Tampa Man Charged With DUI in Crash With Cop

A man who sped off from a traffic stop and then caused a traffic crash with a Tampa police officer last month was arrested today after blood analysis revealed he was driving under the influence, the Tampa Police Department said.

Desmond S., 25, of Tampa, was arrested Tuesday afternoon outside a Tampa home after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Desmond was charged with three counts of driving under the influence with serious injury, three counts of reckless driving with serious injury, two counts of driving under the influence with property damage and two counts of reckless driving, police said.

Last month, Desmond was being pulled over for a traffic stop by a Tampa police officer at Hillsborough Avenue and 43rd Street. Instead of stopping, he made a U-turn and drove away from the scene at a high rate of speed, police said.

While Desmond was traveling south on 39th Street, he ran a stop sign and crashed into a Tampa police officer’s patrol car. Sgt. Robert Nassief, who was heading to the scene, was injured in the crash.

Nassief, a 29-year veteran of the police department, is still recuperating from the Sept. 4 crash. He has not returned to work and doctors don’t know when he will be able to return, police said.

In the blood analysis, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement determined Desmond had marijuana in his system that exceeded the levels of impairment at the time of the crash, police said.

Desmond was arrested after the Sept. 4{+ }crash and charged with aggravated fleeing or eluding and driving with a suspended license. He received a citation for running a stop sign, police said.

He was released from jail Sept. 4 after posting $3,000 bail. He is now being held on $75,000 bail, according to jail records.

Have you too been charged with DUI in Tampa? If so, call 813-362-5623 right now to schedule a free legal consultation with a Tampa DUI attorney at Musca Law.

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DUI Defintions: Breathalyzer

Breathalyzer: A portable machine used by law enforcement to measure the BAC of suspected drunk drivers.

If you’ve recently either failed a Breathalyzer or refused to submit to one in Tampa, it’s vital that you quickly contact a Tampa DUI attorney at Musca Law to discuss your legal options. We may be able to help you save your license and help you avoid being convicted in criminal court.

Former MLB Pitcher Charged With DUI in Florida

Former Major League pitcher Curtis John Leskanic faces charges of driving under the influence and child neglect following his arrest in Florida, police said.

Police said Leskanic, 44, of west Seminole County, was found passed out at the wheel of his pickup truck on a road in Altamonte Springs with his 5-year-old daughter asleep and unrestrained in the truck, the Orlando Sentinel reported Wednesday.

Officials said Leskanic had a blood-alcohol level of .331, more than four times the legal limit of .08, a level so high he had to be examined at a hospital before he was booked into the Seminole County Jail.

Police said they received a call about a pickup truck “swerving all over the road” with information of a child in the vehicle.

Responding officers found Leskanic’s truck stopped at an intersection even through the traffic light was green.

Police said it took two attempts to awaken Leskanic, who was “hunched over as if he was sleeping,” after which he failed a series of roadside sobriety tests.

In 11 seasons in the majors, Leskanic had a 50-34 won-loss record. His final season was 2004, when he pitched for the World Series winning Boston Red Sox.

If you’ve too been charged with DUI in Florida, it’s extremely important for your future and current lifestyle that you quickly contact a Hillsborough County DUI attorney at Musca Law to discuss your legal options.

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Marine’s Tampa DUI Manslaughter Trial Set to Begin

The Marines made Scott S. a combat officer and war hero. Did they also help make him an inmate of a jail psychiatric ward, awaiting trial for drunken-driving manslaughter?

The Marine Corps takes the blame for standing by and letting it all happen.

The 38-year-old captain had survived four combat tours since 2003. One of several close-range explosions had blown a hole in his right arm and caused him to almost bleed to death. He wore three Purple Hearts for wounds and a Bronze Star for valor. A Marine Corps summary of his heroic acts under fire is 19 pages long.

He had acted strangely for months. He was in pain from his arm wound and plagued by flashbacks and memory loss. He ducked company, drank alone, often walked in his sleep. He went out to buy sunglasses in San Diego and found himself in Mexico.

Still, the Marines declared him neurologically sound, fit for full duty and ordered him to report in April 2010 to MacDill Air Force Base for a classified office assignment. Soon after landing in Tampa, Scott drove drunk and killed someone. He could face years in prison.

Scott’s DUI manslaughter trial is scheduled to start Sept. 12.
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DUI Checkpoint in Temple Terrace Tonight

The Temple Terrace Police Department is in the middle of its Labor Day crackdown initiative, “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”

To coincide with the campaign, the department will have a safety checkpoint Aug. 26 at 50th Street, south of Fletcher Avenue, beginning at 10 p.m.

The safety effort will include the Temple Terrace Police Department, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and the University of South Florida Police Department, according to Mike Dunn, the City’s public information officer.

“The Temple Terrace Police Department recognizes that Driving Under the Influence (DUI) is a serious public safety problem and that Hillsborough County has consistently ranked among the top counties in the state for alcohol-related crashes,” Dunn wrote in a press release. “The goal of Friday night’s checkpoint is to reduce the number of alcohol-related crashes, injuries and fatalities on Florida roadways by conducting high-visibility enforcement operations and increasing public awareness of the state’s DUI-related incidents.”

I like to publish these because I don’t think it’s fair for citizen’s rights to be violated and, at least, I can warn all of you. Although, if you are charged with DUI at one of these, a Hillsborough County DUI attorney at our firm might be able to help you get the charge(s) reduced or, better yet, dropped entirely. Call 813-362-5623 right now for your free consultation with a Temple Terrace DUI attorney.

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Man Sentenced to 12 Years in DUI Manslaughter Case

Tampa Bay area man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for causing a DUI crash that killed three people on Christmas Day 2007.

As part of a deal with prosecutors, 37-year-old David B. pleaded guilty Tuesday to DUI manslaughter and other charges.

Authorities say David had alcohol, Xanax and evidence of cocaine in his system when he crashed his pickup into the back of a Chevrolet Tahoe at a high speed in Pasco County, north of Tampa. Killed were Denise and Gerard B., who were visiting from Connecticut, and Denise’s mother, Linda W. All were passengers in the Tahoe.

David could have faced life in prison if convicted at trial. He’ll serve 10 years of probation after he gets out of prison.

In a way, the defendant was lucky. The judge could have easily sentenced him to 25 years in prison.

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Alcohol Suspected as Cause of Fatal Hillsborough Crash

A 49-year-old man under house arrest for driving under the influence died early Monday after he crashed into a tree, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

Alcohol is suspected in the crash.

Elmer M. was westbound on Fort King Boulevard about 2:15 a.m. when he lost control of his pickup at a curve and struck an oak and a large magnolia. He died at the scene, deputies said.

Elmer was under house arrest and wore an ankle monitor for previous DUI convictions, deputies said.

RIP Elmer – Hillsborough County DUI Lawyers

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DUI Checkpoint Tonight on 56th St. in Temple Terrace

The Temple Terrace Police Department is hosting a multiagency Comprehensive Roadside Safety Checkpoint on Friday starting at 10 p.m. at 56th Street, north of Fowler Avenue.

Immediately following the checkpoint, Temple Terrace police officers will be working a citywide saturation patrol from midnight until 4 a.m.

The goal of the high-visibility enforcement operation is to reduce the amount of alcohol-related crashes, injuries and fatalities on Florida roadways, and increase public awareness of the state’s incidents related to Driving Under the Influence (DUI), explained Mike Dunn, the City’s public information officer.

DUI is a serious public safety problem, Dunn said. Hillsborough County has consistently ranked among the top counties in the state for alcohol-related crashes.

The Temple Terrace Police Department recognizes this problem and has a zero-tolerance DUI policy and aggressively enforces the state’s DUI traffic laws, Dunn said.

The safety effort will include the Temple Terrace Police Department, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Highway Patrol and the University of South Florida Police Department.

Although DUI checkpoints are a direct violation of the 4th amendment, they don’t seem to be going anywhere. If you’ve been or are ever charged with DUI in Temple Terrace, contact a Tampa DUI lawyer at our firm for a free legal consultation. We can probably demonstrate that your arrest was unconstitutional and, thus, help you get your charge(s) dropped.

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Police: DUI Suspect Admits Drinking, Charged With DUI

A woman in Hernando County was arrested for DUI, after deputies say she told them she’d drank half a pitcher of Bud Light and one “Leg Spreader” shot.

At 2 a.m. Monday, deputies noticed a white Oldsmobile Cutlass miss a turn and drive partially onto the grassy shoulder on the wrong side of the road.

It happened on the 2200 block of Commercial Way.

The driver, 55-year-old Anita L., smelled of alcohol, had red eyes, a flushed face, extremely blurry speech and nearly fell several times, according to the arrest affidavit.

She failed field sobriety exercises and was arrested for driving under the influence and driving with a revoked license, among other charges.

From a legal standpoint, it would never be wise to tell a police officer during a traffic stop that you’ve been drinking. Instead, stay quiet and contact a Tampa DUI lawyer if you are charged with DUI. Furthermore, Anita was not obligated for take the field sobriety tests. DUI suspects in Florida all have the choice of whether or not to participate in Field Sobriety Tests, there is no penalty for refusal.

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6-Year Old Tampa Girl Thrown From Car in Wreck, DUI Suspected

A 6-year-old Tampa girl was thrown out of the back of an SUV and onto the hood of a pickup after the vehicle she was riding in was rear-ended by a drunken driver on Sunday, according to police.

The driver who police said rear-ended the SUV, John J., was arrested on charges of DUI resulting in injury and violation of probation.

The child suffered serious facial injuries. But St. Petersburg police said on Monday that her injuries were no longer life-threatening.

The crash took place at about 3:45 p.m. The victim was one of four people riding in a 2001 Lincoln Navigator headed south on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street. The SUV was in the median lane, approaching a red light at 94th Avenue N.

Behind them, police said, John was also driving south in the median lane in a 1998 Mazda pickup.

The Navigator slowed as it approached the red light, police said, which then turned green. John’s pickup then hit the back of the SUV, police said.

St. Petersburg police said the child was thrown out the back window — officers believe the window was down — and landed on the hood of the Mazda. Then the girl fell onto the road. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

John was “unsteady” and showed others signs of being impaired, police said. John’s blood-alcohol level was 0.187 and 0.172, according to police. Florida law presumes a driver is impaired at 0.08 or greater.
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