May 4th, 2011

Florida School Principal Pleads No Contest to DUI

An Escambia County School District principal who was arrested April 9 on a DUI charge has pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor and sentenced to 12 months of probation.

Judge Thomas Dannheisser adjudicated John Doe, 49, of the 1000 block of Bushwood Drive in Cantonment guilty when he sentenced her Tuesday.

Doe showed a blood-alcohol content of 0.176 percent and 0.178 percent after two Intoxilyzer tests on the day of her arrest, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report. The legal threshold for drunken driving in Florida is 0.08.

Doe is principal of Hallmark Elementary and Allie Yniestra Elementary. The two schools and Spencer Bibbs Elementary School will merge this fall to form a new school that Doe has been asked to lead.

The $17 million school, which will house about 800 students, is set to open this fall.

The judge also suspended Doe driver’s licence for 12 months when he sentenced her after her plea Tuesday. Dannheisser ordered that Doe’s vehicle be impounded for 10 days and an ignition interlock be put on her vehicle for six months.

Doe has to perform 50 hours of community service, attend a first offender DUI school and go to a DUI impact panel. She will undergo random breath/urine testing and be evaluated to see if she needs to get substance abuse treatment.

She can’t possess or drink alcohol while on probation. Doe also can’t possess a control substance without a prescription.
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February 1st, 2011

Super Bowl XLV to Yield Many Sarasota DUI Arrests

Super Bowl Sunday is a prime day for police to run up their arrest quotas by racking up DUI arrests; they will be everywhere looking for drunk drivers the night of Super Bowl 45. If you’re planning to go out, call a cab! Just a friendly reminder.

On a brighter note and in case you haven’t heard, a Sarasota native will be competing for the Lombardi trophy. A story about the Packer’s Sam Shields from today’s news:

A large Green Bay Packers flag hangs with pride outside a small home in the Newtown area of Sarasota.

Inside pictures and plaques tell the rest of the story.

It is the childhood home of Sam Shields III, 23, the Green Bay rookie cornerback whose interception against the Chicago Bears sealed the Packers’ Super Bowl bid in the final minutes of the NFC Championship game on Jan. 23.

“I saw the number (37) come across the field, and when I saw his hands go up and come together I knew he had the ball and that’s when I started jumping and hollering,” said his mother, Michelle.
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January 29th, 2011

Court Decision Could Cast DUI Cases Into Limbo

Drunken driving cases across the state could be thrown into limbo now that the Florida Supreme Court has declined to review an argument over alcohol breath-test machines that originated in Sarasota County.

The state’s highest court said it will not consider past decisions that essentially halted Sarasota and Manatee county prosecutors from using alcohol breath-test results during DUI trials over the past few years.

Local prosecutors were hoping for a high court reversal because in recent years they have had to reduce charges or abandon hundreds of DUI cases where the breath tests were the most compelling evidence.

The company that makes the Intoxilyzer 8000, Kentucky-based CMI, also hoped the high court would overturn a 2nd District Court of Appeal ruling on a Sarasota case that required the firm to give DUI defendants and their attorneys information about how the machine works.

CMI has refused to comply with past subpoenas for the Intoxilyzer 8000′s computer code, allowing defense attorneys an avenue to attack the machine’s admissibility.

On Wednesday, the Florida Supreme Court handed a final blow to CMI, which now faces a choice: Either give defense attorneys the machine’s code, or risk more attacks on its product, the only machine approved for use in Florida.
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January 20th, 2010

Tampa Man Charged With DUI After Trolley Crash

A Tampa man was charged with driving under the influence after reportedly crashing into a trolley.

Tampa police say the 34-year-old male was driving on the trolley tracks Saturday night when he ran his sport utility vehicle into an oncoming trolley.

Officers reported the DUI suspect recorded a blood-alcohol level of 0.217 and 0.214 percent. State law considers a person impaired at 0.08. He was arrested and charged with suspicion of DUI and failure to drive on a designated roadway. He was released Sunday on $500 bail.

The trolley was carrying four passengers and the operator, but no injuries were reported. Little damage was done to the trolley, and it was working again a short time later.

This man is looking at one tough case. If you have been charged with a DUI in Tampa bay or a Sarasota Drunk Driving Offense you can most likely beat the charge. With over 100 years combined experience and case results to prove our expertise you can be assured we can help you with any Florida DUI charge. Call 1-800-MUSCA-LAW to schedule a free and confidential initial consultation.

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