Toronto man facing DUI charges after stop in Caledon

On Thursday, July 27, at approximately 4:05 p.m., members from the Caledon detachment of the OPP were notified of a possible impaired driver on Humber Station Road near Patterson Side Road.

An officer located the suspect vehicle, a grey 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche, and conducted a traffic stop with the vehicle. While speaking to the driver, the officer determined that his ability to operate a motor vehicle was impaired by the consumption of alcohol and arrested him accordingly.

Pawel P. Logwiniuk, 55, of Toronto was charged with the following criminal offences: driving a motor vehicle while ability impaired by alcohol, driving with more than 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, having care or control of a motor vehicle with liquor readily available, and possession of cannabis — under 30 grams.

The accused is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of justice on Aug. 16 to answer to the charges.

Read the original article here.

For more local DUI news and information please visit https://www.toronto-dui-lawyer.ca/

Woman allegedly tried to avoid DUI arrest with white entitlement

A South Carolina woman pulled over for suspected drunk driving charges allegedly tried to use white entitlement as an excuse to avoid being cuffed.

But the cops weren’t buying it and she was arrested anyway.

Officers from the Bluffton Police Department pulled over Lauren Cutshaw, 32, early Saturday morning after she reportedly sped past a stop sign going 96 km/h. According to The Island Packet, Cutshaw was stopped after she drove through a four-way stop.

After being pulled over, the woman told cops she had two glasses of wine, according to a police report. When questioned about the size of the glasses that contained the two drinks, Cutshaw said, “I mean I was celebrating my birthday.”

The police report noted Cutshaw’s eyes were glassy and bloodshot, her breath reeked of booze, and she slurred her speech. After failing on-scene sobriety tests – including blowing .18% blood alcohol level on a breathalyzer – Cutshaw gave a number of reasons why she shouldn’t be arrested.

The list of reasons included having perfect grades in school, graduating from a “high accredited university”, being a cheerleader and a sorority member, and that her boyfriend is also an officer.

“I’m a white, clean girl,” Cutshaw reportedly told the arresting officers. When asked what she meant, the woman’s reply was blunt.

“You’re a cop, you should know what that means.’

The arrest reported noted the cops were taken aback by Cutshaw’s comments.

“Making statements such as these as a means to justify not being arrested are unusual in my experience as a law enforcement officer and I believe further demonstrate the suspect’s level of intoxication,” the report stated.

Regardless, Cutshaw was arrested and charged with speeding, ignoring a stop sign, possession of marijuana, driving under the influence and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The woman was taken to Beaufort County Detention Center but was no longer in custody as of Tuesday.

Read the original article here.

For more local DUI news and information please visit https://www.toronto-dui-lawyer.ca/

Fired Buckeyes coach had DUI arrest in ’13

Former Ohio State assistant coach Zach Smith, who was fired last month after a history of domestic violence allegations became public, was arrested on a drunken-driving charge in 2013 but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

Documents obtained by the Blade in Toledo showed that Smith was stopped for speeding in Dublin, north of Columbus, in the early hours of Feb. 23, 2013.

He was arrested after failing a field sobriety test and declining to take a blood-alcohol test.

In April 2013, Smith pleaded guilty to an amended charge of failure to control and paid a $375 fine.

It’s not clear whether the misdemeanor was reported to the university. Smith’s attorney declined to comment, and Ohio State didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Smith was fired July 23. The university is investigating coach Urban Meyer’s handling of the domestic abuse allegations against Smith. Smith has never been criminally charged.

BASKETBALL

Anthony signs with Rockets

Veteran forward Carmelo Anthony signed a one-year, $2.4 million deal with the Houston Rockets. Anthony was traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Atlanta Hawks last month before the Hawks released him.

Lynx star Whalen plans to retire

Minnesota Lynx star Lindsay Whalen says she’ll retire at the end of the season. Whalen has been balancing a new job as coach of the Minnesota Gophers with playing point for the Lynx. Her retirement will end a 15-year career that includes four championships with the Lynx, where the former Gophers star returned in 2010 after beginning her WNBA career in Connecticut. Whalen, 36, is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. She led the Gophers to their only Final Four in 2004.

FOOTBALL

2 more arrested in Frost burglary

Police in Lincoln, Nebraska, arrested two more people in connection with a burglary at the home of Nebraska football coach Scott Frost. Lincoln police said a 20-year-old man was taken into custody Saturday and a 16-year-old boy was arrested Wednesday. A 17-year-old girl also was arrested last week. Officer Angela Sands said investigators recovered several pairs of athletic shoes believed to have been stolen. Frost told police July 29 that burglars entered an unlocked garage door at his house, which is unoccupied while being renovated.

COLLEGES

Mastodons picked 8th

The Mastodons were picked to finish 8th in the 2018 Summit League Women’s Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll. Purdue Fort Wayne tied with Western Illinois, each receiving 12 votes to round out the poll. The leagues nine head coaches selected Denver to finish first with 61 points..

GOLF

PGA ratings up 69% from 2017

The charge by Tiger Woods at the PGA Championship and the two-shot victory by Brooks Koepka drew the highest final-round coverage for the major in nine years. CBS Sports said Sunday’s round at Bellerive in St. Louis drew a rating of 6.1 and share of 14 – up 69 percent from last year. The top viewership market was St. Louis (11.5/24), site of the year’s last major. Ratings represent the percentage of all homes with televisions tuned to a program. Shares represent the percentage of all homes with TVs in use at the time.

HIGH SCHOOLS

Warsaw names tennis coach

Warsaw announced Stacy Lind as its boys tennis coach, pending approval by the Warsaw Community Schools board. Lind replaces Rick Orban, who coached the Tigers to their sixth consecutive sectional final last fall. The Tigers have won 30 sectional titles in boys tennis since 1979. Lind coached at Tippecanoe Valley for three seasons and has worked at the Warsaw Tennis and Fitness Center for six years.

TENNIS

Murray loses 1st-round match

In Mason, Ohio, Andy Murray lost to Lucas Pouille 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 in the first round of the Western & Southern Open, clearing another obstacle for Roger Federer in this U.S. Open tuneup north of Cincinnati. Top-seeded Rafael Nadal dropped out Sunday night to prepare for the U.S. Open after winning his fifth title of the year in Toronto. On the women’s side, 13th-seeded Madison Keys held off Bethanie Mattek-Sands 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4 to reach the second round. Wild card Victoria Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open champion, also came from behind to beat Carla Suarez Navarro 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4.

Read the original article here.

For more local DUI news and information please visit https://www.toronto-dui-lawyer.ca/

Teen driver charged with DUI and manslaughter after car plunged off ramp killing 2 teens

A car crash left two 18-year-old men dead and two young women injured. The driver faces serious charges, including DUI and manslaughter charges.

Friends and family members hugged, keeping vigil outside John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek for two young women badly injured in a terrible car crash early Sunday morning. The crash killed two 18-year-old men who were also riding in the car.

“Everyone needs to be held up in prayer,” said the driver’s cousin, Anisha Hackney. “Sending good thoughts. Can’t imagine what pain families are experiencing right now.”

Hackney’s 18-year-old cousin, Ramya Ramey from Antioch, was driving the car. The CHP says it plunged off a connector ramp from eastbound Highway 24 to northbound Interstate 680.

The car was reduced to a twisted piece of metal.

“It’s my understanding this was Mya’s core group of friends,” Hackney said.

The CHP says Ramey suffered major injuries in the crash and is now facing serious charges. Her family disputes the fact that the recent graduate from Deer Valley High School was driving drunk.

“No toxicology reports have come back,” said Hackney. “We don’t know what occurred.”

“This is an underage drinking and driving collision which could have been prevented,” said a CHP spokesperson. “Just an awful situation for everybody.”

Read the original article here.

For more local DUI news and information please visit https://www.toronto-dui-lawyer.ca/

On the eve of legalization, Canada’s pot frontier goes ‘wild, wild west’

George Metropoulos grew tired of the ‘whack-a-mole’ pot scene in Toronto, where retail dispensaries selling illegal recreational marijuana have been sprouting up alongside regular businesses, only to be raided and shut down by drug squads before reopening again a short time later.

“We came to Windsor… to get away,” he said.

Originally from Windsor, Metropoulos said his Toronto pot shop was no “pop-up crap place,” but, rather, something nice, with a café and even a community church attached. “I wanted to stay around.”

Sure, it was illegal, but so too were several other pot dispensaries in the immediate Bloor West area, among an estimated more than 100 others across Toronto. Vancouver has already thrown in the towel, registering and handing out municipal development permits to 46 pot dispensaries or compassion clubs as of last month.

Even in Vancouver, however, there are almost twice as many such businesses operating illegally outside the city’s licensing regime, with millions of dollars in outstanding fines as city officials ticket them on a weekly basis.

When it came to finding a new place to chill, Metropoulos and his partner Yodite Woldeselassie chose his hometown of Windsor.

“We left Toronto for our peace of mind,” said Woldeselassie.

Their recently opened CBD Emporium at 469 Pelissier St. — advertised as “Windsor’s first CBD boutique shop” — still focuses entirely on cannabis-derived products, but this time, their downtown enterprise has nothing that will get you high.

All the health and beauty products on sale, including oils, creams, tinctures and capsules, contain CBD, or cannabidiol, as the active ingredient. Like THC, it interacts with a variety of different biological targets in the body, but CBD has no intoxicating effects like those caused by THC.

According to Health Canada, “CBD is a component of cannabis and is currently illegal unless authorized for medical purposes.”

Helping deal with arthritis, cancer, anxiety, depression and chronic pain are among a long list of ailments for which advocates tout the benefits of using CBD.

Working in the Toronto pot market, with clients seeking out the high of weed’s THC, Metropoulos said he was skeptical about using purely CBD products for his own nerve pain, but it worked, and his switch to natural CBD meant an end to doctor-prescribed opiates.

Customers who wanted the relief but not the high of THC were told to try CBD, and they would “talk about how much better they were feeling,” said Woldeselassie, who takes CBD for her own anxiety and depression.

“People were coming back in and hugging me,” said Metropoulos. “It blew our minds, the feedback,” said Woldeselassie.

In Canada, cannabis use for recreational purposes becomes legal for adults on Oct. 17. The pot market is expected to be huge, but in Ontario and elsewhere the rules remain unclear. Even the implications on impaired driving laws are a grey area when it comes to marijuana.

Earlier this month, Ontario Provincial Police raided a dispensary in downtown Essex that was openly selling recreational marijuana to anyone with ID showing they were 19 years of age or older. The operators vowed to reopen but that hasn’t happened — yet.

In Harrow, Kingsville and Leamington, new businesses have sprung up where adults with medical marijuana prescriptions can purchase products containing THC, a commercial activity that is illegal under current federal regulations.

“We’re operating in a bit of a grey area,” said Peter Nicol, one of the co-owners of E-Liberation in Kingsville.

After three years of operating the town’s only vape shop and helping smokers turn off their addictions to cigarettes, Nicol and Loire Taylor relocated their business to a Main Street location in July and expanded its offerings to include cannabis and other alternative health and wellness products. In its first 20 days, E-Liberation signed up more than 400 medical marijuana customers, all of whom must be 19 and over and sign a code of conduct form.

“There’s clearly a gap in terms of service, and we try to fill that gap, in the most responsible way possible,” said Nicol. Added Taylor: “This is medicine.”

As with the proprietors of CBD Emporium, the owners and employees at E-Liberation said they don’t dispense medical advice. Customers come in, and, if they don’t know what they’re looking for but have a medical marijuana prescription, Taylor said they’re told what has worked for others and what might work for them. In addition to a whole section for vapers, there are cannabis-infused bath balms, epsom salts, massage oils and edibles.

“It’s not just about the products but the awareness. So many people tell us, ‘You guys changed my life,’” said Nicol. “That’s what this is about — it’s been so gratifying,” said Taylor, adding that the community response to E-Liberation, which pays taxes like any other business, has been “overwhelmingly positive.”

Sabrina Ulch is convinced that cannabis oil would have saved her father if he’d only had access to it before skin cancer claimed his life. Last March, almost a year after her father’s death in Windsor, Ulch opened Sabrina’s Café and Wellness on Harrow’s King Street, with Essex Mayor Ron McDermott at the grand opening.

“It’s changing people’s lives,” Ulch said of her business, which also sells pot to medical cannabis patients. A retired former casino dealer and server, she said taking CBD weaned her off pills for her own arthritis, asthma, anxiety and hypertension. Opening Sabrina’s Café, she added, has helped her cope with her father’s death by helping others.

CBD infused coconut oil is shown at the CBD Emporium store on Pelissier St. in Windsor on July 25, 2018. The store sells CBD-infused health and beauty products. DAN JANISSE / WINDSOR STAR

“There’s a big difference between medical and recreational,” she said, adding most of her customers are “baby boomers or older” and seeking relief for various health ailments, fibromyalgia being a current main one. She hosts seminars and guest speakers and says she’s had “great support” from the community.

Even when the production, distribution, sale, possession and use of marijuana for recreational purposes becomes legal in October, adults will only be permitted to purchase pot at government-run stores, although it is expected that the newly-elected Ford government will announce next week that private-sector retailers in Ontario will be allowed to own and operate cannabis shops.

Medical marijuana — for which approximately 300,000 Canadians are currently approved — can only be legally supplied by Health Canada-approved licensed producers, like Leamington’s Aphria.

Nic Nedin, a Windsor-based cannabis consultant, is among industry insiders convinced that the 40 government-run retail outlets that Ontario has approved for the first year of legalization — including one store in Windsor — will be inadequate for the anticipated consumer demand. If Ford decides that, like in B.C. and Alberta, there will be some private sector involvement in Ontario’s pot marketplace, then “Windsor is going to be taken overnight” by private dispensaries, Nedin predicts. “And then how will the city react? How will the police react?”

Windsor police spokesman Const. Andrew Drouillard said the department’s mandate is clear: “We enforce the laws that are in place at the time. If we receive information of someone selling drugs illegally, we will definitely investigate.”

In other cities, including Hamilton, as soon as police raid one place, another seems to immediately open to take its place.

“You cannot believe the number of people who want to get into this,” said Windsor pot activist Leo Lucier. “Hamilton has 80 of them — it’s the wild, wild west.” Given the current lack of clarity so close to Ottawa’s target date for legalization, “the doors are wide open … we know it’s going to go into private hands,” he said.

Read the original article here.

For more local DUI news and information please visit https://www.toronto-dui-lawyer.ca/

DUI driver sentenced to 16 years for crash that killed Lyft driver

A drunken driver who crashed into a Lyft car, killing the driver and badly injuring three passengers on a San Diego freeway two years ago, was sentenced Thursday to 16 years in state prison.

Steven Quintero, 26, initially was charged with murder for the Oct. 1, 2016 collision that killed Henry Reyes, 41, of Escondido, a dental student and father of a then-2-year-old son.

In the course of two trials earlier this year, jurors deadlocked on murder and gross vehicular manslaughter charges.

But they convicted Quintero of charges including driving under the influence of alcohol causing great bodily injury, hit and run causing death, and driving on a suspended license.

The District Attorney’s Office made a deal to not try Quintero a third time in exchange for his agreement to a 16-year prison term.

Reyes’ sister and his three passengers who survived the crash laid into Quintero in court, saying he had shown no regret and was getting off easy.

“You are receiving a slap on the wrist,” Evette Roux, Reyes’ younger sister, told Quintero. “My mother could not participate today because she has not received justice. Steven, it may not be on your record, but in my heart you are a murderer.”

San Diego Superior Court Judge Amelia Meza said she would adhere to the sentencing deal.

Quintero had a 2015 DUI conviction, and Deputy District Attorney Cally Bright said in trial that he was on notice of the dangers of drunken driving.

Deputy Public Defender Suesan Gerard argued that Quintero’s severe learning disability made it unlikely he would have processed that message or formed an intent to drive drunk again.

Moments before the fatal collision, Reyes had pulled to the shoulder of eastbound state Route 94 near 28th Street to help one of his three passengers who was sick.

Quintero, with a female passenger, entered the freeway at a nearby on-ramp and slammed into Reyes’ Kia at an estimated 70 mph. Reyes, who was walking in front of his car, was struck, and died of severe injuries at a hospital.

Quintero and the passenger ran from his car, but were caught nearby.

Three San Diego State University students had called for the Lyft ride home after going out together for drinks downtown.

In court Thursday, the three described the continuing physical and emotional toll the crash has had on them, filling their lives with medical and therapy appointments, pain and nightmares.

“I don’t like to show emotion, I see it as a sign of weakness, but this car crash and the aftermath has broken me,” Jessica Techel, 23, read from a statement.

Sarah Smith, 24, said that night “changed everything about me,” as she was the one who got sick and needed help from Reyes that night.

“I owe my life to that man and I know he is watching over me,” Smith said.

She said she has dealt with survivor’s guilt along with panic attacks, bursts of crying, memory loss and increased irritability.

“I have carried this guilt for entirely too long and today, I’m giving it back to you,” Smith said to Quintero. “You can live with it. I want my life back.”

Kelly Hoffman, 24, said she can’t forget that night, with the sound of crunching metal, shattering glass and the sight of Reyes dying on the ground.

She told the judge she couldn’t believe that a learning disability could be used as a defense in someone’s second DUI case.

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Qualifications to look for in a DUI Lawyer

If you’ve been accused of a DUI, your future might be in jeopardy. You won’t just be looking at losing your license – you could be looking at heavy fines, jail time, and even the loss of your ability to work in some professions. If you’ve been accused, your first step should always be to find a lawyer. With so many lawyers out there, though, it’s hard to know when you’ve found the right lawyer. That’s why you should always look for the following qualities in a DUI lawyer before you commit to working with him or her.

Experience

The law is too vast for any one lawyer to memorize. As such, lawyers tend to specialize in certain areas as their careers go along. If you have been accused of a DUI (Driving Under the Influence), you need to make sure you work with someone who specializes in DUI defense. These lawyers not only know the relevant statutes and case law, but they are aware of the disposition of the court in your area. If you can find an lawyer who has dealt with DUIs significantly in the past, you can be sure that he or she will put that experience to use helping you.

Record

You also need your lawyer to have a good record with cases like yours. This doesn’t just mean winning – it means a willingness to take a case to trial if necessary. Find out how often your potential lawyer’s clients go to jail, how often they take plea deals, and how often they are found innocent. You should also look at factors like how often the lawyer goes to court and how many of his or her clients manage to get into diversion programs instead of going to jail.

Recommendations

Beyond raw numbers, it’s important to get feedback about how an lawyer works from others. While going online will likely give you biased feedback one way or the other, it’s still a very good place to start. In addition to online resources, you can check with lawyers to see if they have any testimonials from satisfied clients. If others have worked with the lawyer successfully in the past, there’s a good chance that you can work with him or her as well. If you can’t find anyone to speak on behalf of an lawyer, you should be wary.

Personality

While perhaps not the most objective quality, it is important that you find a DUI lawyer who has a personality that will mesh with your own. You will need to feel comfortable with this person, as he or she will be representing you in what might become one of the most important legal matters in your life. If you don’t feel like you can get along with an lawyer, your relationship will cause you problems while you’re already trying to deal with something more important. Even a great lawyer can’t give you the best possible representation if your personalities don’t mesh.

Your DUI lawyer needs to be experienced, have a strong record at trial, have good recommendations, and should be a person with whom you feel like you can work. If the lawyer has all of those qualities, you’ll have the ingredients you need for a proper defense. While you should never drink and drive, you still deserve your day in court. If you’ve been accused of a DUI, you don’t have to go through this process alone – you can call William Hanlon Criminal Lawyer in Tampa for the help you need. At that point, you’ll get the fighting chance that your case deserves.

Read the original article here.

For more local DUI news and information please visit https://www.toronto-dui-lawyer.ca/

Aurora driver sentenced to 12 years in prison for vehicular homicide DUI

An Aurora driver was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in prison for hitting and killing a pedestrian while driving under the influence of alcohol and fleeing the scene.

Prisma Rodriguez-Ramirez, 22, was sentenced by Adams County District Judge Don Quick for vehicular homicide DUI and leaving the scene of an accident involving death, according to the district attorney’s office.

Prisma Rodriguez-RamirezAdams County District AttorneyPrisma Rodriguez-Ramirez
Rodriguez-Ramirez was convicted by a jury in March of the two felony charges.

At about 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 30, Rodriguez-Ramirez was driving a black Land Rover SUV near East Colfax Avenue and Nome Street when she hit 36-year-old Antonio Colson who was crossing the street with his wife. Colson died of his injuries. His wife was not injured.

Rodriguez-Ramirez sped away, but turned off her headlights and returned to the scene, according to a news release. “She claimed to not know she had hit anyone, but the impact was so hard it
caused Colson to fly 60 feet into the air, broke one of her headlights and crushed her car door,” prosecutors said.

Rodriguez-Ramirez had been drinking beer and tequila. She had a blood alcohol content of 0.172.

In imposing the maximum 12-year sentence, Quick questioned whether Rodriguez-Ramirez had taken responsibility for her actions, the news release said. Quick noted that after her arrest, Rodriguez-Ramirez told police she didn’t want to spend New Year’s Eve in jail.

Read the original article here.

For more local DUI news and information please visit https://www.toronto-dui-lawyer.ca/

Vince Vaughn arrested at DUI stop

Actor Vince Vaughn was arrested Sunday on suspicion of drunk driving and resisting arrest in a Southern California beach town, police said.

Vaughn was busted early in the morning at a sobriety checkpoint in Manhattan Beach. He was released from custody later in the morning, police employee Nisha Bhagat said.

Vaughn, 48, is best known for his roles in comedies like “Dodgeball” and “Wedding Crashers,” but has landed more dramatic roles in recent years such as the drill sergeant in the Oscar-winning “Hacksaw Ridge.”

A spokesman for Vaughn had no immediate comment when contacted by The Associated Press.

Read the original article here.

For more local DUI news and information please visit https://www.toronto-dui-lawyer.ca/

Law enforcement officials call on public to help curb DUI crashes

Toronto man facing DUI charges after stop in Caledon

Woman allegedly tried to avoid DUI arrest with white entitlement

Fired Buckeyes coach had DUI arrest in ’13

Teen driver charged with DUI and manslaughter after car plunged off ramp killing 2 teens

On the eve of legalization, Canada’s pot frontier goes ‘wild, wild west’

DUI driver sentenced to 16 years for crash that killed Lyft driver

Qualifications to look for in a DUI Lawyer

Aurora driver sentenced to 12 years in prison for vehicular homicide DUI

Vince Vaughn arrested at DUI stop

Toronto DUI Lawyer

Law enforcement officials call on public to help curb DUI crashes

Toronto man facing DUI charges after stop in Caledon

Woman allegedly tried to avoid DUI arrest with white entitlement

Fired Buckeyes coach had DUI arrest in ’13

Teen driver charged with DUI and manslaughter after car plunged off ramp killing 2 teens

On the eve of legalization, Canada’s pot frontier goes ‘wild, wild west’

DUI driver sentenced to 16 years for crash that killed Lyft driver

Qualifications to look for in a DUI Lawyer

Aurora driver sentenced to 12 years in prison for vehicular homicide DUI

Vince Vaughn arrested at DUI stop

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