Sleeping it off in your car may seem like a smart idea after a night of partying and drinking, but New Orleans DUI/DWI lawyers warn that it may not always be the best choice, especially if you choose to park your car on the side of a road, or even in the road, while you take your nap. Police officers from the Kenner Police Department arrested a Missouri man when they found him sleeping on I-10 last month.

Leronne Triplett, 37, had parked his Ford pickup in the center eastbound lane of the highway on Saturday morning around 2:30 AM. Kenner police officer Arthur Coll was escorting a group of prisoners to Jefferson Parish Correctional Center when he noticed the truck stopped before the exit for Williams Boulevard. When the responding officers approached the truck, they found Triplett asleep inside, with the vehicle in park.

Triplett appeared inebriated when the officers woke him up, and smelled of alcohol. Officers had him perform a field sobriety test, and asked for a breathalyzer sample. Triplett blew a 0.128—the legal limit in Louisiana is 0.08—and could not complete the field sobriety test accurately. He was charged with a DWI and simple obstruction of a highway, and taken to the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center.

Although Triplett was not driving his vehicle when officers arrested him, he will nonetheless face charges for driving under the influence. New Orleans DUI and DWI lawyers say that in Louisiana, along with several other states, a driver can be charged with a DUI/DWI offense if he or she is in a vehicle and has the keys. All that is needed for officers to issue a DUI charge is evidence that the inebriated person had been operating the vehicle. In Triplett’s case, because he was parked in the middle of a lane on the highway, officers could reasonably surmise that he had been driving his truck that night, at least from the place where he had been drinking to that spot on the road.

Because Triplett is from Missouri, he will face the penalties put in place by his home state for a DUI charge. This practice is in accordance with the Interstate Compact Law, which mandates that the arresting state’s Department of Transportation contact the state in which the driver is licensed. However, New Orleans DWI lawyers say that the laws governing suspicion of drinking and driving may differ from state to state, and that contacting a lawyer from the state of arrest may be a wise course of action.

Drunk driving attorneys encourage drivers to recognize when they’ve had enough to drink, and refrain from driving home. But attorneys caution drivers that sleeping in their cars until they’ve sobered up is not a viable option, because by law, they can be charged with drinking and driving, even if the car is not running. New Orleans DUI/DWI attorney Seth Bloom represents drivers who have been caught drinking and driving in the state of Louisiana. If you are facing DUI or DWI charges, contact Seth Bloom at Bloom Legal for a consultation today.

A Terrytown woman is facing multiple charges after crashing into a parked cop car last month, New Orleans DUI and DWI attorneys report. According to the police, Amanda Davis was driving drunk on a Sunday night when she hit an unidentified patrol car. She left the scene immediately afterwards without stopping to check on either car or driver, but deputies from the Sheriff’s office caught up with her just a few blocks away. After pulling Davis over for a hit-and-run,  police officers determined that the 43-year-old teacher appeared to be intoxicated, and was driving with her two young children in the back seat.

When the officers asked Davis to perform a field sobriety test, she was unable to do so successfully. Additionally, Davis recorded a blood alcohol level of .212. The state’s legal limit is 0.08. Her 7-year-old child was riding without wearing a seatbelt, and her 1-year-old was not in a car seat of any kind. According to state law, toddlers who weigh 20-40 pounds must be secured in a front-facing car seat, and children over the age of six must be buckled in. Authorities also say that Davis threatened the deputy who charged her, “claiming to be a teacher with contacts to people in public school who could harm the deputy’s children.” In a later statement, a spokesperson for the Jefferson Parish Public Schools confirmed that Davis is not a teacher at any district schools.

According to New Orleans DUI and DWI attorneys, the penalties for a first-offense drunk driving charge involve a minimum of 2 days in jail, or 48 hours of community service, a $1,000 fine, and a 90-day period of license suspension (with 6 months suspension for drivers who are underage). The police report did not indicate whether Davis had prior DUI/DWI charges on her record, but her arrest report lists several additional charges from the incident—along with one count of DWI-child endangerment, Davis is charged with hit-and-run driving, improper control of a vehicle, and two counts of failure to properly restrain her children in the car. She was released on a $1,000 bond to prepare for her trial.

New Orleans drunk driving lawyers say that the compounded charges will likely increase the number and severity of penalties that Davis is facing. Under Louisiana law, a driver who is arrested and charged with a DUI/DWI with a child under 12 in the car cannot have his or her sentence suspended, and must serve the minimum sentence for a DUI/DWI charge. For a first offense, the jail time could be up to 10 days. Making menacing statements towards the deputy and his children could cause trouble for her as well, although she was not charged with anything relating to those threats.

DUI and DWI charges can have lasting repercussions, and fighting additional fines and penalties from other charges will require the skills of an experienced drunk driving attorney. If you are charged with a DUI, DWI or child endangerment, contact Seth Bloom at New Orleans law firm Bloom Legal, for a free consultation today.

You may have heard the phrase that “driving is a privilege and not a right,” and that “privilege” that many of us have to drive is more closely scrutinized today than it was many years ago. In the day and age of computers and freer access to information, together with states cooperating and communicating together with motor vehicle information, having a ticket in one state can spell disaster for your license in another.

If you live in one state but receive a ticket in another state, don’t think that it is something that can be ignored. In many cases, ignoring a ticket, or receiving an entry of responsible (or guilty) on a ticket in one state may end up having your license revoked in another state. For instance, if a North Carolina driver is convicted of a driving while under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI) in South Carolina, e.g., that information can be (and often is) transmitted back to the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, where the North Carolina laws concerning suspension of licenses trigger.

Of course, it isn’t just limited to DWI or DUI convictions, but in North Carolina you could have your license suspended for certain traffic infractions, as well. Likewise, many other states practice the same sort of reciprocity when it comes to suspension of licenses in their own jurisdictions. One of the primary ways we see out-of-state residents with revoked licenses in their states are through these reciprocity and communication laws.

This is a primary reason why you can’t ignore a ticket in North Carolina. Sitting half a country away may make you feel safe in the knowledge that the North Carolina police can’t come and get you (under most instances), but ignoring a ticket (or taking care of it without an experienced attorney to minimize any damage to your ability to drive) may very well ultimately end up in your own stateís database of information. Then, before you know it, your license is suspended.

Rules concerning traffic infractions are very detailed and specific, and there exist a wide variety of ways to handle a traffic ticket, given the facts and circumstances. Also, specific counties will have their own local rules and practices. Itís completely plausible that you could have five speeding tickets in three years and not see your insurance rates go up. And while it does turn on the facts of each individual case, taking care of your ticket online (or ignoring it completely) will usually ruin any chance or opportunity to save your license, as well as your insurance rates.

All said, driving may be a privilege and not a right; however, it is a privilege that can often be retained if you hire the right attorney. Our firm regularly handles such matters, and if you find yourself in one of the situations described above, I would strongly encourage you to call in for a free consultation today.

By Brandon Jaynes, Partner at King Law Offices, Shelby, NC

King Law Offices has five locations to represent clients with DUI and traffic tickets throughout Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina.

Reese Witherspoon and husband, Jim Toth

Actress Reese Witherspoon was arrested, along with husband Jim Toth, in Atlanta early Friday morning. Atlanta Police noticed Mr. Toth’s car was not staying in its lane and pulled their car over on suspicion of a DUI. After initiating a field sobriety test for Mr. Toth, Ms. Witherspoon was instructed several times to stay in the vehicle. After disobeying police orders several times, she was arrested for disorderly conduct while her husband was arrested for a DUI. According to Atlanta police, Reese Witherspoon’s husband displayed droopy and bloodshot eyes while smelling heavily of alcohol, which led to the field sobriety test. She issued an apology early Sunday urging that she had acted out of character and her respect for all police officers.

If you or someone you know gets arrested for a DUI/DWI, Disorderly Conduct, or other charges, give Bloom Legal at call at 504-599-9997 or send us an email at info@bloomlegal.com

Picture courtesy of nola.com

Jefferson Parish SHeriff’s Office will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint tonight, April 19th, at an undisclosed location on the West Bank from 7:00pm until 1:00am.

If you or someone you know gets arrested for drunk driving, please give us a call at 504-599-9997 or send us an email at info@bloomlegal.com.