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Drunk driving is a crime.  This means that it is illegal, as opposed to civil moving violations like running a stop sign. Even though many people do not like to think of themselves as “criminals” after being arrested for operating under the influence (OUI) of intoxicating liquor or drugs, your Massachusetts Board of Probation (BOP) record, which is often called a “Bop” in courts in the Commonwealth, will say otherwise.

gavelOne of the reasons people seem to think of drunk driving more as a traffic offense than a criminal offense is because many more people drive drunk on regular basis that there are people that commit violent crimes, for example.  Basically, people tend to justify drunk driving with an everyone is doing it argument. Continue reading

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According to a recent news report from the Times Herald-Record, a man has pleaded guilty to a drunk driving accident that killed his friend 17 years after the accident occurred. He pleaded guilty to drunk driving, second-degree manslaughter, and charges related to violation of the bail statute by not coming back to court when he was out on bail during the pendency of his court case.

prisonProsecutors have said the defendant, who was in his late 20s at the time of the accident, lost control of the 1988 station wagon his was driving and crashed.  His friend, who was a 24-year-old passenger in the car, died as a result of his injuries sustained in the crash. During the court case in 2000, the defendant attempted to plead guilty. Continue reading

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Drinking a bar is perfectly legal, so long as the person is 21 or older. However, it violates the law to drink to the point of intoxication and then get behind the wheel of a vehicle. Not only is it illegal, it could result in a serious or even fatal drunk driving accident.

beersWhile the police and lawmakers have been trying to curb drunk drivers, state officials are now turning their focus to bars, as more than 50 percent of all drunk driving arrests and accidents, start with a person being served alcohol at a bar, according to a recent news article from 22 WWLP News. Continue reading

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According to a recent article from Mass Live, some legislators, including State Rep. Bradley H. Jones Jr., feel that the criminal penalties for drunk driving in Massachusetts are not severe enough. Under the current law, if you are arrested for operating under the influence (OUI), you will likely be given a pre-trial diversion deal that will let you avoid having a criminal conviction on your record.

gavel6-300x225For a second or subsequent offense, when you have already had your driver’s license revoked or suspended, the maximum you will get is two and a half years in a county house of corrections.  The county house of corrections is not the same as a state prison, which is called a Massachusetts Correctional Institution (MCI).  For Suffolk County, were Boston is located, the house of corrections is South Bay. Continue reading

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A police officer from the North Anderson, Massachusetts Police Department was arrested following an alleged drunk driving crash, according to a recent news article from NECN.  The alleged drunk driving car accident occurred in Pennsylvania back in September, though word only recently made it the city where he works.

policeThe facts contained in the report of the incident are somewhat muddled, though we do know the officer was arrested and is accused of DUI. He was reportedly accompanied at the time by another detective with the same agency. Both officers were subsequently placed on administrative leave in October, but only one had been arrested.

The incident reportedly occurred in the middle of Pennsylvania near Penn State University, and the officers involved were allegedly in their department’s 2008 Dodge Charger Police cruiser. The driving officer is accused of crashing his police cruiser into a flatbed tow truck and then fled the scene on foot. Continue reading

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It’s been more than two months since the MGM National Harbor Casino – the first in the D.C. metro area – opened for business, following a private, black-tie opening night. It features many of the same amenities as similar operations in Las Vegas, though nothing quite like it has been built outside of that region. It’s a first for the Washington, D.C. metro area. The $1.4 billion casino was built by the same company that owns the Bellagio.

But all this prestige could not shield it from the news that a DUI arrest involved one of its opening night patrons – the head of the liquor commission.happyhour
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According to a recent news story from WFMZ-TV News, a Pennsylvania man has been ordered by the judge to complete 25 hours of community service.  This will consist of traveling to different colleges in the area and speaking about his drunk driving car accident, arrest and sentencing.  The community service was not the only condition of his sentence.

prisonProsecutors have said the car accident, which occurred back in 2015, involved a head on collision where the victim was trapped in a burning car for more than an hour until firefighters could arrive at the scene and suppress the blaze enough to free him from the vehicle in which he was trapped. Amazingly, the victim survived. As for the 22-year-old defendant, first responders found him lying on the ground next to his own vehicle.  Continue reading

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According to a recent news article from News 7 Boston, a man was just arrested in Everett for allegedly driving drunk while picking up his young child from school. It appears this was the second time he’s been recently arrested for this type of offense.

driving9Authorities say the 52-year-old man was arrested when he tried to pick up his 10-year-old son from school while the man was “obviously intoxicated.”  After being taken to the police station to be booked and processed, he was released on his personal promise to appear in court.  This is standard practice in Massachusetts following a drunk driving arrest in which there was not a serious accident. Continue reading

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Each year, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) release a “Report to the Nation,” as they call it, on the state of drunk driving laws across the U.S.  The agency assigns a rating ranging from one to five stars to determine the strength of a particular state’s drunk driving laws and regulations.

beerbottlesWhile some states like Mississippi fared very well with 4.5 stars, Massachusetts was awarded only two stars.  Part of the issue for the Commonwealth was that while there is an administrative suspension law is on the books, the interlock device is not required for all first-time offenders following an administrative license suspension. This resulted in just a half star. There was another half star awarded for a child endangerment statute, but not a full star because it is only a misdemeanor. We were also given one full star because the state does have sobriety checkpoints set up at least once a month on average.  Continue reading

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In what appears to be an attempt to curb driving while giving a nod to the cult classic “Super Troopers,” one police force in Canada warned potential drunk drivers that if they drive drunk during the holiday season, the will get caught, pay fines, lose their license, and, as an added bonus/punishment, they will be forced to listen to their copy of a “Nickelback’s Silver Side Up” cassette tape, of which a photo was featured in their warning, according to a recent news release from UPI.  We can only assume they still have cassette players in their police cruisers.

drivingWhile this announcement clearly was made at least partially in jest, the police were very serious about their warnings to potential drunk drivers, and this was just a novel way to get their attention. The reality is that many people drink more than they normally do over the holidays.  This is due to office parties, family gatherings, and added stress in general during this time of year.  With more people drinking, there will be more people who get behind the wheel while drunk.  Continue reading

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1 International Pl Unit 1810
Boston, MA 02110
Phone: (617) 777-7777Fax: (617) 722-9999
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60 Court St
Taunton, MA 02780
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Quincy, MA 02171
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Worcester, MA 01609
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