Drunk Driving

Santa Ana, Garden Grove Hold Sobriety Stops Tonight; Distracted Drivers Targeted Across OC

Some recent sobriety checkpoints in Orange County netted no or very few DUI arrests despite thousands of cars passing through them. Interpret that as you will--they're working or they're unnecessary--not that it matters what you think as more stops are coming, starting tonight in Santa Ana and Gar ... More >>

Peter Herzog, Veteran Councilman in Pot Clinic-Busting Lake Forest, Slapped with DUI Charges

The Orange County district attorney's office on Monday filed DUI charges against Lake Forest City Councilman Peter Herzog, who is accused of driving with a blood-alcohol content more than twice the legal limit."Hey, Cokehead, doesn't Lake Forest close medical-marijuana clinics with gusto?"Indeed.

Adam Harrison Hall, Twice Convicted of DUI and Accused of Blazing on Meds in Fatal Crash, Faces Murder Count; Is That Right?

Trial began last week for a 29-year-old Placentia man facing a murder count for allegedly raging on methamphetamine, Diazepam, Nordiazepam, Alprazolam, Hydroxyalprazolam, Oxazepam, Temazepam, amphetamine, Morphine, and 11-nor-9-carboxy-delta-9-tetrahyrocannabinol (THCA) before causing a car crash ... More >>

Seal Beach, Laguna Hills, Los Alamitos DUI Checkpoints Tonight, Tustin on Saturday

The multi-agency "Avoid the 38" Anti-DUI Task Force has released its winter schedule, which includes DUI checkpoints from 7 tonight through 3 a.m. Saturday in Seal Beach, Laguna Hills and Los Alamitos.Exact intersections were not revealed.

Tim Ryan, Surf City Planning Commissioner Who Lost Council Bid, Cops to Boozy Driving

Which would you choose: finish eighth in a 12-candidate race for three city council seats or plead guilty to driving drunk?Huntington Beach Planning Commissioner Tim Ryan does not have to make that Sophie's choice as he's now experienced both.

[UPDATED with AVN Dissing "Asinine" Breitbart Coverage:] Jenna Jameson Drives Stolen Maserati: Suit

See update at the end of this post about Adult Video News (AVN) story, "Breitbart's Asinine Jenna Jameson Jab." ORIGINAL POST, JULY 2, 12:45 P.M.: Until a couple weeks ago, a Lamborghini and Maserati dealership was within crawling distance of my home. Over the years, high-end cars would fill the lot ... More >>

Osmara Meza, OC Homicide No. 20: Jessicah Louise Cowan Faces Murder Rap for 5 y.o.'s Death by DUI Hit-and-Run

With the filing of a murder count today against the accused drunken driver blamed for the hit-and-run death of Osmara Meza, the Santa Ana 5-year-old becomes Orange County's fifth homicide victim of 2012.The girl was holding hands with her 6-year-old sister Gresia Meza and their mother Eloisa Madrig ... More >>

Jenna Jameson Formally Charged With DUI

Jenna Jameson has been officially charged for her Seal Beach pole slamming incident, and in doing so reaches a level of media-headline frequency generally reserved for one of the mothers on The Real Housewives of Orange County--but not yet to level of the Octomom.For those un-hep to the pole slammin ... More >>

[UPDATED with Booking Photo, 9-1-1 Call, Best Head:] Jenna Jameson Arrested for DUI Crash as Patrols Heightened for Boozy Ex-Porn Stars

UPDATE, MAY 25, 3:11 P.M.: At right is the booking "money shot" Jenna Jameson took after being hauled in for allegedly being drunk when she plowed her Range Rover into a Westminster pole early today. All things considered, the ex-porn star out of Huntington Beach looks so good we should consider run ... More >>

A Driver's Guide to DUI Stops

[Summer Guide 2012/Better Call Glew!] What will happen and what you should do

Better Call Glew: A Driver's Guide to DUI Stops

What should I do if I get pulled over after one too many drinks?The first thing an officer looks for during a traffic stop, are objective signs of intoxication (OSI's), including bloodshot watery red eyes, the odor of alcohol, thick or slurred speech, flushed face, fumbling with a wallet to get the ... More >>

[Castro No Longer With Sheriff's Department] Mario Manuel Castro, Sheriff's Deputy, Convicted of Second DUI

UPDATE: March 20, 11:20 A.M.: Jim Amormino, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department, says Castro "separated" from the department on Feb. 22. He wouldn't say if Castro was fired or quit, citing employment privacy laws. ​Mario Manuel Castro apparently ditched class the day the Orang ... More >>

Rodney King Cuts Reckless Driving Plea Deal

​​Rodney King pleaded guilty Monday to misdemeanor reckless driving in connection with last year's DUI arrest in Moreno Valley that, fortunately, did not involve a videotaped beating by cops followed by intense inner-city rioting.Mr. Can't We All Just Get Along was not present for the plea and ... More >>

[UPDATED with Arraignment Now Thursday. Maybe:] Kyung Namgoong, OC Homicide No. 5: Ruben Gurrola, Wrong-Way Driver, Held for Murder

​UPDATE, FEB. 8, 2:12 P.M.: The Orange County Jail's Adult Correctional Health Services put another medical hold on Ruben Gurrola, so the Orange County District Attorney's office now estimates the 23-year-old will be arraigned Thursday at 10 a.m.UPDATE, FEB. 6, 4:41 P.M.: It's difficult to fathom ... More >>

Ryan Merriman of Final Destination 3 Slapped with DUI Charges

​We told you in November about Final Destination 3 star and Pretty Little Liars cad Ryan Merriman getting popped for DUI in Newport Beach.Now, the Chocktaw, Oklahoma-born 28-year-old has learned the charges against him: two counts of driving under the influence with a sentencing enhancement for bl ... More >>

Richard J. Patterson, Drunk Off-Duty Cop Hurt with Wife in Motorcycle Crash, Draws Jail Time

​My former (sniff) colleague Marisa Gerber first reported on Richard J. Patterson, a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy, being up on multiple charges related to his drunkenly ramming his motorcycle into a vehicle, injuring his wife and himself while off duty. Today, the 38-year-old Covina residen ... More >>

Drunken Driving Deaths Way Down in California

​It will either bolster the argument that sobriety checkpoints are working or prop up the side that claims such enforcement operations are unnecessary, but in either event drunken-driving fatalities are down dramatically in California, according to state data. A record low 791 people were killed i ... More >>

Adam Kennedy, Former Angel Popped for DUI, Learns His Fate

​Remember when former Angels second baseman Adam Kennedy got popped for DUI in Newport Beach in January?The major leaguer who played for the Seattle Mariners this past season has learned his fate.In exchange for a guilty plea to one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence, he was sentence ... More >>

Gustavo Adrian Vega Gets 20 Years to Life for Murdering Aspiring Model in 2010 DUI Crash

​Gustavo Adrian Vega, a 23-year-old Costa Mesa resident and two-time drunken driving convict found guilty by a jury in June of murder, hit-and-run resulting in death and possession of cocaine for the Valentine's Day 2010 crash that killed 20-year-old aspiring model Cara Alexandra Lee, was sentenc ... More >>

Anti-DUI Enforcers Say Boozy Driving Arrests Were Up This Summer

​Orange County's "Avoid the 38" anti-DUI campaign, which involves policing agencies throughout the region, released preliminary figures on arrests made during routine patrols, special patrols of roads frequented by drunken drivers and sobriety checkpoints over 18 summer days.Cautioning that figure ... More >>

[UPDATED with Conviction:] John Hines, Long Beach Fire Captain, Guilty of DUI Hit and Run of Cyclist

​UPDATE, SEPT. 6, 2:59 P.M.: Long Beach Fire Department Capt. John Hines pleaded guilty today to severely injuring a cyclist in a mid-day hit-and-run crash while driving with a blood alcohol level of .24 percent, three times the legal limit. The 38-year-old Huntington Beach resident accepted a co ... More >>

[UPDATED with Final Tallies:] Fourth of July Surprise! Stepped Up DUI Checkpoints and Patrols

​UPDATE, JULY 6, 10:38 A.M.: The Avoid the 38 DUI Task Force just released the final numbers from the holiday weekend past's three sobriety checkpoints and multiple DUI saturation patrols countywide.From 12:01 a.m. Friday through midnight Monday, officers representing 38 county law enforcement age ... More >>

[UPDATED with Conviction:] Gustavo Adrian Vega, Repeat Drunken Driver Accused of Murdering Cara Alexandra Lee, Stands Trial

​UPDATE, JUNE 30, 4:58 P.M.: A jury today found second-time drunken driver Gustavo Adrian Vega guilty of murder, hit-and-run resulting in death and possession of cocaine for the Valentine's Day 2010 crash in Costa Mesa that killed 20-year-old aspiring model Cara Alexandra Lee.Vega, 23, of Costa M ... More >>

[UPDATED with 1 Stinkin' DUI Arrest:] Costa Mesa Police Hold Sobriety Checkpoint, Promise More

​UPDATE, JUNE 14, 3:03 P.M.: The Costa Mesa Police Department reports that 1,467 vehicles passed through the checkpoint it set up at the undisclosed intersection of Bear and Baker streets Monday night, 858 vehicles were screened, three drivers were given field sobriety tests . . . . . . and only o ... More >>

[UPDATED with Suspect Speaking, Service Parking:] Austin Jeffrey Farley Charged with Murder in DUI Death of Ashton Sweet

​UPDATE, JUNE 6, 12:33 P.M.: The Irvine Police Department has released parking details for the throng of media and mourners expected at this evening's memorial service for Ashton Sweet, who was killed in a Memorial Day weekend DUI crash.Meanwhile, the accused murderer of the 14-year-old Irvine fre ... More >>

[UPDATED with Arraignment:] John Hines, Long Beach Fire Captain, Arrested for Felony Hit and Run

​UPDATE, MAY 3, 9:36 A.M.: Long Beach Fire Department Capt. John Hines turned himself in to an Orange County court this morning on a $250,000 arrest warrant and was to be arraigned immediately on felony drunken driving and hit-and-run charges that could keep him in state prison for nearly seven ye ... More >>

[UPDATED] Eddie Sanchez, Long Beach Cop Busted by Cops, Gets Community Service, Probation and DUI Classes

​UPDATE, MARCH 28, 5:25 P.M.: Long Beach police officer Eddie Sanchez has been convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol and weaving in and out of traffic lanes the afternoon of May 24, 2010, in Garden Grove.The 30-year-old, who was off-duty at the time of the boozy driving, pleaded gui ... More >>

[UPDATED] Garden Grove Police DUI Checkpoint Results

​UPDATE, FEB. 22, 8:18 A.M.: Despite on and off rain, Garden Grove police did operate a sobriety checkpoint Friday night. Police Sgt. Carl Whitney of GGPD's Traffic Division says four drivers were arrested for DUI and 15 vehicles were impounded, with 15 citations doled out to drivers for DUI, bei ... More >>

[UPDATE] Jeffrey David Kirby Gets 9 Years for Killing TapouT Co-Founder Charles "Mask" David Lewis, Jr.

Jeffrey Kirby​UPDATE, FEB. 4, 1:09 P.M.: Second-time drunken driver Jeffrey David Kirby, 53, of Costa Mesa, was sentenced today to nine years in state prison for causing the crash that killed Charles "Mask" David Lewis, Jr., the co-founder of the Huntington Beach-based mixed-martial arts clothin ... More >>

Trial Begins Monday for Alleged Killer of Charles Lewis Jr., "Mask" of MMA and TapouT Fame

​The trial for the man accused of killing Charles Lewis Jr., the 45-year-old Huntington Beach resident better known as mixed-martial arts clothing company TapouT's co-founder "Mask," is scheduled to begin Monday morning in Santa Ana, the Orange County District Attorney's Office announced.Jeffrey ... More >>

Eddie Sanchez, Long Beach Cop, Busted by Cops

​You know what's embarrassing? Being so drunk that, after weaving in and out of traffic lanes, you stop at a green light and after honking vehicles stacking up behind you can't get you to budge, a driver gets out of his car, walks over to your car and shuts off your engine.You know what's really e ... More >>

Matt Keough, Ace Pitcher-Turned-Town Drunk, Gets Year in Jail (Sorta) for Latest DUI

​Former Oakland A's pitcher, probable ex-husband of Playboy Playmate-turned-founding The Real Housewives of Orange County cast member Jeana Keough and current boozehound Matt Keough was sentenced today to a year of jail for his latest DUI incident.On the bright side, Keough was granted credit for ... More >>

Andrew Thomas Gallo, Accused of Killing Angels Pitcher Nick Adenhart and 2 Others, is Not Only Alleged Drunken Driver Up on Murder Today

Andrew Thomas Gallo​Separate murder trials for two alleged drunken drivers begin this morning in Orange County.One you've heard a lot about, the other not so much.Guess that's to be expected when a rookie phenom Angels pitcher is a murder victim in the more talked-about case.

Robert Adrian Rizzo, Shamed ex-Bell City Manager, Learns His Drunk-Ass Fate

​All things considered, Bell's former city manager probably preferred being in a Westminster courtroom today.Being convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol with a .28 blood alcohol level and crashing into his Huntington Beach neighbor's mailbox surely beats tar and feathering any day. ... More >>

Mark Wayne Hewlett, Drunk Off-Duty Deputy Who Crashed Into Supervisor Bill Campbell's Planter, Avoids Jail Sentence

​We told you in March about the DUI charge brought against Orange County sheriff's deputy Mark Wayne Hewlett, who got drunk while off duty, lost control of his personal vehicle and crashed into a planter in the front yard of Orange County Supervisor Bill Campbell's Villa Park home. ... More >>

Suzanne Amelia Carlson, Who'd Been Convicted of DUI 3 Times Before, Gets Life for Alcohol-Fueled Crash That Killed Passenger

​A drunken driver with three prior driving under the influence convictions and a blood alcohol level of .22 percent an hour and a half after a Jan. 16, 2007, early morning crash was sentenced today to 15 years to life in prison for killing her passenger.A jury on March 5 had found Suzanne Amelia ... More >>

Taco Bell Crime of the Week!

​To paraphrase Lenny in the Simpsons Treehouse of Horrors episode when dolphins took over the world: Taco Bell and night drunk driving--it's a winning combination!From Minnesota...

Kevin Noel Schlueter and Mark Wayne Hewlett, Both Cops, Face Jail for DUIs

​Anaheim police officer Kevin Noel Schlueter was charged today with driving under the influence of drugs after crashing into four parked cars. It's the 37-year-old Costa Mesa resident's third DUI, and not to be confused with the DUI charge brought against Orange County sheriff's deputy Mark Wayn ... More >>

[UPDATED WITH CONVICTION] Pendleton Marine Faces Murder Charge for Alleged Drunken Driving Death

​What happens when just before being released from duty at Camp Pendleton for the weekend, you allegedly: participate in a mandatory safety briefing that covers the dangers of drunken driving, including the tidbit that should you get behind the wheel while drunk, you'll likely kill someone; go on ... More >>

UPDATED: LA Deputy Who OC Deputies Tried to Protect From DUI Test Gets 6 Months for '08 Crash

UPDATED WITH SENTENCING CLARIFICATION . . . A deputy driving a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Chevrolet sports utility vehicle (but not necessarily this one) was convicted of DUI today.​The Orange County District Attorney's Office originally announced the sentence for Robert Andre ... More >>

OC Reality TV Produces (At Least) 6 Who've Drawn Police Calls [UPDATED]

Too much reality for Orange County law enforcement (clockwise from top left): Ryan Alexander Jenkins, Josh Waring, Renzo Gamboa, Dennis Rodman, Jason Wahler and Matt Keough.​ UPDATED TO REFLECT MURDER CHARGE, CRIMINAL BATTERY COMPLAINT AGAINST JENKINS. If anyone in Orange County with a Hisp ... More >>

If Drunk Drivers Who Kill Face Murder Charges, Why Not Charge City Councilman With Attempted Murder?

Watch CBS Videos Online Sunday night, 60 Minutes replayed "DWI: Was It Murder?" Reporter Bob Simon interviewed a prosecutor who pursues murder charges against drunken drivers whose traffic collisions result in deaths of people in the other vehicles. Nassau County, New York, district attorney Kathlee ... More >>

Autopsy Report: Angels Pitcher Adenhart's Driver Was DUI

UPDATED: Autopsy Report: Adenhart Driver Also DUI

Shortly after midnight on April 9, Andrew Gallo drove his van through a red light at Lemon Street and Orangethorpe Avenue in Fullerton and smashed into a car passing through the intersection. Gallo escaped the collision unharmed, got out of his van and ran from the scene. Not so lucky was the other ... More >>

MADD Has Become "a Tastless Joke," According to Study Author

You were told here about a study published in the Californian Journal of Health Promotion that argues California should lower its drinking age for beer and wine to 18 and set up a system of low-alcohol bars. Mike Males, the study's author and senior researcher at the San Francis ... More >>

MADD's Not Buying Study That Shows Lower Drinking Age Saves Lives

Many of you reading this were not even born yet, but way, way, back in the 1990s, the early days when this was your daddy's OC Weekly, Mike Males was moonlighting stories for us while attaining a PhD in social ecology from UC Irvine. For instance, in February of 1999, Males wrote "Here Come the New ... More >>

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