The former executive director of the Manitoba Liberals is facing a fine of up to ,000 for forging signatures on nomination papers for candidates in two rural ridings in the 2011 election.
Manitoba stories
A controversial former First Nations chief has launched a public fight against his ineligibility to run for council.
Manitoba stories
A complaint to Manitoba’s election commissioner accuses the NDP of inventing a new job to hand former MLA Bonnie Korzeniowski upon her retirement from representing St. James.
Manitoba stories
A young woman who gained notoriety in 2009 when she auditioned for American Idol wearing a bikini is making news. Sources say the former American Idol contestant was taking her mother to the hospital early Friday morning when she was allegedly in a car accident. The possibly delay from the crash was not the end of the story–police later arrested the singer on suspicion of drunk driving.
The car accident occurred after the woman ran a red light shortly after midnight while en route to the hospital, according to police. Authorities claim the young woman tried to flee the scene, but an officer was close to the accident scene, and pulled over the former Idol contestant.
The officer says that he could smell alcohol and requested the singer to perform field sobriety tests. Officials claim that she performed poorly and was arrested for DUI. The arresting officer says that the young woman cried as she was placed under arrest. The mother of the accused, who was injured after a fall at her home, sat in the car. An ambulance later took the mother to the hospital to be treated for the injuries she sustained at home.
Authorities say that the so-called “American Idol bikini girl” later blew 0.15 and 0.17 in a breath test. She was charged with DUI under California’s law, which, like North Carolina, presumes impairment at a 0.08 percent BAC reading.
Source: Ace Showbiz, “‘American Idol’ Season 8′s Bikini Girl Tried to Flee Before DUI Arrest,” Mar. 31, 2012
A former North Carolina state trooper recently took his drunk driving charges to trial. The man was forced to retire after suffering an off-duty back injury. The 37-year-old reportedly says that he felt sick and was experiencing back pain Jan. 24, 2011.
He reportedly says that he took two prescribed medications to help him sleep and to control the pain. It appears that those two medications later became the basis for North Carolina DWI charges against the former trooper.
The man says that he remembers taking the prescribed codeine around 3:30 in the afternoon and an Ambien pill around 7:30 in the evening before going to bed that January night. The next thing that he remembers, according to the evidence at his DWI trial, is waking up in a magistrate’s office wearing his pajamas and pink slippers.
Prosecutors alleged that the man was driving a couple hours after he took the prescribed Ambien tablet and was in a car accident. The woman who was also in the crash says that the retired trooper told her a dreamlike tale about a strange investigation involving disguised cars, alcohol lights, helicopters and officers crashing into erratic drivers in some sort of crack down. The woman claims that the retired trooper showed his badge, but later said that he was retired.
The trooper was charged with impersonating an officer and DWI related to the alleged incident. Evidence was presented at trial Monday in Orange County District Court. The judge found the former trooper not guilty of impersonating an officer.
The judge found that the accused had duly admitted that he was retired and did not try to take advantage of his claim that he was an officer when he had displayed the badge. In acquitting the accused of the impersonation charge, the judge also said, “I believe the defendant was not in the state of mind to form criminal intent,” according to the Burlington Herald-Sun.
However, the judge did not acquit the defendant of the DWI charge. The judge reportedly reasoned that the defendant had not communicated with medical professionals about his codeine prescription when he obtained a later prescription for Ambien. The judge found the former trooper guilty of DWI related to the prescription medications.
The man was sentenced to a suspended 30 day jail term, with a fine, fees, court costs and community service. The man’s driver’s license was also taken, but he may be able to obtain limited driving privileges, according to the Herald-Sun.
Source: Burlington Herald-Sun, “Ex-trooper guilty of DWI,” Beth Velliquette, April 24, 2012
A Winston-Salem police officer faced trial earlier this week on allegations of DWI and speeding. The allegations arose from an incident that occurred on May 9. The 23-year veteran of the police force took his DWI defense to trial. On Wednesday the verdict came in. The officer was acquitted of DWI, but found guilty of speeding.
A trooper with the North Carolina Patrol had pulled over an SUV around 8:30 a.m. on U.S. 64 in Randolph County. The trooper claimed the driver was traveling 60 mph in a 45 mph zone. Upon contact, the trooper claimed the driver appeared to have red eyes and a strong odor of alcohol. The driver reportedly admitted having consumed alcohol the night before.
The driver reportedly submitted to a chemical test to determine alcohol content. Prosecutors alleged the driver measured .08, right at the legal limit in North Carolina. Wednesday, the driver was acquitted of DWI and found guilty of speeding. The judge imposed a fine of , with 3 in court costs related to the speeding conviction.
A separate Winston-Salem police officer was charged with DWI after an incident on March 24. In that case the judge dismissed the DWI charges against the officer. The judge found that the arresting officer had not seen the accused driving the vehicle and the arresting officer was not able to remember whether the car was running at the time of the investigation.
Both police officers were suspended without pay in September due to the DWI charges. The suspensions were to run through October 29, 2010. The 23-year veteran retired from duty. The second officer remains with the Winston-Salem police force.
Source: Winston Salem Journal, “Police officer convicted of speeding in Randolph County,” Michael Hewlett 15 Apr 2011
The trial lasted eight days. At the conclusion the Wake County jury deliberated for roughly 12 hours before finding a former doctor guilty of involuntary manslaughter, felony death by motor vehicle and driving while impaired. Two jurors refused to convict the former doctor of murder in the North Carolina DWI car accident case.
Eighteen months ago, the former doctor allegedly drove his Mercedes through North Raleigh streets after drinking at the Raleigh Country Club. The former doctor reportedly was involved in an accident that claimed the life of a 20-year-old Carolina Ballet apprentice.
Law enforcement had claimed the former doctors alcohol content was .19 based upon a law enforcement alcohol test. One juror was troubled by a hospital test that showed a blood alcohol level of .24. The juror says he did not trust the accuracy of the hospital alcohol reading. Nonetheless, the juror was one of twelve that returned the guilty verdicts.
Two jurors that held out for acquitting the doctor of the more serious murder charge also reportedly questioned the accuracy of the blood tests, but also voted to find the man guilty of the DWI charge.
Prosecutors had argued to the jury that the man should be convicted of second degree murder. They had the burden to prove the former doctor acted with malice, or that he drove recklessly with the knowledge that injury or death would likely result. Two of the jurors held fast that the prosecutor did not meet the burden of proof.
Had the jury convicted the man of second degree murder, he would have faced up to nine and a half years in prison.
A defendant in North Carolina cannot be sentenced for both involuntary manslaughter and felony death by motor vehicle convictions arising out of the same incident. The judge sentenced the man on the more serious conviction for felony death by motor vehicle. The judge imposed at least three years in prison at the sentencing hearing. The man could spend up to four and a half years in prison.
Source: News Observer, “Raleigh doctor gets 3 years but no murder conviction,” 2 Mar 2011
A former Mountie has been sentenced to two years less a day in jail after admitting he confined a teenage girl in his home and tried to force her to perform oral sex on him.
In early November, this blog reported the story of a candidate for public office that was charged with DWI on two consecutive days just before the election. The first court appearances for the former candidate were originally scheduled for last week. Bad weather conditions motivated a rescheduling of the court dates. The first appearances for the late October North Carolina DWI charges were rescheduled for February and March.
Last weekend a Surry County Sheriff’s Deputy says he saw a 2002 Mercedes Benz displaying Washington, D.C. tags driving slowly on U.S. 52. The deputy says the car was traveling 35 in a 55 zone. He says the Mercedes was weaving and crossed the centerline.
The deputy reportedly conducted a traffic stop around 11:50 p.m. The North Carolina Highway Patrol also responded to the traffic stop and a trooper reportedly took over investigation and made an arrest in the matter.
Law enforcement claims that the former candidate provided a chemical test to measure blood alcohol content after the arrest. The test result reportedly showed a reading of .17 BAC. The legal limit in North Carolina is .08 BAC. At .08 or above, a driver is presumed impaired under North Carolina law.
North Carolina has two separate avenues to bring DWI charges. The per se prong is based upon chemical tests showing a driver’s blood alcohol level. The second available prong is based upon evidence of impairment, such as driving conduct, field sobriety tests and observations of the arresting officer. The officer can testify about the appearance of a driver’s eyes-bloodshot and watery-and about whether the officer smelled the odor of alcohol during an encounter.
The former candidate has been charged with DWI, having unsealed wine and liquor in the vehicle, driving while revoked and driving left of center after the incident this weekend.
Source: Mount Airy News via WXII The Triad, “Former House Candidate Charged With 3rd DWI,” Mondee Tilley 19 Jan 2011
Sometimes you can’t go home again.