Monthly Archives: May 2013
Holy Schnikes … DUI Helicopters?!?!
The Washington State Patrol (“WSP”) is reinitiating an old tactic for finding drunk drivers – aerial patrols; they are going high-tech to catch law-breaking drivers both night and day. Using a stabilized aerial video camera with thermal imaging, Washington State troopers videotape vehicles traveling on our Washington roadways. The WSP began routinely using specially equipped… Continue Reading »
This is not Your Grandma's DUI law
Now not only our Washington State government, but also our national government is seeking to toughen DUI laws. A national safety board is seeking to kick off a national conversation about changing the very definition of drunk driving by recommending that states cut the blood alcohol level threshold to 0.05 from 0.08 percent. At the… Continue Reading »
Amnesty for Youth!
Earlier this month, Governor Jay Inslee signed into law an alcohol ‘good Samaritan’ rule, which grants those under 21 years of age immunity from criminal minor-in-possession-of-alcohol charges when they call for medical help for a drunk friend. The law, approved by the state legislature last month, is meant to encourage minors to call 911 by… Continue Reading »
Court System Gets Hacked
The Washington state Administrative Office of the Courts was hacked sometime between last fall and February, and up to 160,000 Social Security numbers and 1 million driver’s license numbers may have been accessed during the data breach of its public website, officials said Thursday. Court officials said they have only confirmed that 94 Social Security… Continue Reading »
Pot … The Definition has changed!
On May 1, 2013 Washington finalized significant changes to the state’s definition of marijuana. The change came about because of a portion of the I-502 legislation that was drafted to distinguish marijuana from industrial hemp. The measure defined marijuana as having more than 0.3 percent of a certain intoxicating compound, Delta-9 THC. Scientist’s with the… Continue Reading »
Not Just DUI's, Not Just DV's
As almost all criminal attorneys know, alcohol related crimes generally involve either a driving under the influence allegation or a domestic violence allegation. Not all allegations, however, are DUI or DV based. Just ask Oklahoma Sooner sophomore quarterback Kendal Thompson. Thompson was recently arrested in Norman Oklahoma on suspicion of public intoxication and allegedly refusing… Continue Reading »
In the Clear? Not so Fast …
Just because a county prosecutor may choose to not file a criminal charge doesn’t mean you are “out of the woods”. Just ask former Seattle Seahawk, Leroy Hill. On Wednesday the King County Prosecuting Attorney announced that there was insufficient evidence to charge Mr. Hill with a felony after he was arrested in January on… Continue Reading »
Two Wrongs and No Rights
The sun is finally out and that means that DUI’s may be on the rise too … all over the United States. California authorities claim that receiver Titus Young formerly with the football Detroit Lions was arrested twice on Sunday. First, for suspicion for driving under the influence. Second, for allegedly trying to take his… Continue Reading »
Washington Rape Exemption Lifted
Out of the Stone Age and into the 21st Century we go. On May 1, 2013, Governor Jay Inslee signed a bill to change state law. In short, marriage will no longer be an absolute defense against allegations of some forms of rape and sexual assault in Washington State. The measure removes the spousal exemption… Continue Reading »
Marijuana law jeopardizes all pot prosecutions
Prosecutors and crime lab scientists say a little-noticed provision in Washington’s new law legalizing recreational marijuana has jeopardized their ability to go after any pot crimes at all, and they’re calling for an immediate fix in the Legislature. The group is suggesting a change in the legal definition of marijuana, and they have the support… Continue Reading »
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