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Spokane Police Department photo

On Tuesday May 13, an 18-year-old Spokane girl was arrested and charged with DUI after she allegedly rear ended a Spokane Police car at a stop light on Division Street, according to a news report at KXLY.com. Savannah Ashby is accused of crashing into the back of the patrol car while police were stopped at the stoplight located at Division Street and Wellesley Avenue. While no one was seriously injured in the incident, authorities say that Ashby not only was driving under the influence, but also had methamphetamine in her possession.

Ashby’s vehicle struck another car after hitting the patrol car, according to the Spokesman. She was booked into the county jail at about 2 a.m. on the 13th and charged with driving under the influence and possession of a controlled substance. Ashby was scheduled to appear in court on the afternoon of May 13th. Continue reading

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On Tuesday May 13, 21-year-old Alex Adamowicz was arraigned on a charge of open murder in the killing of a man who was found in Adamowicz’s closet by his mother on Mother’s Day and who is believed to be the body of 51-year-old John Watson, a neighbor.  The body has not been positively identified, however authorities believe it is Watson’s body and are waiting for fingerprints.  The body was badly decomposed and believed to have been in the closet for at least two weeks, according to a news article at the Detroit Free Press.

Adamowicz and Watson lived in the same apartment complex, Tivoli Apartments on West Maple Road.  Adamowicz claims that the two become involved in a verbal argument that escalated to physical violence, and a knife being involved. The argument allegedly began over Watson’s loud music.  Watson’s wrists were cut; he was also stabbed in the neck.  The defendant claims that a baseball bat was also used by both men during the physical altercation.

On Mother’s Day the defendant’s mother discovered the body in a closet, and took Adamowicz to authorities with a written confession.  Police went to the apartment, whether they found a badly decomposing body reportedly wrapped in cellophane and blankets.  Adamowicz had also been using spray deodorizers and cat litter deodorizer powder to mask the smell of the victim’s body. Continue reading

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On Friday May 9th, country singing legend Hank Williams Sr.’s daughter Jett was arrested for driving under the influence and violating implied consent in Wilson County, TN according to savingcountrymusic.com.  Jett, a half sister to singer Hank Williams Jr., was arrested on February 25th of this year for DUI, making the latest arrest her second in three months.

Jett Williams Adkinson was arrested for violation of implied consent after she refused to submit to a sobriety test.  Police observed her driving erratically in a 1998 Jaguar early in the morning hours, swerving between lanes.  Upon being stopped, she was cited for no proof of insurance and not wearing a seat belt.  Jett, who is 61 years old, did not know she was the daughter of the country singing legend until 1985.  Her mother, Bobby Jett, had a brief relationship with Hank Williams Sr. between his two marriages.  Jett Williams Adkinson was a ward of the state prior to being adopted.

In the state of Tennessee, a second DUI conviction leaves the accused facing criminal penalties which include up to $3,500 in fines, two years driver’s license revocation, and between 45 days and one year in jail.  Drunk driving is an offense taken seriously in every state in the U.S. today as lawmakers and groups such as MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) attempt to keep intoxicated drivers off the nation’s roadways. Continue reading

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Scott Weideman, a 49-year-old Harrison Township resident, was arrested and put behind bars on Monday May 12 after being found driving on a suspended driver’s license for the 24th time.  According to Detroit News, Weideman was pulled over in Mount Clemens while driving a Ford E250 U-Haul van.  Weideman admitted to the Macomb County Sheriff’s deputy that his license was suspended.  Upon check with the SOS’s office, the deputy discovered that Weideman had been convicted for driving with a suspended license 23 times in the past.

Secretary of State spokesman Fred Woodhams said that the last time Weideman was able to get a drivers license was 2004; he also admitted that 23 convictions for driving with a suspended license is uncommon.  He went on to say that individuals face a misdemeanor charge when being found guilty of driving with a suspended license for the third time.

If Weideman’s driver’s license were to be revoked, he would not be able to pay the applicable fines and regain his privilege to drive, according to Woodhams.  He would have to request and win a hearing with the SOS DAAD.  Continue reading

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In 1994, Cyrus Wilson, who was 19 years old at the time, was put in prison for allegedly murdering a man in East Nashville as revenge for stealing his car.  Christopher Luckett’s body was found under a chain-link fence; he was shot in the face with a shotgun, according to a news article at The Tennessean.  Wilson, who has maintained his innocence for two decades, was found guilty based mostly on the testimony of a few juvenile witnesses.  Now, two of those witnesses have come forth and admitted that they lied at the time of the murder due to pressure from police.

Patrick McNally, Wilson’s defense attorney, spent part of the day on Tuesday May 13th laying out the issues with his client’s conviction before the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals.  Not only have two of the primary witnesses now recanted their stories, a note was discovered in a prosecutor’s file that the defense lawyer in the original case never saw.  The shorthand note read “Good case but for most of witnesses are juveniles who have already lied repeatedly.”  In addition, a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation report revealed that the shells found at Luckett’s murder scene did not match the shotgun police claim Wilson used in the murder.

The two witnesses who claimed at the time that Wilson committed the murder, Rashime Williams and Rodriguez Lee, now say that their testimony was coerced by police, that police were threatening that if the boys didn’t say what police wanted to hear, they would be charged with the murder.  Now, McNally is arguing with the appeals court that there is essentially zero evidence that Cyrus Wilson murdered Christopher Luckett.  McNally went on to say that if the situation were to go back down to the trial court level, the case would not go to trial. Continue reading

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Last week, a 43-year-old executive pastor at a Santa Barbara church was arrested for driving under the influence. Gerald Torres has been placed on administrative leave from the Reality Church after crashing his motorcycle which he and his son, Judah, were riding on Casitas Pass Road on the afternoon of May 3.

Judah, who is 8 years old, was not injured in the crash which involved the Yamaha motorcycle leaving the road before it struck a traffic sign and fence. While Judah was thrown from the motorcycle, he was wearing a full-face helmet which prevented injury. A family member is said to have picked Judah up from the scene of the crash, while Gerald Torres was hospitalized after suffering cuts to his extremities and major head injuries.

According to Pastor Brick Merrick at the Reality Church, Torres’ blood alcohol level was well above the legal limit when tested by police. He was arrested on charges of DUI before being released to the hospital for treatment of his injuries. Continue reading

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On Wednesday May 10, a Hoover, Alabama man was arrested in connection to distributing a controlled substance, what the DEA called ‘designer drugs’ that are poison and clearly designed for human consumption. 56-year-old Ali Reza Samanifar was arrested at his home and faces three charg es of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, according to a news article at Al.com. Samanifar’s business was also searched following his arrest after authorities obtained a search warrant to search the A & S Food Mart, Inc.

The DEA is carrying out a nationwide roundup, raiding head shops and convenience stores where the ‘designer’ drugs are being sold. According to the article, the ongoing operation is known as Project Synergy; the Alabama portion of the nationwide sweep has been dubbed “Operation Red Tide.” The substances DEA agents are in search of include eight classes of drugs ranging from hallucinogens to stimulants. Continue reading

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On June 25, 29-year-old Alicia Marie Simatos is expected to be sentenced after pleading no contest to charges that she stole approximately $55,000 from her employer, Holistic Care Approach in Plainfield Township.  Simatos could face up to 10 years in prison in connection with allegations that she embezzled money from the health facility.

According to news reports at Mlive.com, Simatos pocketed cash as she logged customers’ cash payments as if the customers were redeeming gift certificates.  Holistic Care Approach provides an array of services to clients which include Reiki, skin tightening, acupuncture, and massage therapy.  Kent County Sheriff’s Department investigators claim that the activity took place beginning in January of 2010 and continuing through January of this year.  According to police, Simatos confessed.

While it was estimated that the defendant embezzled about $55,000 which would have left her facing a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, part of her plea agreement includes making restitution.  The agreement allowed Simatos to plead no contest to embezzlement of between $20,000 and $50,000, which reduces the penalties and maximum prison time to 10 years. Continue reading

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On Friday May 2, actor Stephen Baldwin, perhaps best known as Alec Baldwin’s younger brother, was arrested for driving with a suspended license.

According to the NY Daily News, Baldwin’s 2013 Ford Explorer was spotted by a police officer who noticed that the temporary registration sticker on the windshield of the Explorer had expired, and was issued in Texas.  Baldwin was pulled over just before 7 a.m. in the area of Broadway near W. 156th St.  Upon further inspection, police found that the 47-year-old actor’s driver’s license was suspended.  He was released with a desk appearance ticket after being taken to the station house at the 33rd Precinct.

Just two years ago, Baldwin was stopped after making an illegal U-turn in Harlem; he was driving without a license at that time, a charge to which he pleaded guilty and paid $155 in fines. Continue reading

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On May 3rd of this year, 54-year-old Raymond Caggianelli of Waterford was involved in a one-car accident in Malta, New York.  Saratoga State Police responded to the accident which occurred at the Round Lake Bypass and Curry Road at just after 10 p.m.

During the investigation of the accident it was suspected that Caggianelli was driving while intoxicated.  Upon administering a breath test at the police station, it was found that Caggianelli’s BAC registered .25%, more than three times the legal limit of .08% in New York.  Caggianelli was ticketed for DWI and aggravated DWI due to his high blood alcohol content.

In the state of New York, aggravated DWI is a misdemeanor offense which an individual may be charged with when operating a vehicle with a BAC of .18 or higher.  Criminal penalties for a conviction include up to one year in jail, fines of up to $2,500, probation for up to 3 years, drivers license revocation for a minimum of one year, and more.  Continue reading

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