associated Press involving Tennessee Titans player Kenny Britt:<br />
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<span class="yshortcuts cs4-ndcor" id="lw_1342812738_3">"Tennessee Titan</span> wide receiver <span class="yshortcuts cs4-ndcor" id="lw_1342812738_0">Kenny Britt</span> was charged with driving under the influence early Friday as he attempted to pass through a security gate at <span class="yshortcuts cs4-ndcor" id="lw_1342812738_7">the Fort Campbell Army installation</span> on the <span class="yshortcuts cs4-visible" id="lw_1342812738_6">Tennessee-Kentucky</span> state line, military officials said.<br />
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Britt was attempting to drive onto the post at Gate 4, which is on the Kentucky side of the installation, and his driving prompted military police to administer a field sobriety test, which showed indicators of intoxication, said <span class="yshortcuts cs4-ndcor" id="lw_1342812738_1">Bob Jenkins</span>, a spokesman for the post.</div>
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He refused to take a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/breath-test.html">Breathalyzer test</a> and was charged with DUI and implied consent and taken into custody around 3:30 a.m., Jenkins said.</div>
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He was later escorted by <span class="yshortcuts cs4-ndcor" id="lw_1342812738_5">military police</span> to the gate and released. Jenkins had no information about who was in the vehicle with him."</div>
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Being arrested by Military Police for a non-military member poses some interesting legal and practical issues for the prosecution. Presumably the trial court would be in State Court. But the State prosecutor would have a hard time successfully subponaeing the arresting MPs if they are transferred to other duty.<br />
<br />
If Britt were in the military he would have been subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice UCMJ instead of State Law. In such a case he would be tried by a court martial. <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">The Law Offices of Brent M. Christensen</a> has represented many miltary members who've been charged with DUI when on leave from the military. These cases can have a devasting effect on the serviceman's military career.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/atty-bio.html">Brent Christensen</a> is a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/wheaton-dui.html">Wheaton DUI</a> lawyer concentrating exclusively on representing individuals charged with DUI anywhere in DuPage County, including <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/naperville-dui.html">Naperville</a>, Carol Stream, Elmhurst, <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/lombard-dui.html">Lombard</a>, and Villa Park.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-72450335941849976482012-07-21T09:42:00.002-07:002012-07-21T09:44:52.925-07:00DUI Case Law Update: Appellate Court Reverses DUI Conviction based on insufficient blood sample evidenceAn inference is a factual conclusion that can rationally be drawn by considering
other facts. Thus, an inference is merely a deduction that the fact finder may
draw in its discretion, but is not required to draw as a matter of law." Where
evidence is presented and such evidence is capable of producing conflicting
inferences, it is best left to the trier of fact for proper resolution. The
Administrative Code provides a blood serum or blood plasma alcohol concentration
should be "divided by 1.18 to obtain a whole blood equivalent." 20 Ill. Adm.
Code 1286.40 (2012). <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/blood-test.html">Alcohol concentration</a> shall mean either grams of alcohol
per 100 milliliters of blood or <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/breath-test.html">grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath</a>.<br />
<br />
This is what the Illinois Appellate Court for the 3rd District held recently when it reversed the Will County Circuit Court in a DUI case involving injury. The case points up many issues, not the least of which is the importance for DUI defense lawyers not to stipulate to certain facts.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">After a bench trial, the
court found defendant, Timothy Harmon, guilty of two counts of driving under the
influence of alcohol (DUI) (625 ILCS 5/11-501(a)(1), (a)(2) (West 2010)) and
improper lane usage (625 ILCS 5/11-709 (West 2010)), and imposed a sentence of
24 months of conditional discharge. On appeal, defendant argues that the trial
court erred by concluding that "221" on his hospital blood test results meant
0.221 grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood. See 625 ILCS
5/11-501.2(a)(5) (West 2010) (stating that alcohol concentration is measured in
grams per 100 milliliters of blood). So finding, the Third District reversed the trial court's ruling.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">The<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/"> Law Offices of Brent M. Christensen</a>, a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/wheaton-dui.html">Wheaton DUI defense firm</a> that handles many cases originating in <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/naperville-dui.html">Naperville</a> (which is located partly in Will County) is a strict adherent to the tactics used by the attorney in this case.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Here is the complete Appellate Court opinion:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">2012 IL App (3d) 110297</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Opinion filed July 19, 2012</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">IN THE</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">APPELLATE COURT OF ILLINOIS</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">THIRD DISTRICT</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">A.D., 2012</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">ILLINOIS,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Plaintiff-Appellee,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">v.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">TIMOTHY HARMON,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Defendant-Appellant.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Appeal from the Circuit Court</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">of the 12th Judicial Circuit,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Will County, Illinois,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Appeal No. 3-11-0297</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Circuit No. 10-DT-863</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Honorable</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Domenica Osterberger,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Judge, Presiding.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">JUSTICE WRIGHT delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Justices McDade and O'Brien concurred in the judgment and opinion.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">OPINION</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">¶ 1 After a bench trial, the court found defendant, Timothy Harmon, guilty of two counts of</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) (625 ILCS 5/11-501(a)(1), (a)(2) (West 2010)) and</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">improper lane usage (625 ILCS 5/11-709 (West 2010)), and imposed a sentence of 24 months of</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">conditional discharge. On appeal, defendant argues that the trial court erred by concluding that</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">"221" on his hospital blood test results meant 0.221 grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">See 625 ILCS 5/11-501.2(a)(5) (West 2010) (stating that alcohol concentration is measured in</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">grams per 100 milliliters of blood). We reverse.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">¶ 2 FACTS</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">¶ 3 On May 22, 2010, defendant was involved in a single-vehicle accident and was</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">transported to Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital (Adventist) for emergency medical treatment.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">The State charged defendant with driving a motor vehicle while his blood alcohol level was</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">above 0.08 (625 ILCS 5/11-501(a)(1) (West 2010)),<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1196442436"> driving a motor vehicle while under the</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">influence of alcohol </a>(625 ILCS 5/11-501(a)(2) (West 2010)), improper lane usage (625 ILCS</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">5/11-709 (West 2010)), and driving too fast for conditions (625 ILCS 5/11-601(a) (West 2010)).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">¶ 4 At trial, Rosemary Brockmeier testified that on the day of defendant's accident, she was</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">employed as a nurse at Adventist. She stated that defendant arrived at the hospital for emergency</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">treatment and his blood was tested in the ordinary course of emergency treatment. The following</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">exchange then occurred between the prosecutor and Brockmeier:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">"Q. [Assistant State's Attorney]: What [was] the blood alcohol content indicated</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">of record of the defendant's blood?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">A. Um, 221 on admission.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Q. And do you know whether that means whole blood or serum?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">A. This is serum."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">In addition, the court allowed the State to admit defendant's medical records into evidence which</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">indicated defendant's ethanol intoxication level was "221 on admission."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">¶ 5 Following the conclusion of the State's evidence, defendant moved for a directed verdict</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">on the grounds the State had not produced any evidence converting his blood serum level to</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">whole blood. Defendant also argued Brockmeier did not explain what "221" meant on</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">defendant's admitting orders.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">2</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">¶ 6 In response, the prosecutor asked to reopen proofs so the trial court could take judicial</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">notice of title 20, section 1286.40, of the Illinois Administrative Code, which divides the blood</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">serum number by 1.18 to obtain the whole blood equivalent without reference to any unit of</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">measurement. 20 Ill. Adm. Code 1286.40 (2012). The State also requested permission to recall</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Brockmeier as a witness, "just so there [was] no confusion" with regard to defendant's blood</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">alcohol level.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">¶ 7 The court agreed to take judicial notice of the Administrative Code, but denied the State's</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">request to recall Brockmeier as a witness after the State rested. The trial court granted a directed</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">verdict in favor of defendant with regard to driving too fast for conditions, but denied defendant's</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">motion on the DUI counts and improper lane usage.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">¶ 8 After closing arguments, the trial court took the matter under advisement, and rendered a</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">decision on February 3, 2011. In its oral order, the court stated "the real issue I have with this</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">case and why I took it under advisement is whether there is sufficient evidence for me to draw a</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">reasonable inference that the number 221 that is reflected in the ER record and that was testified</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">to by the nurse means point 221 grams per milliliter of blood." The trial court concluded that it</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">could draw the reasonable inference from the evidence that the number 221 meant 0.221 and,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">after applying the conversion factor, found that defendant's blood alcohol level was 0.187. Based</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">on this finding, the court entered a conviction under section 11-501(a)(1) of the Illinois Vehicle</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Code (Code). After finding that defendant's blood alcohol level was above 0.08, the court</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">applied the presumptions pursuant to section 11-501.2(b)(3) of the Code and also convicted</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">defendant of DUI of a violation of section 11-501(a)(2) of the Code. See 625 ILCS 5/11-</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">501.2(b)(3) (West 2010). Defendant appeals.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">3</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">¶ 9 ANALYSIS</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">¶ 10 On appeal, defendant argues there was insufficient evidence for the trial court to infer that</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">"221 on admission" meant a blood serum level of 0.221 comparing grams of alcohol per 100</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">milliliters. The State contends the trial court drew a permissible inference based on the evidence</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">presented during trial.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">¶ 11 When faced with a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence, the reviewing court must</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">view the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution and determine whether any</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">rational trier of fact could have found the elements of the crime proven beyond a reasonable</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">doubt. People v. Collins, 106 Ill. 2d 237 (1985). The trier of fact is responsible for determining</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">witness credibility, the weight to be given to their testimony, and the reasonable inferences to be</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">drawn from the evidence. People v. Jimerson, 127 Ill. 2d 12 (1989).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">¶ 12 The case law provides that "[a]n inference is a factual conclusion that can rationally be</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">drawn by considering other facts. Thus, an inference is merely a deduction that the fact finder</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">may draw in its discretion, but is not required to draw as a matter of law." People v. Funches,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">212 Ill. 2d 334, 340 (2004). In addition, " '[w]here evidence is presented and such evidence is</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">capable of producing conflicting inferences, it is best left to the trier of fact for proper resolution.'</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">" (Emphasis added.) People v. Saxon, 374 Ill. App. 3d 409, 416 (2007) (quoting People v.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">McDonald, 168 Ill. 2d 420, 447 (1995)).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">¶ 13 In the event that the State wishes for the court to convert a blood serum alcohol level to a</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">whole blood alcohol level, the Administrative Code provides a blood serum or blood plasma</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">alcohol concentration should be "divided by 1.18 to obtain a whole blood equivalent." 20 Ill.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Adm. Code 1286.40 (2012). The Code also provides, for purposes of the Code, "[a]lcohol</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">4</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">concentration shall mean either grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood or grams of alcohol</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">per 210 liters of breath." 625 ILCS 5/11-501.2(a)(5) (West 2010).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">¶ 14 While the nurse's testimony in this case established defendant blood serum level was "221</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">on admission," her testimony did not indicate the hospital's base unit of measurement for the</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">amount of "221." Without any testimony regarding the hospital's unit of measurement</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">underlying the expressed value of "221," the court presumed "221," as measured by the hospital,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">required the insertion of a decimal point before the number "221" and "mean[t] point 221 grams</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">per milliliter of blood."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">¶ 15 The trial court relied on the decision of People v. Kotecki, 279 Ill. App. 3d 1006 (1996).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">However, in Kotecki, the hospital records at issue indicated a precise unit of measurement. In</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">that case, the hospital records included a notation that the number "'153'" was based on "'UNITS'"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">identified as "'MG/DL.'" Id. at 1013. Thus, the trial court in Kotecki had evidence that the</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">measurement was "'MG/DL'" and then reasonably inferred "'MG/DL'" meant milligrams per</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">deciliter. The reviewing court allowed the court to insert a decimal point to convert the</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">expressed ratio to milliliters and held the trial judge did not "arbitrarily" insert a decimal point,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">but instead "examined the document in evidence and made a reasonable inference from that</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">document." (Emphasis added.) Id.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">¶ 16 Unlike the facts in Kotecki, the State, in this case, did not present any evidence</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">concerning the unit of measurement employed by the hospital when calculating defendant's level</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">of alcohol present in his blood serum. Here, Brockmeier did not inform the judge regarding the</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">unit of measurement for the blood serum level of "221" and the hospital record itself does not</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">identify the measurement unit the hospital employed. An inference is drawn by first considering</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">5</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">other facts and evidence presented at trial. See, e.g., Saxon, 374 Ill. App. 3d 409. Without this</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">evidence, the trial judge's inference regarding the unit of measurement employed by the hospital</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">was predicated on "guess, speculation, or conjecture." People v. Jones, 174 Ill. 2d 427, 430</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">(1996) (holding that, while it was not difficult to conclude that three untested packets contained</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">cocaine, such a determination had to be based on evidence and not speculation).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">¶ 17 When the State's evidence is incomplete, the trier of fact may not fill in the gaps in the</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">evidence to support a conviction. Even examining all of the evidence in the light most favorable</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">to the prosecution, we conclude the State's evidence did not allow the court to infer that "221"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">measured the ratio of grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">¶ 18 We agree the State did not present sufficient evidence concerning defendant's blood</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">alcohol level to support the court's finding that defendant was in violation of section 11-501(a)(1)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">of the Code. In addition, because the trial court applied that statutory presumption to convict</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">defendant of a DUI under section 11-501(a)(2), this conviction must be vacated as well. People</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">v. Green, 294 Ill. App. 3d 139 (1997) (statutory presumption only applies if there is evidence</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">presented of whole blood alcohol concentration). Therefore, we reverse defendant's convictions</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">for DUI.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">¶ 19 CONCLUSION</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">¶ 20 For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the circuit court of Will County is reversed.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">¶ 21 Reversed.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-18221497130154243692012-07-20T09:39:00.002-07:002012-07-20T09:49:04.904-07:00The Problems with Retrograde Extrapolation of Blood Alcohol LevelsThe <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">Law Offices of Brent M. Christensen is pleased to present this insightful treatise relevant to DUI</a> cases.<br />
<br />
If a driver’s blood-alcohol concentration <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/blood-test.html">(BAC)</a> is below the legal limit when the driver gives a breath or blood sample, this fact will not stop the prosecution from trying to obtain a DWI conviction. At trial, the state may attempt to use<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/breath-test.html"> <em>retrograde extrapolation</em></a> to convince the jury that the BAC exceeded the legal limit earlier when the police stopped the driver on the highway. But retrograde extrapolation is an unreliable tool.<br />
According to the concept of retrograde extrapolation, a blood-alcohol concentration derived from the analysis of a subject’s breath or blood sample at a particular test time<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">1</span></sup> can be extrapolated back to the <em>supposedly higher</em> BAC existing at an earlier incident time. This is accomplished by adding to the BAC at test time the product of the hourly rate of alcohol elimination from blood (commonly termed the β value, as per Widmark<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">2</span></sup>) and the number of hours elapsed between incident and test times. This process is expressed mathematically by Equation 1 (eq 1).<br />
<h5>
Equation 1</h5>
BAC<sub><span style="font-size: x-small;">Test Time</span></sub> + Elapsed Hours x β = BAC<sub><span style="font-size: x-small;">Incident Time</span></sub><br />
The application of this equation can be demonstrated via the following example. An individual is characterized by a test BAC of 0.07 percent at 6:00 a.m., and assume that his hourly rate of alcohol elimination is 0.015 percent/hour (hr) — an average β<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">3</span></sup> often used by those who employ retrograde extrapolation — then his BAC at 3:30 a.m., 2.5 hours earlier, would be estimated to be 0.10 percent. This BAC would be obtained by using eq 1 to perform the calculation shown in Equation 2. The result initially obtained and not shown, namely 0.1075 percent, would be truncated to 0.10 percent, as indicated, in accord with the established law enforcement practice of truncating BACs to two decimal places by eliminating all decimal places beyond the second without rounding.<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">4</span></sup><br />
<h5>
Equation 2</h5>
0.07% + 2.5 hr x <sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.015%</span></sup>⁄<sub><span style="font-size: x-small;">1 hr</span></sub> = 0.10%<br />
The apparent simplicity of retrograde extrapolation renders it an attractive tool among proponents of this methodology. The examples profiled in the next section, stemming from newspaper coverage of various DWI cases, reflect this reality. The re-examination of these examples in a forthcoming section, however, within the context of the arguments offered in this article concerning the drawbacks of retrograde extrapolation, provides an alternative and scientifically reliable perspective on the conclusions stemming from law enforcement personnel that are offered in each of the examples.<br />
<h4>
Documented Cases Involving Retrograde Extrapolation</h4>
Brooklyn (New York) District Attorney Charles Hynes made the following statement in 2000 concerning a DWI case: “Reaching a drunken state between the time of the car stop and …<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/naperville-dui.html"> testing for alcohol</a> when no additional alcohol is consumed is a metabolic impossibility.”<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">5</span></sup> Implicit in that statement is the assumption by Hynes that BAC cannot increase between the time of the car stop (the incident time) and the time of the test. Rather, it appears that, according to him, the BAC must decrease, so that the BAC at the time of the car stop must necessarily be higher than at the time of testing.<br />
In 2002, law enforcement authorities charged nationally recognized public television journalist and author Bill Moyers with DWI in Vermont. A breath test administered at the Shaftsbury Police Barracks where officers took Moyers after he failed a roadside breath test indicated a nontruncated<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/wheaton-dui.html"> BAC of 0.079 percent</a>.<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">6</span></sup> Although this test result was below the legal limit of 0.08 percent in Vermont, Lt. Steve Poirot, the barracks commander, said that the BAC for Moyers was adjusted upward “to take into account alcohol that would have left Moyers’ system between the arrest and the test [conducted at the barracks].”<br />
Law enforcement officers found that a driver involved in a Brooklyn, N.Y., accident in 2005 that resulted in a fatality had a BAC of 0.06 percent approximately 2.5 hours after the accident occurred. The report of this fatality indicated that, although the arrested driver had a BAC below New York’s legal limit of 0.08 percent at Brooklyn’s Lutheran Medical Center when he was tested, “Brooklyn prosecutors believe that [the driver’s BAC] was much higher at the time of the accident.”<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">7</span></sup><br />
In 2009, journalist Michael Daly<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">8</span></sup> described a case involving a fatality in which authorities found that the arrested driver, suspected of DWI and tested more than seven hours after the accident occurred, had no BAC, despite indications that he had been ingesting alcohol prior to the accident. According to Daly, “Experts say that even in those circumstances there would still be enough of a trace [of alcohol] for ‘retrograde extrapolation.’ The rate of dissipation is used to work backward from the test results, deducing what the level must have been at the time of the accident, [in accord with the application of eq 1].”<br />
These four incidents are a mere sampling of the “retrograde extrapolation” mindset that typically exists in law enforcement concerning many DWI cases. Given that this issue is likely to continue to surface, revisiting the topic and addressing its inherent flaws are warranted.<br />
<h4>
The Flawed Basis of Retrograde Extrapolation</h4>
The schematic diagram appearing in Figure 1 represents an ideal blood-alcohol or breath-alcohol curve (hereinafter termed “BAC profile” or “BrAC profile”) adapted from the classic research of Widmark.<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">9</span></sup> The various phases of alcohol metabolism are shown in the figure. It must be stressed, however, that actual BAC or BrAC profiles can deviate significantly from the profile in Figure 1,<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">10</span></sup> as is emphasized below. In fact, the delineations depicted in Figure 1 are not always as clear-cut as they appear to be, so that, for example, the plateau and diffusion-equilibration phases in an authentic profile are not necessarily distinguishable. Nevertheless, this figure serves as a useful instructional aid that facilitates the understanding of the flawed basis of retrograde extrapolation.<br />
Within this context, therefore, the focus is on the elimination phase — also termed the postabsorptive state<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">11</span></sup> — following the equilibration of alcohol in the body. In this regard, Dubowski<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">12</span></sup> has indicated that the “peak” region of a BAC/BrAC profile, which would encompass the “plateau” in Figure 1, “often marks … the changeover between the rising and falling [BACs or BrACs], reflecting the absorption … and elimination … phases … [respectively].” As indicated in Figure 1, the elimination phase in the ideal situation is <em>linear</em>, and it must necessarily be so if eq 1 is to apply. That is, the mathematical requirement for the application of eq 1 to a calculation involving a retrograde extrapolation in a given case is that a straight line denotes the graphical representation of the elimination phase associated with that case.<br />
In reality, the shape of the BAC/BrAC profile of a subject charged with DWI is typically unknown, so that where the subject’s BAC — or BrAC in a breath-alcohol analysis, as per note 10 — lies on the subject’s particular profile at test time is also unknown. Consequently, the fundamental assumption, that a given test subject is in the postabsorptive state at test time and that the subject’s BAC/BrAC profile in that state exhibits linearity, has no basis in fact. In this regard, Dubowski<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">13</span></sup> has referred to the “infeasibility of retrograde extrapolation” and has offered three key reasons in support of his position: “(1) lack of knowledge, usually, about the timing of the alcohol concentration peak and absorption-postabsorption status; (2) ignorance about the mathematical characteristics (e.g., linear, pseudolinear, exponential) and the mean rate of change of the individual’s blood- or breath-alcohol elimination [profile]; and (3) unpredictable irregularities of the [profile], especially short fluctuations from the best-fit trend line of the blood- or breath-alcohol [profile].”<br />
More recently, Jones<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">14</span></sup> characterized retrograde extrapolation as “a dubious practice, owing to the many variables and unknowns involved.” He added that, “In a typical impaired driving trial, only a single measurement<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">15</span></sup> of BAC or BrAC is usually available, making it very difficult to engage in retrograde calculations with sufficient certainty for a criminal prosecution.” Jones’ position, coupled with Dubowski’s, as described above, reinforces the argument put forth earlier by Martin et al.<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">16</span></sup> that “back extrapolation of venous blood alcohol levels, based on a single known concentration, can lead to estimates bordering on wild guesses.” In a recent case,<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/atty-bio.html"> DuPage DUI attorney Brent Christensen</a> successfully challenged the Cook County State's Attorneys attempt to use retrograde extrapolation in a DUI case in which Christensen's client passed two of three field sobriety tests and submitted a breath test with a result of .079.<br />
<h4>
Exemplification of Flawed Retrograde Extrapolations</h4>
The BAC/BrAC profile of a DWI arrestee, based on that individual’s drinking pattern in the case involved, is unknown when law enforcement personnel makes the relevant concentration measurement for that arrestee as indicated above.<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">17</span></sup> Therefore, the only reliable assessment of a BAC/BrAC profile, within the context of retrograde extrapolation, must necessarily reflect published research. In this regard, and based on the documented BrAC profiles presented by Watkins and Adler<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">18</span></sup> — who studied nine subjects (six males, three females) using two separate protocols, alcohol consumption after a large meal and after an approximate six-hour fast — Fitzgerald and Labianca<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">19</span></sup> have demonstrated that a prediction of a prior BrAC derived from a reported BrAC using retrograde extrapolation is unreliable.<br />
One example, among many, derived from the work of these authors that supports this conclusion involves the BrAC profile of a “full stomach” female subject (Figure 40M of the Fitzgerald/Labianca work<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">20</span></sup>) that indicates an estimated nontruncated test BrAC value of 0.065 g/210 L 2.7 hours after drinking. The predicted BrAC, two hours earlier (i.e., at 0.7 hour, or 42 minutes, after drinking), would be a nontruncated 0.095 g/210 L. This prediction is obtained from the application of eq 1 and the use<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">21</span></sup> of a β value of 0.015 g/210 L/hr that would be equivalent to 0.015 percent/hour if a BAC calculation were involved (0.065 g/210 L + 2 hr x 0.015 g/210 L/hr = 0.095 g/210 L). The actual, “two-hour-earlier” BrAC estimated from the Figure 40M profile is a nontruncated 0.065 g/210 L. Note that this is the same BrAC derived from the profile at 2.7 hours after drinking, as noted above.<br />
That there is no change in BrAC during the two-hour period under consideration is a consequence of the fact that the 0.7-hour BrAC occurs before the peak BrAC is achieved, so that the absorption phase is apparently still in place. The 2.7-hour BrAC occurs at a point in the profile beyond the peak where the BrAC has been changing slowly, apparently due to the presence of food in the subject’s stomach. So the predicted BrAC at 0.7 hour after drinking, which truncates to 0.09 g/210 L, is obviously <em>higher</em> than the actual BrAC, which truncates to 0.06 g/210 L.<br />
The analysis of Fitzgerald and Labianca<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">22</span></sup> is consistent with Dubowski’s conclusion<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">23</span></sup> that retrograde extrapolation is “infeasible.” A relevant example in this regard from Dubowski’s work<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">24</span></sup> — one of many the interested reader can personally explore using the BrAC profiles presented in that work — involves Figure 2D, one of the six BrAC profiles reported by Dubowski involving alcohol consumption after a four-hour fast. He used BrAC values that employ the concentration unit, milligrams (mg) of alcohol per 230 liters (L) of breath (mg/230 L). This unit can be converted into the equivalent unit of “g/230 L” by dividing the former unit by 1000, since 1000 mg equals 1 g. Dubowski’s use of this concentration unit is based on a blood-alcohol to breath-alcohol ratio (BBR)<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">25</span></sup> of 2300:1, essentially the mean, or average, postabsorptive BBR reported by Dubowski.<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">26</span></sup> To convert any of Dubowski’s g/230 L BrAC values into corresponding g/210 L BrAC values — the latter based on the standard 2100:1 BBR<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">27</span></sup> — the former BrAC values would simply be multiplied by the fraction, 2100/2300, to generate the latter BrAC values.<br />
Given the preceding stipulation, one can estimate from Dubowski’s Figure 2D, referred to above, a nontruncated BrAC of 0.1068 g/210 L, measured 2.5 hours after the commencement of alcohol consumption and prior to the occurrence of the peak BrAC and, therefore, during the absorption phase. If one wanted to retrograde extrapolate this BrAC to the supposedly existing BrAC 1.5 hours earlier, a point in time still characterized by the absorption phase, one would apply eq 1 to obtain a predicted, nontruncated BrAC of 0.1293 g/210 L (0.1068 g/210 L + 1.5 hr x 0.015 g/210 L/hr = 0.1293 g/210L). The actual BrAC 1.5 hours earlier, however, as estimated from Dubowski’s Figure 2D, is a nontruncated 0.0639 g/210 L. In effect, then, the predicted, truncated BrAC of 0.12 g/210 L is significantly <em>higher</em> than the actual, truncated BrAC of 0.06 g/210 L.<br />
Dubowski<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">28</span></sup> also emphasizes the “fluctuations phenomenon” that characterizes his reported BrAC profiles. That is, according to him, “It is evident from these rather typical [BrAC profiles] that breath-alcohol analysis results, even under highly controlled conditions, can and do rapidly oscillate in short time periods above or below any given concentration.” In fact, one of the profiles (Figure 2F) exhibits “positive and negative spiking as great as 0.030 g/230 L in less than 10 [minutes].” This concentration is equivalent to 0.027 g/210 L — obtained via multiplication of 0.030 g/230 L by 2100/2300, as noted previously — which, in turn, truncates to 0.02 g/210L. Such “spiking” is particularly revealing when considered within the context of an example involving, for instance, a BrAC of 0.07 g/210 L at a particular time such as 8:00 p.m. Thus, 10 minutes earlier, at 7:50 p.m., the BrAC could have been 0.09 g/210 L; 10 minutes later, at 8:10 p.m., it could have been 0.05 g/210 L; and at 8:20 p.m., it could have returned to 0.07 g/210 L. Obviously, such fluctuations — which also characterize the work of Watkins and Adler<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">29</span></sup> that was relied upon by Fitzgerald and Labianca,<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">30</span></sup> as described previously — constitute a potentially disturbing feature of any attempt to use retrograde extrapolation based on a reported BAC or BrAC derived from forensic breath-alcohol analysis.<br />
Moreover, Dubowski<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">31</span></sup> stresses that the “fluctuations phenomena” described above are not restricted to breath-alcohol analysis. In fact, he observed similar patterns in BAC profiles, as demonstrated by “the very close correlation of numerous separately measured simultaneous [BACs] and [BrACs] in the course of the experiments that yielded the [BrAC profiles]” he reported.<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">32</span></sup><br />
<h4>
Re-examination of Previously Described Documented Cases</h4>
In view of the problems concerning retrograde extrapolation, a brief review of the four documented cases presented previously is warranted. Consider first the comment by Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes in 2000 characterizing an increase in BAC between incident and testing times as a “metabolic impossibility.”<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">33</span></sup> The subject in this case could very well have been in the absorptive state of alcohol metabolism at incident time, so that by test time the BAC could have risen from an inconsequential level to a level reflecting intoxication.<br />
Consistent with this argument is the work of Jones et al.,<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">34</span></sup> who found the rise in BAC to average 0.10 percent per hour on an empty stomach (0.10 g/210 L, based on a 2100:1 BBR)<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">35</span></sup> and the work of Simpson,<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">36</span></sup> who, relying on Dubowski’s data,<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">37</span></sup> determined an average rise in BAC of about 0.15 percent per hour (0.15 g/210 L). Rates of alcohol absorption on a full stomach, on the other hand, tend to be lower, but are, nevertheless, significant. In this regard, Labianca’s analysis<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">38</span></sup> of the data of Jones and Neri,<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">39</span></sup> derived from their study of subjects who ingested mixed drinks with a meal, revealed an absorption rate averaging about 0.05 percent per hour.<br />
Also noteworthy concerning an individual’s absorption status is Dubowski’s relevant commentary.<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">40</span></sup> He emphasized that “it is not possible to establish whether an individual is in the absorption or elimination [postabsorptive] phase … from the results of two consecutive blood- or breath-alcohol measurements, however timed.”<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">41</span></sup> In terms of specific time frames, Baselt<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">42</span></sup> has reported that, for fasting subjects, the time-to-peak BAC typically ranges from 0.5 to 2.0 hours, with an average of 0.75 to 1.35 hours, depending on alcohol dose and time of last meal. For nonfasting subjects, on the other hand, the range is 1.0 to 6.0 hours, and the average is 1.06 to 2.12 hours. Furthermore, Dubowski<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">43</span></sup> has said that, in addition to the factor of food consumption, the rate of alcohol absorption is dependent on other factors. These factors include the type and concentration of alcoholic beverage ingested, and a “multitude of other physical, biological, psychological, and time factors that combine with the individual’s sex, bodyweight and body water, and related habitus characteristics as well as offsetting metabolic disposition to determine the ultimate peak blood-alcohol concentration [or BrAC] and other characteristics of the time course of the blood-alcohol concentration [or BrAC].”<br />
The second and third cases previously profiled, like the first case, could realistically have involved lower incident time BACs than law enforcement personnel claimed. In the Bill Moyers case,<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">44</span></sup> the reported, nontruncated BAC of 0.079 percent could very well have been significantly lower at the time of the arrest, and not higher, as barracks commander Lt. Poirot argued. Between the time of the arrest and the time of the breath test at the police barracks, Moyers could have been in the absorptive state of alcohol metabolism, so that his BAC would have been rising.<br />
In the third case<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">45</span></sup> involving a reported BAC of 0.06 percent 2.5 hours after the accident occurred, there is no way to verify prosecutorial claims that the driver’s BAC was substantially higher at the time of the accident. Once again, the assumption was made that the driver was in the postabsorptive state at test time, that he was still postabsorptive 2.5 hours earlier, and that his particular BAC profile was linear in the postabsorptive state, so that a retrograde extrapolation to a higher BAC could have been conducted. On the other hand, the driver could have been absorbing alcohol 2.5 hours earlier, and his BAC at that time could have been lower than 0.06 percent. Consequently, once again, the uncertainty stemming from lack of knowledge of the driver’s BAC profile renders any conclusion regarding a prior BAC untenable.<br />
The fourth and final case, as described by journalist Daly,<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">46</span></sup> is troubling because he says that, according to “experts,” even a “trace” of alcohol in the blood would be sufficient to facilitate a retrograde extrapolation. There are two key issues to consider concerning this argument. First, what is meant by a “trace” of alcohol? Dubowski<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">47</span></sup> has stated, in this regard, that “putative BAC results of less than [0.01 percent] should not be reported numerically, but simply designated as negative for alcohol.” Second, even if the BAC exceeds this lower limit threshold of 0.01 percent, lack of knowledge concerning the driver’s BAC profile necessarily casts serious doubt on any attempted retrograde extrapolation of a low BAC to a higher incident time BAC.<br />
<h4>
Conclusion</h4>
The underlying uncertainty characterizing retrograde extrapolation renders this process an unreliable tool in the DWI arena. The conclusions of Dubowki are unequivocally applicable: “[n]o forensically valid forward or backward extrapolation of blood- or breath-alcohol concentrations is ordinarily possible in a given subject and occasion solely on the basis of time and individual analysis results … [and, furthermore,] extrapolation of a later alcohol test result to the time of the alleged offense is always of uncertain validity and, therefore, forensically unacceptable.”Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-6226266302969511742012-07-16T14:14:00.004-07:002012-07-16T14:14:47.263-07:00Jason Kidd Arrested For DUI in New York<br />
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Shortly after signing Jason Kidd, the New York Knicks will have to do what many employers must do after a high-profile employee is arrested for DUI - Damage Control. As a Chicago Bulls fan, <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">DuPage DUI attorney Brent Christensen</a> has offered his services.<br />
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Police said Kidd<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/sss.html"> crashed his SUV</a> into a telephone pole in the Hamptons on Sunday, days after signing with the Knicks.<br />
Treated at a hospital for minor injuries after the crash, Kidd was arraigned on a <a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/atty-bio.html">misdemeanor driving-while-intoxicated</a><br />
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<span class="articleImage"><a href="http://www.presstelegram.com/portlet/article/html/imageDisplay.jsp?contentItemRelationshipId=4523928" target="_new"><img alt="" border="0" height="265" src="http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site577/2012/0716/20120716_113016_jasonkidd2_200.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 208, 209); border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 208, 209); border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 208, 209); border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 208, 209); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-top: 2px;" title="" width="200" /></a></span><div class="articleImageCaption" style="color: #888888; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-align: left; width: 200px;">
In this photo released by the Southampton, N.Y. Police, Monday, July 16, 2012, New York Knicks' Jason Kidd is shown following his arrest on Sunday, July 15, 2012. Police said Kidd crashed his SUV into a telephone pole in the Hamptons on Sunday, days after signing with the Knicks. Treated at a hospital for minor injuries after the crash, Kidd was arraigned on a misdemeanor driving-while-intoxicated charge and released without bail. (AP Photo/Southampton Town Police) (Uncredited)</div>
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charge and released without bail, Southampton Town police said.Phone and email messages were left seeking comment from Kidd's agent. His attorney, Ed Burke Jr., said in a statement that Kidd was returning from a charity function before his accident, had pleaded not guilty to the DWI charge and was awaiting further court proceedings.<br />
The Knicks, who signed the 10-time All-Star in free agency last week, had no immediate comment. Nor would they comment on their plans for Lin, even as speculation grew that Linsanity was headed elsewhere.<br />
Kidd, 39, was alone in the 2010 Cadillac Escalade when it hit a pole and veered into the woods around 2 a.m. in Water Mill, police said. Water Mill is a serene, mainly residential<br />
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community east of Southampton Village.Kidd's next court date wasn't immediate available. The<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/"> DWI charge</a> carries the potential for up to a year in jail.<br />
The Knicks signed Kidd away from the Dallas Mavericks in a deal that will pay him about $3 million a year. Kidd had played in New Jersey, leading the Nets to two NBA Finals appearances, before being traded to Dallas and remains fond of the New York City area, where his children continue to live.<br />
The two-time Olympic gold medalist has been in trouble with the law before. While playing with Phoenix in 2001, he was arrested on a domestic violence charge, acknowledging he struck his former wife.</div>
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</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-67152539271445949462012-07-12T15:21:00.001-07:002012-07-12T19:17:03.182-07:00Drug Invovement in a DUI Crash doesn't Equal Causation<br />
<h2 class="entry-title" style="font-family: 'Arno Pro'; font-size: 16px;">Drugs Found In One Of Three Drivers Killed In Crashes</h2><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Arno Pro';"><br />
</span><div class="entry-content" style="font-family: 'Arno Pro'; font-size: 16px;">One in Three Fatally Injured Drivers Tested Positive for Drugs<br />
-New Traffic Fatality Analysis Reveals High Percentage of Drivers Killed Had Drugs In Their System; Percentage of Victims Testing Positive Increasing Even As Overall Number of Fatal Crashes is Declining – Washington, DC Today, Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), called attention to the alarmingly high percentage of<br />
fatalities on our Nation¹s roadways involving drivers that had drugs in their system and called on communities to act immediately to prevent drug use before it starts in light of a new traffic fatality analysis released by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA).<br />
While national data focusing on the danger of<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/"> driving under the influence of alcohol</a> is readily available and often cited, less is known or discussed about drivers under the influence of other drugs. However, according to the first-ever analysis of drug involvement from NHTSA¹s Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) census, one in three motor vehicle fatalities (33<br />
percent) with known drug test results tested positive for drugs in 2009. Additionally, according to the new analysis, the involvement of drugs in fatal crashes has increased by five percent over the past five years, even as the overall number of drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes in the United States has declined.<br />
³Drugged driving is a much bigger public health threat than most Americans realize and unfortunately, it may be getting worse,² said Director Kerlikowske. ³It is critical that communities across the Nation address the threat of drugged driving as we redouble our efforts to make America¹s<br />
roadways safer by increasing public awareness, employing more targeted enforcement, and developing better tools to detect the presence of drugs among drivers.²<br />
These new data from NHTSA¹s FARS census reports the presence of narcotics, depressants, stimulants, cannabinoids (marijuana), hallucinogens PCP, anabolic steroids, and inhalants among drivers fatally injured in car crashes over the past five years. Drugs recorded in FARS include illegal<br />
substances as well as over-the-counter and prescription medications, which may or may not have been misused. Alcohol, nicotine, aspirin, and drugs administered after the crash are excluded from these results. Additionally,<br />
drug involvement means that drugs were found in the driver¹s system and does not imply impairment or indicate that drug use was the cause of the crash. However, research shows that drugs have adverse effects on judgment, reaction time, motor skills, and memory critical skills for safe and responsible driving.<br />
These data build upon other recent reports confirming that there are far too many Americans driving on our roadways with drugs in their system. According to a 2007 NHTSA<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/naperville-dui.html"> Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Drug Use by Drivers</a>, 1 in 8 nighttime weekend drivers tested positive for an illicit drug. This number rises to 1 in 6 when you include illicit drugs and Parmaceuticals. Additionally, according to the most recent Monitoring the Future report – the Nation¹s largest survey of drug use among young people -one in ten high school seniors reported that in the two weeks prior to the survey they had driven after smoking marijuana.<br />
President Obama has made combating drugged driving a drug control strategy priority and has set a goal of reducing drugged driving prevalence by 10 percent by 2015. To achieve this goal, the Obama Administration is encouraging states to explore legal responses, such as per se laws that make it illegal for individuals to drive with illicit drugs in their system.<br />
Already, 17 states in the United States have per se or zero tolerance statutes. In these states, it is a criminal offense to have an illegal drug in one¹s body while driving. Additionally, ONDCP is providing increased training to law enforcement to identify drugged drivers and is working with the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Substance Abuse and Mental<br />
Health Services Administration to develop standard screening methodologies for drug-testing labs to use in detecting the presence of drugs among drivers.<br />
The Obama Administration is committed to restoring balance to U.S. drug control efforts by coordinating an unprecedented government-wide public health approach to reduce drug use and its consequences. This effort includes increasing funding for drug prevention by $203 million and treatment programs by $137 million, placing a heavier emphasis on early intervention programs in healthcare settings, aligning criminal justice<br />
policies and public health systems to divert non-violent drug offenders into treatment instead of jail, funding scientific research on drug use and expanding access to substance abuse treatment. ONDCP has also revamped the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign to include a broader focus on substances most often abused by American teens, including prescription<br />
drugs, marijuana, and alcohol, and partnering with communities to reach at-risk youth populations in rural, suburban, and urban communities.<br />
To download more information on drugged driving, including resources parents and communities can use to prevent drugged driving among young people visit www.TheAntiDrug.com<br />
The Office of National Drug Control Policy seeks to foster healthy individuals and safe communities by effectively leading the Nation’s effort to reduce drug use and its consequences.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/">Law Offices of Brent M. Christensen</a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414129325826575677.post-81803026788571373712012-07-11T17:25:00.001-07:002012-07-11T17:25:26.801-07:00Putting the Science Back in Forensic ScienceIt would not be unreasonable to think that the rules for chemical testing in Illinois DUI cases are a function of rigorous science governed by an agency with some scientific auspices. Indeed, it used to be that the Illinois Department of Public Health was charged with the responsibility for making and enforcing these administrative rules governing breath tests, blood test and urine tests. It used to be that way.<br />
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But for the last decade or so, the rules for how these so-called scientific test have been written and administered by . . . wait for it . . .the Illinois State Police. It is not hard to see why DUI<a href="http://www.bmcdui.com/"> lawyers</a> like myself have equated this regime to putting the proverbial Fox in charge of guarding the proverbial Chicken Coop. Over this period the ISP has consistently amended these rules in a way that has less to do with scientifc method and more to do with making life very easy for prosecutors and law enforcement. <br />
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In recent weeks the Justice Department has rolled out a sweeping review of some giant scientific problems in FBI crime labs. So if those fancy g-men at the vaunted FBI can't get scientifc testing to be...well...scientific, what are the odds that the Illinois State Police get the science right beyond a reasonable doubt in the roughly 40,000 Illinois DUI cases every year?<br />
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<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/justice-dept-fbi-to-review-use-of-forensic-evidence-in-thousands-of-cases/2012/07/10/gJQAT6DlbW_story.html">Check out more on the Justice Department's review at the Washington Post's site</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00463309894167793219noreply@blogger.com0