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In 2000, then 18-year-old Dawn Vrentas of Seattle was arrested for the first time for DUI.  Vrentas later spent time in prison after two of her friends lost their lives in an accident in which Vrentas was intoxicated.  On Tuesday April 29, Vrentas, who is now in her early 30’s, pleaded guilty to a third DUI in connection with an incident that occurred in 2013.  A third DUI offense is a felony; Vrentas is scheduled to be sentenced on May 16, according to a news report at Q13Fox.com.

Because Vrentas pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, prosecutors agreed to recommend 22 months in prison, the low end of the sentencing guidelines in Washington.  She was charged with her third DUI (a felony) in July of 2013 when she was pulled over in the area of Northgate on I-5 for speeding.  Vrentas was required to participate in alcohol monitoring 24/7.

In Washington, a third DUI within a 7 year time frame will lead to serious penalties, which include a minimum of 90 days in jail, fines of up to $5,000, probation, license revocation, and four months on EHM, or electronic home monitoring.  However, a third DUI offense outside of the 7 year window may result in the same severe penalties.  Continue reading

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On April 20, 22-year-old Amanda Dornheim was involved in an accident which led authorities to discover she was driving on a suspended driver’s license, according to the Alternative Press, a Lower Providence Township, PA online publication.  The accident took place in the late afternoon in Lower Providence Township when Dornheim’s vehicle eventually struck another vehicle after crossing westbound travel lanes and entering eastbound lanes of Germantown Pike.

Four days after the accident, a mechanic determined that Dornheim’s vehicle was pulling to the left due to a bad ball joint.  Cpl. Matthew Kuhnert said after the mechanic found the problem that he did find evidence at the scene of the accident which may indicate the front driver’s side wheel locked up before the collision.

When the Lower Providence Police Department continued investigating, they discovered that Dornheim’s driver’s license had been suspended.  Because of the fact that she was breaking the law by driving without a license, Dornheim was charged with driving while operating privilege is suspended or revoked, recklessly endangering another person, and accident involving injury while not properly licensed. Continue reading

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Gale Joseph Young, a San Francisco man who was found guilty of possessing crack cocaine in 2008, recently had his conviction overturned by a federal appeals court.  The appeals court determined that the DNA linking Young to the crime was not reliable.  Unfortunately, Young had already served out his prison term of almost six years when the decision was made.  Nathaniel Garrett, Young’s attorney, said that Young served his time, but cannot get it back.

According to a news article at SFGate, Young was at the police station in June of 2008 being questioned regarding a case which was unrelated to the drug possession case.  After being strip searched to determine if Young had any drugs on his body, he was released.  Officers later discovered 14 grams of crack cocaine in a plastic bag lying on the floor.  DNA tests were performed which showed that the majority of the DNA on the bag belonged to women, while a “low-copy number DNA” matched a male.

Young was convicted of possession of crack cocaine in 2012, although he had remained in jail since his arrest in 2008.  An expert witness called to testify by prosecutors at Young’s trial claimed that Young could not be excluded as the individual whose DNA was found on the bag.  He was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison, a term he served out before being exonerated by the appellate court.  The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the DNA evidence was simply too weak to support Young’s conviction. Continue reading

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Early Sunday morning April 27, Idaho Vandal’s wide receiver Dezmon Epps was arrested in Pullman, WA for suspicion of driving under the influence.  According to news reports Epps, who is 21 years old, was jailed at the Whitman County Jail after refusing to post a $500 bond.

Epps was reportedly observed by a police officer driving in the wrong direction on a one-way street.  According to police, Epps was arrested for misdemeanor DUI after failing a field sobriety test. Epps had a breakout junior season in 2013, however coach Paul Petrino said that he was disappointed with Epp’s actions, and that the matter would be reviewed.  Petrino went on to say that students at the university who are athletes will learn responsible behavior and are held accountable for their actions.

Epps was scheduled to meet with a judge on Monday April 28.  Continue reading

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On Thursday April 24, 50-year-old James DeBarge was arrested in Los Angeles for possession of methamphetamine according to an article at Reuters.  DeBarge, part of the 1980’s sibling singing group DeBarge, was briefly married to Janet Jackson in the mid-80’s.  The group enjoyed a few hits including “Who’s Holding Donna Now” and “Rhythm of the Night.”

DeBarge was being held at a Los Angeles jail at the time of news reports, without bail.  According to a local District Attorney’s office, he was convicted in 2011 of possession of a controlled substance in Los Angeles.  News reports at other sources reveal DeBarge has been battling drug issues in recent years.

In California, the criminal penalties for possessing methamphetamine depend on whether the accused is charged with a misdemeanor or felony offense.  If charged as a misdemeanor, criminal penalties include a maximum fine of $1,000 and up to one year in county jail.  If the defendant is convicted of felony meth possession, he or she will face punishment which includes a maximum fine of $10,000 and/or up to three years in state prison. Continue reading

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On Thursday April 24, 67-year-old Mike Reda was sentenced to life in prison without parole in the shooting deaths of 59-year-old Deborah Socia and 61-year-old Maria Victoria Gonzalez.  The two women were residents at the Pablo Davis Elder Living Center in Detroit.  The shooting took place in October, and according to investigators was prompted by a failed romance.

Reda, who is a retired father of seven children, said following the shooting in a videotaped confession played during his preliminary hearing that he could not control himself, and that he had told the two victims to stay out of the lives of himself and his girlfriend.  Reda claimed that the two women were interfering, that they were keeping Lupe, his girlfriend, away from him.  He said that Lupe had not come to his residence in more than two weeks.

Reda admitted in the taped confession that he had drank approximately three bottles of brandy on the day the shooting took place.  He allegedly shot Socia as she was talking to another resident of the senior citizens apartment complex outside the building.  Gonzalez was shot twice in the head after the defendant allegedly went to her apartment and broke down the door to gain entrance.  Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway, who sentenced Reda on Thursday, called the shooting deaths a “horrible incident.” Continue reading

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In 2012, Jack McCullough was convicted of a kidnapping and murder that occurred in Illinois in 1957.  This was one of the oldest unsolved crimes in United States history to go to trial, involving the abduction and subsequent choking/stabbing of a 7-year-old girl who was playing on a street with a friend.

On the evening of December 3, 1957, Maria Ridulph and Kathy Chapman were playing when McCullough, who is a former police officer, approached them in a friendly manner.  He was allegedly giving Ridulph a piggyback ride when Chapman decided to run home and get her mittens because it was cold.  While she was gone, prosecutors claim he drug Ridulph into an alley where he proceeded to choke and stab her.  Ridulph’s body was discovered about 120 miles away in a grove of trees off the side of the highway the following spring.

McCullough was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty.  The guilty verdict was based primarily on Kathy Chapman’s photo identification of McCullough some 55 years later, and the allegations of McCullough’s half-sister that in 1994 when their mother passed away, she said on her deathbed that she knew her son killed the girl.  McCullough was a suspect at the time of the murder, however he claimed that he had been traveling to get a medical exam in Chicago at the time.  Police took him off the suspect list because he had an alibi. Continue reading

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On Monday April 21, Southwest Florida state Representative Dane Eagle was pulled over after running a red light and striking a curb.  Eagle, 30, was accused of drunken driving and subsequently arrested after refusing to submit to a field sobriety test, according to news articles at Naples News.  The incident occurred in the area near Florida State University.

Eagle had just left a Taco Bell near the university when Tallahassee police noticed him driving in a manner that made them suspect he was intoxicated.  After pulling Eagle over, the police report indicated that Eagle exited the vehicle, then stumbled before falling against the rear passenger side door.  He claimed that he had not been drinking.  When the police officer noticed a strong odor of alcoholic beverages, Eagle said that the reason for the smell was that friends who had been at a bar had been riding around with him.  After refusing to perform a field sobriety test, Eagle told the officer that he was “good to get home.

Eagle filed HB 1435 earlier this year; this legislation would require that elected officials be drug tested within 60 days of being re-elected or taking office.  HB 1435 won’t pass this legislative session, as it did not receive a committee hearing. Continue reading

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In August of 2013, 32-year-old Adam Tang, also known as “Afroduck,” was arrested for speeding around Manhattan in 24 minutes.  According to Fox News, Tang made a 26 mile loop around the city in just over 24 minutes.  The speedy lap was captured on a dashboard camera video which revealed Tang’s BMW speeding around Manhattan, a video that was later posted on YouTube.  Tang was indicted for misdemeanor reckless endangerment.

Earlier this month, Tang was found to be driving on a suspended license after police noticed his license plate was partially covered. Tang’s license was suspended in September of last year as a condition of his bail for the speedy lap incident in Manhattan.  Tang’s bond in the speeding incident had been set at $10,000, however Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Jill Konviser raised the bond to $25,000 or $15,000 cash as a result of Tang’s disobeying court orders and driving on a suspended license.

Gregory Gomez, Tang’s defense attorney, told the judge that he respectfully disagreed with the court’s decision, and that he believed because it was a first arrest misdemeanor case, the bail amount which was imposed on his client was “absurd.”  Tang pleaded not guilty to the reckless endangerment charge, but pleaded guilty to unlicensed driving.  He paid an undisclosed fine for the traffic infraction. Continue reading

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On Friday April 18, Alexandria, LA police officers were patrolling an area when they noticed a man who had an active warrant driving a vehicle.  After making contact with Adam Nick, officers noticed that the suspect seemed to be extremely nervous.  They soon realized why Nick was nervous after discovering a digital scale which was in plain view in the floorboard of Nick’s vehicle.

Police arrested Nick before requesting a K-9 unit come to the scene.  Narcotic investigators were notified after the dogs alerted to what was suspected to be heroin in the vehicle.  Nick was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and marijuana or synthetic cannabinoid, and possession/distribution of a schedule II substance (heroin, cocaine) according to news reports at KALB News Channel 5.

Following Nick’s arrest police searched a Pineville area residence and discovered that they believed to be heroin in small pieces of tinfoil and plastic bags.  In all, it was believed that Sean and Ashley Bennett had 16 grams of heroin.  The two were arrested and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting an officer, and obstruction of justice. Continue reading

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Lansing, MI Office
Boji Tower
124 W. Allegan St.
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Lansing, MI 48933
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