Connecticut
August 22, 2008
Optometrist Recognized For Attending Drug Impaired Driving Conference
Read more about the Newsmaker of the Day from the Norwich Bulletin
About the conference: It furthers the training of police personnel and other professionals in detecting drivers who are impaired because of drugs — including alcohol. Eye movement can detect certain drug use, Pannone said. The program was born out of frustration when impaired drivers were pulled over, but would test at the legal limit for alcohol consumption.
January 30, 2008
Gov. M. Jodi Rell Issues New Impaired Driving Recommendations from the Task Force
Read all about it in the Westport News
Teenagers are notorious for testing their limitations. They're constantly experimenting in virtually every facet of their lives, from drugs to relationships to work ethic. Driving is just another experimental front. How fast is too fast? How close is too close? How important is it to save a few minutes getting to my destination? How many people can I fit into my Toyota Prius? Unfortunately teen drivers sometimes find answers the hard way.
December 7, 2007
Police Watching for Drunk and Drugged Drivers over the Holidays
Read the story from the Stamford Times
Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced last Thursday, is Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month in the state of Connecticut.According to Rell, who announced a task force devoted to safe teen driving on the same day, alcohol and drug-impaired driving remain one of the most critical highway safety problems in Connecticut.
December 1, 2007
Traffic Stop Turns Drug Bust
Read this article in the Hartford Courant
A local man was taken into custody over the weekend after an early-morning traffic stop turned into a drug bust, police said.David Wadsworth, 36, was charged with reckless driving, driving while under the influence, possession of marijuana, cocaine and crack cocaine, operating a drug factory and other charges after the motor vehicle stop at about 2:40 a.m. Sunday, said Capt. Chester DeGray.
October 5, 2007
High Mom, Endangers child in back seat
Read the article from TheDay.com
State police arrested a Norwich woman who they said was smoking pot as she drove along the highway.
Police said Kelly Patterson was observed traveling on Interstate 395 smoking marijuana while a 2-year-old sat in the back seat.
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Massachusetts
November 19, 2008
Opinion: Decriminalizing Pot is Criminal
Read this article from the Marlborough Wicked Local
Yet, alarmingly, SADD research has shown that young people tend to underestimate the dangers of drugged driving, with 15 percent of teen drivers reporting having operated a car under the influence of marijuana. Other risks, including deteriorating school performance, disrupted relationships, depression, suicide, and crime, can't be overlooked.
August 9, 2008
High Drug Dealer Runs Red Light, Goes to Jail
Read this news in Wicked Local
During a search of Fletcher’s car, police discovered a bag of marijuana in the driver’s side door compartment, a digital scale and plastic bags used to package marijuana. Fletcher allegedly admitted to having more marijuana tucked in his shoe.
June 12, 2008
Mom on Pills Crashes Car, Endangering Daughter
Read this story in the Eagle Tribune
Melody Nieves, of 31 Calumet Road, was identified as the driver. She was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, drinking alcohol from an open container in a vehicle and driving without a license.
April 11, 2008
Drugged Up Driver With Kid in Car Slams Into Minivan
Read all about it in the Eagle Tribune
A Kingston man was driving under the influence of drugs with his 5-year-old daughter in the car when he rear-ended a minivan and rolled over on Interstate 95 in Newburyport, Mass., yesterday, police said.
February 27, 2008
MADD Honors Drug Recognition Expert, "Everyday Hero"
Read all about it in Danvers Herald
Frost is also a certified Drug Recognition Expert, Ouellette said. That means he has had special training in recognizing the use of drugs by suspects. Other police departments sometimes call him in, Ouellette said, for help in assessing whether a suspect is impaired by drug use. An example might be if there is a severe car accident, but no physical evidence of liquor or drug use, Ouellette said.
December 11, 2007
Driver Shoots up, Passes Out, Get Charged with Driving Under the Influence of Drugs
Read the latest from the Worcester Telegram
A 23-year-old city man was arrested Saturday, after a police officer allegedly found him either falling asleep or passed out in a car in traffic with a syringe in his hand, District Court records said.
December 10, 2007
Doctor may be charged with Patient's Impaired Driving Homicide
Read the scoop from the Associated Press
A doctor who failed to warn his patient about the potential side effects of medication can be held liable for the man's car crash that killed a 10-year-old boy, the state's highest court ruled Monday in the first such decision to make doctors responsible for harm to nonpatients.
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New Hampshire
October 11, 2008
Police Test Drivers for Drugs on Suspicion
Read this article from the AP
Police said it wasn't the most well-thoughtout escape. They say a man handed over his license and registration at a sobriety checkpoint during the weekend, then peeled out and sped away, almost hitting an officer.
Police eventually pulled over the 32-year-old man and reported finding marijuana in his vehicle.
He was charged with driving under the influence of drugs, possession of drugs, disobeying a police officer and reckless conduct.
August 21, 2008
Driver Fights Allegations of Drug Abuse in Deadly Crash
Read more from the Sea Coast Online
When 6-year-old Henri Lalime was hit by a car while riding his scooter last summer, he was negligent, “violated the law” and “contributed to the accident,” according to the teenager who drove into him.
Through an attorney, driver Dylan Carter, 19, of 63 Taft Road, offers a “general denial” of allegations in a civil suit filed by Lalime’s parents. The Rockingham County Superior Court lawsuit alleges Carter was under the influence of drugs and driving recklessly on Aug. 16, 2007, when he crashed into Lalime, fracturing the boy’s skull and pelvis, putting him in a coma and leaving him with permanent disabilities.
March 13, 2008
Police, Drug Recognition Experts Urge St. Patrick's Day Party-Goers to Stay off Roads
Read this story in Foster's
Portsmouth police will be deploying additional patrol units for stepped up driving under the influence enforcement. Many of the officers will be from the department's Drug Recognition Expert Unit, specifically trained to recognize drivers impaired by either alcohol or drugs.
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New Jersey
March 28, 2008
Pulled Over for Driving Without Lights, Driver Busted for Steering Stoned
Read this story in the APP
Patrolman Chris Gibson stopped a 2002 Mercedes-Benz on Orchard Street at about 11:05 p.m. Wednesday. While Gibson was speaking with the driver -- Matthew R. Clemente, 20, of Lanes Mill Road, Howell -- the officer could smell burned marijuana, Sgt. Ronald Heinzman said today.
March 19, 2008
Drugged Driving Rampage Follows Breaking and Entering for One Drug Abuser
Read this story from NJ.com
A man who allegedly used drugs before smashing windows in his landlord's home, stealing a police car and striking the officer who tried to stop him is expected to plead guilty, his attorney said Tuesday following a court appearance.
February 22, 2008
Intoxicated Driver Arrested at 2:30 PM
Read this story in the New Jersey Times
Upon approaching Stephen, police said they discovered he had been driving while intoxicated. Police said they discovered marijuana and drug paraphernalia while arresting Stephen.
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New York
November 17, 2008
Deer's Fatal Leap Leads to Drugged Driving Arrest
Read this article from the Lo Hud.com
They charged Ferzola with two felonies, third- and fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, and four misdemeanors, two counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and one each of false personation, driving while impaired by drugs and third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation, police said.
September 10, 2008
Remorse of Drugged Driver Won't Bring Back Victim
Watch more of this story from WKTV newws
There was not a dry eye in court as the brother of a man killed in a drugged driving crash embraces the woman responsible. Prosecutors say Jodi Lynn Marris crossed three lanes of traffic without braking or slowing down --slamming into 48-year old Peter Zacek.
August 8, 2008
Driving Under the Influence of Cough Medicine Comes Under Scrutiny After Multiple Deaths
Read this developing story in the New York Times
He was 87, but Anthony Vieiro of Yonkers still had many good years ahead of him, his grieving family and friends say, citing his vigor and exercise regimen.
They certainly never expected to lose him in a car accident last year, caused by a young driver high on over-the-counter medication containing dextromethorphan. Commonly known as DXM, the drug is found in cough suppressants like Robitussin, Sudafed and Tylenol products, and can cause hallucinations, seizures and death when taken in large quantities. Its illicit use is commonly called robotripping.
August 12, 2008
Technicality Leads to Drugged Driving Case Dismissals
Read all about it from NewsDay
A Nassau judge has dismissed charges against two people accused of driving while on drugs and declared a mistrial in a third case because the Pennsylvania lab technicians who tested samples were not brought into court to testify.
If other judges agree that the lab techs must be called as witnesses - a requirement that could cost the county thousands of dollars per case - that could create a major obstacle for prosecutors trying drugged driving cases.
August 4, 2008
Wayne County Finds Holes in Bus and Truck Driver Drug Testing Regimen
Read this news from the Wayne Times
ransportation Services (WATS) bus drivers are tested on a regular basis, but drivers transporting senior citizens in the County Aging and Youth Department programs are not.
Why are some drivers tested and others not? Under the federal and state guidelines of the Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act of 1991, every person who operates a motor vehicle that weighs more than 26,000 pounds, or is designed to transport 16 (including the driver) or more passengers, or is used to transport hazardous materials which is required to be placarded, is required to have a commercial drivers license (CDL). These drivers are considered to be in "safety-sensitive" positions and must undergo random drug testing.
May 21, 2008
Extremely High Driver Kills Uncle, Throwing 4 year-old 30 Feet Through Rear Windshield
Read this story in the Daily News
A man who was high on marijuana when he crashed his Jaguar, killing his uncle and critically injuring a 4-year-old girl, has been convicted of manslaughter, the Nassau district attorney said Tuesday.
May 14, 2008
Reflecting on the Toll of Drugged Driving
Read the opinion from Newsday
And just last week, a drugged driver in a reckless run from the police slammed into the car of their middle son, Scott, killing him at age 46. Clearly our children's lives are fragile at any age.
April 16, 2008
Volunteer Responds to Brother's Fatal Crash; Drugged Driving Charges Pressed
Read more from Newsday
It was the second motorcycle fatality on Long Island in the past week. On Sunday, John Frazier, 44, of Roosevelt, was struck and killed in that community. The driver of the car, Jacqueline Harris, 41, of Roosevelt, was charged with driving while intoxicated. In the Centerport accident, police said Curry, who was charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, drifted over the double yellow center line and crashed head-on into Varese.
March 27, 2008
First Man Charged Under New Driving Under the Combined Influence of Drugs and Alcohol Law
Read all about this new precedent in the Staten Island Advance
In an apparent precedent on Staten Island, a Great Kills man has cut a plea deal under a new law that allows authorities to charge an impaired driver who has consumed alcohol and drugs, but whose blood alcohol level is not over the minimum threshold.
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Rhode Island
May 6, 2008
High on Amphetamines Driver Seriously Injures Teen
Read the full article from WPRI
A woman facing charges for a car crash that seriously injured a teenager last year has failed a drug test.
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Vermont
December 3, 2008
Red Ribbon Ceremony Commemorates Victims of Drugged and Drunk Driving
Read this article from the Burlington Free Press
Before the ceremony, members of the Vermont Victims Impact Panel and the Vermont Safety Education Center will decorate the tree with hundreds of ribbons that have been placed on the tree during previous ceremonies. Additionally, silver and white ornaments are added to the tree each year by organizations, groups or agencies who work to prevent alcohol- and other drug-related tragedies.
November 12, 2008
Vermonter Killed by Drugged Trucker
Read this article from WCAX.com
Police say the man who caused a fatal motorcycle crash in Franklin County was under the influence of drugs.
48-year-old Mark Luna of Enosburgh was killed in a collision with a pickup at the intersection of Route 118 and Water Tower Road in Berkshire back in September.
Police say toxicology reports are back, and they confirmed the driver of the truck Joseph Kenvin, 51, of Berkshire, had taken several prescription medications before the crash. He has been charged with driving under the influence of drugs and negligent operation.
March 12, 2008
State Senate Expands Definition of Drugged Driving
Read about this bill in the Times Argus
Lawmakers took a step Tuesday toward making it easier for police to arrest a person for driving a vehicle while under the influence of drugs.
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a new drugged driving bill in a 4-1 vote Tuesday morning, expanding the list of drugs and intoxicating substances that a person can be arrested for when driving under the influence.
December 22, 2007
Teen faces Driving Under the Influence of Drugs Charges after Swerving Stoned
Read the article in the Barre Montpelier Times Argus
An 18-year-old was arrested on Dec. 8 just before midnight by police, who allege he was driving under the influence of marijuana. Police said they stopped Jeremy Gorton after they observed his vehicle cross into an adjacent lane and over the double, yellow lines several times.
November 8, 2007
Rutland Marks National Red Ribbon Week
Read the story in the Rutland Herald
The Rutland Area Prevention Coalition thanks all our partners around Rutland County who helped in the celebration of National Red Ribbon Week (Oct. 23-31), a time set aside to stress the importance of healthy lifestyle choices, especially among youth. Anti-drunk-or-drugged-driving messages are appropriately part of this event.
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