http://www.wafb.com/story/18405412/mayors-son-may-have-been-drunk-during-cemetery-crash

A cemetery should be a peaceful place, not the target of a  Orange County DUI in a pickup truck. But that’s what happened over the weekend at a cemetery near Hohenwald.

The cemetery is now in pieces, and the mayor’s son is in big trouble.

Hohenwald Mayor Johnny Clayton didn’t want to say much when Channel 4 News spoke with him Monday. But he called his son, Parker Clayton, a great kid and said like any other great kid he made a mistake that for some couldn’t have happened in a worse place.

“It’s just terrible,” said Hohenwald resident Iva DePriest.

Caution tape now surrounds the scene DePriest said she cannot quite comprehend.

“I know these people that are through here. I knew them, really,” she said, looking at the damaged grave markers.

Late Saturday night, a pickup truck plowed through the Downey Cemetery north of Hohenwald. The force of it toppled headstones, shattering several, and left parts of the truck everywhere.

“To come all through there and knock all these heavy rocks over, somebody had to, looks like had to be driving at a high rate of speed. Went to sleep or something, I don’t know,” said resident James Duncan.

Tire tracks show the path of the vehicle – right off the road, down a hill and smack down a line of grave markers. For some reason, the driver didn’t stop for several hundred feet.

“Needless to say, I was surprised. Really surprised, you know, it just don’t happen everyday,” Duncan said.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol identified the driver as Parker Clayton, 20. Clayton is charged with DUI, underage possession of alcohol, open container, seat belt violation, no insurance and failure to exercise due care.

Investigators also said alcohol probably played a part.

“He just lost it and couldn’t get it straightened up,” DePriest said.

Clayton’s insurance will probably pay for the costly cleanup. But in the meantime, loved ones continue to visit the cemetery to check grave sites at a place where resting in peace became anything but peaceful.

“Accidents happen. Things happen,” Duncan said.

After the crash, Parker Clayton was transported by ambulance to an area hospital. He is now back at home but not out of trouble.

http://bolingbrook.patch.com/articles/police-blotter-domestic-battery-dui-order-of-protection-violation

Aggravated battery

Eva Bradford, 21, 133 Thackeray Drive, was charged with aggravated battery and battery at 7:43 p.m. after hitting someone several times in the 100 block of Larchmont Avenue.

 Orange County DUI

Thomas Duncan, 28, 3940 W. Gladys Ave., Chicago, was charged with failure to signal, resisting a peace officer and driving under the influence of alcohol at 1:13 a.m. following a traffic stop at South Bolingbrook and Old Chicago drives.

Domestic battery

Gagni Guerra, 41, 5055 S. Laverne Drive, Chicago, was charged with domestic battery at 2:40 a.m. at I-355 and Weber Road.

Domestic battery, order of protection violation

Heriberto Martinez, 29, 8550 W. 44th Place, Lyons, was charged with domestic battery and violation of order of protection at 2:45 a.m. in the 200 block of South Bolingbrook Drive.
About this column: Patch reports on law enforcement activity in our towns, using information provided by official agencies. Persons charged with a crime, or issued a citation for violation of a local ordinance, are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If you or a family member are charged with a crime or cited for a violation, and the charge or citation is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor of this Patch site by emailing nirereduas@gmail.com and we will do follow-up reporting on the case.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-woman-convicted-of-killing-5-teens-in-dui-crash-seeks-new-hearing-20120514,0,5182171.story

An Aurora woman convicted of killing five teens in a drunken driving accident should get a new sentencing hearing because of vague language in Illinois DUI laws, her attorney told an appellate court panel Monday.

The three justices from the 2nd Appellate District in Elgin listened to almost an hour of arguments in the case of Sandra Vasquez, who is serving a 15-year sentence for the 2007 accident in Oswego. About two dozen family members and supporters of Vasquez, and family members of the crash victims, crammed the courtroom’s small gallery to hear the arguments.

Lawyers sparred over a provision in the aggravated Orange County  DUI statute that requires probation, rather than a prison sentence, in cases where “extraordinary circumstances” exist. The law, however, fails to spell out what those extraordinary circumstances may be, and it can’t be properly argued by lawyers or applied by judges at sentencing, Vasquez’s attorney said.

“Due process requires guidance,” Assistant Appellate Defender Sherry Silvern argued. “There is no guidance here.”

But Assistant Appellate Prosecutor Scott Jacobson said Judge Clint Hull, who sentenced Vasquez, took all factors into account, including those circumstances that Vasquez’s trial attorney, Kathleen Colton, had argued met the “extraordinary circumstances” threshold in her estimation.

“The trial court considered everything,” Jacobson said.

The 2nd District court probably will issue its opinion sometime within the next eight weeks.

Vasquez was convicted in 2010 of aggravated DUI for the deaths of the teens, who were among nine people crammed into her car on Feb. 11. 2007.

Vasquez, 23 at the time, was going about 70 miles per hour when she veered across a highway and hit a light pole. She had gone to a party to pick up her younger sister and accommodated other partygoers who did not have a ride.

She was sentenced under a statute that went into effect in 2006. Colton has said language in the revamped law left her wondering whether she was to argue that the facts of the case or her client’s past record were extraordinary and made Vasquez worthy of probation. Vasquez is a mother of two who worked with dementia patients.

Colton was at Monday’s session and said she didn’t walk away with any clearer interpretation of the law based on the lawyers’ arguments or judges’ questions.

For family members of the victims, Monday’s proceeding dredged up bad memories.

“I feel this was an absolute waste of time,” said Donna Dwyer, whose son, Matthew Frank, 17, was killed in the crash.

http://coronado.patch.com/articles/police-blotter-39-000-watch-and-15-000-heirloom-lost-in-two-thefts

Arrests

Male, 18, DUI and driving while license suspended for Orange County  DUI, 1100 block of Orange Avenue, 11:55 p.m. May 12.

Female, 41, second-degree burglary, 1400 block of 2nd Street, 6:50 p.m. May 12.

Female, 31, drunk & disorderly, 1000 block of Loma Avenue, May 12.

Female, 25, DUI, 100 block of D Avenue, 12:20 a.m. May 11.

Male, 39, felon in possession of firearm, 700 block of Orange, 9:25 a.m. May 11.

Female, 56, DUI, 200 block of Orange, 9:55 a.m. May 10.

Male, 21, exhibiting a deadly weapon, 3200 block of state Route 75, 8:45 a.m. May 10.

Female, 49, drunk and disorderly, 1000 block of 9th Street, 12:50 p.m. May 8.

Female, 55, drunk and disorderly, 800 block of Orange, 11:30 a.m. May 8.

Crimes

Female, 24, DUI, 3000 block of state Route 75, 6 a.m. May 12, cited and released.

Burglary, 200 block of Orange, May 11-13, bicycles worth $400 removed from underground garage.

Burglary, 500 block of B Avenue, 12:15-6 a.m. April 29, cash, ID and phone taken from unlocked residence while victim was sleeping.

Burglary, 100 block of C Avenue, May 6-7, woman reports that $5 snowman keychain taken from locked vehicle.

Grand theft, 4000 block of Coronado Bay Road, 1-2:30 p.m. May 7, Cartier watch worth $39,000 taken from unlocked locker in resort spa.

Grand theft, 800 block of Glorietta Boulevard, May 4-8, heirloom $15,000 18K gold and ruby tie pin.

Grand theft, 100 block of Tunapuna Lane, May 2011-May 2012, Uberti firearm, gun belt and knife worth $900.

Petty theft, 1400 block of 2nd, April 26-May 2, $700 locked bicycle taken from balcony.

Petty theft, 600 block of D, 9:30-10:55 a.m. April 30, cracked cell phone worth $700 taken from locker.

Petty theft, 900 block of Orange, May 7-9, $300 in coins taken from gas station air machine.

Petty theft, 900 block of A Avenue, May 11-12, music player worth $250 taken from unlocked vehicle.

Petty theft, 100 block of Orange, 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. May 12, sunglasses worth $400 taken from restaurant table.

Vandalism, 500 block of Orange, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. May 11, rear passenger window of vehicle broken.

Stolen vehicle, 100 block of C, May 6-7, 2011 Audi S4 from underground garage.

Stolen bicycles

500 block of F Avenue, CMS, May 9-10, $100 loss, unlocked.

600 block of D, May 7, $350 loss.

Collisions

700 block of 7th Street, 2001 Volkswagen LGR, 12:10 p.m. May 7, parked car hit.

B and 3rd Street, 2012 Chevrolet Malibu and 1993 Honda Civic, 6:30 p.m. May 6.

500 block of Orange, Toyota Tacoma and 2010 Hyundai Sonata, 10:15 a.m. May 8, rear-ender.

1100 block of G Avenue, 1995 Toyota Camry and 1995 Lexus SC400, 9:05 p.m. May 2, citation issued for driving without a license and unsafe lane change, car hit parked vehicle.

5500 block of Silver Strand Boulevard, 2011 Chevrolet, 2011 Toyota RAV4, 2006 Jeep Wrangler, 2004 Mazda and 2007 BMW M5, 7:05 a.m. April 26, rear-ender, one motorist taken to hospital for back strain.

http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_20627050/marijuana-driving-limits-expected-get-final-house-ok?source=most_viewed

making it easier for prosecutors in Colorado to convict people of driving high on marijuana died in the state Senate special session today because one key supporter was absent.

After the Senate voted down the bill on an informal vote, an effort to revive it failed on a 17-17 split. The missing vote was that of Sen. Nancy Spence, a Centennial Republican who was the deciding vote on a nearly identical bill in the legislature’s regular session.

Reached by phone, Spence said she was in San Diego, where she had plans to celebrate her grandson’s birthday that were made well before the special session was called. Spence said she was prepared to fly back to Denver on short notice to vote for the bill but that she didn’t know the bill would be brought before the full Senate today.

“I’m really sad about it,” Spence said. “I feel terrible for (bill sponsor) Steve King, who worked so hard to get that bill passed.”

The result was surprising for a bill that, again, appeared headed for passage before being tripped up late. Earlier in the day, the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee passed the bill 4-1. That came after the bill received its final approval in the House this morning.

That meant the bill needed to pass only two votes — one today and one tomorrow — by the full Senate to head to the governor’s desk. Gov. John Hickenlooper has said he supports the bill.

The bill, HB12S-1005, would make it a crime to drive with more than a certain amount of THC — the psychoactive chemical in marijuana — in your blood. A nearly identical proposal appeared headed for passage during this year’s regular legislative session. But it became entangled last week in the end-of-session fight over civil unions and died on the calendar.

Spence said she received a text message this morning from Senate Minority Leader Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs, asking her how soon she could return to Colorado. Spence said she asked how soon she was needed but that she didn’t know the Senate would be taking up the bill today until she turned on her laptop to watch the Senate session remotely.

“I assumed it wouldn’t be brought up until tomorrow morning,” Spence said.

“I’m just so, so sorry and so disappointed,” she added.

Cadman said he wasn’t sure Spence’s presence would have made a difference, saying that several lawmakers were keeping quiet about their vote and might have switched against the bill had Spence been there.

“That’s how close and, I think, complicated this issue became,” Cadman, who voted for the bill, said.

Reviewing the vote shows lawmakers voted today exactly as they had during the regular session.

Senate President Brandon Shaffer, a Longmont Democrat who also supported the bill, said lawmakers didn’t play games with the bill schedule. Because every day in a special session costs the state more than $23,000, Shaffer said legislative leadership wanted to keep the session to three days. That meant the bill had to be heard today in order to pass.

“We weren’t trying to pull a fast one,” Shaffer said.

Shaffer said Spence didn’t ask for permission to miss the vote. She was listed as absent for the vote, contrary to the usual courtesy of listing lawmakers who have to miss votes as excused.

“I was very disappointed with the outcome of today’s vote,” Shaffer said.

At the earlier committee hearing, medical-marijuana activists argue that the proposed limit — 5 nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood — is too low and would result in near-certain convictions for Orange County DUI .

The bill’s opponents argued that medical-marijuana patients have no way of determining what 5 nanograms means. How much can they consume? How long do they have to wait afterward?

“There needs to be a way to know whether a medical patient has the 5 nanograms in their system so they can know whether they can get behind the wheel,” said Debbie Olander, a representative from the United Food and Commercial Workers union. “With alcohol you can.”

Supporters of the bill counter that the vast majority of people would be impaired at 5 nanograms and would need to wait only about two to three hours after using to fall below the limit. They argue that, even though some people could be sober at 5 nanograms, it is important to send a strong message.

“The law works best when there are clear, effective, enforceable standards,” Boulder District Attorney  said, testifying in support of the bill.

http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/murrieta/murrieta-headlines-index/20120515-french-valley-woman-pleads-guilty-in-fatal-dui-crash.ece

A 19-year-old woman has pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter with intoxication and two others are accused of providing alcohol to people under 21 in connection with a fatal crash near Lake Skinner earlier this year, authorities said.

Ashly Nicole Rodriguez, of Murrieta, pleaded guilty Monday, May 15, to Orange County  DUI vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and felony driving under the influence, Riverside County court records show.

John Hall, spokesman for the Riverside County district attorney’s office, said Rodriguez made a plea to the court and faces up to 10 years in prison at her June 28 sentencing.

Rodriguez was driving on Borel Road early Jan. 22 with three passengers when she swerved and rolled her car, California Highway Patrol officials said in a news release.

Aaron Michael Ellis, 19, of Murrieta, was thrown from the car and killed.

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