On Jan. 22 at approximately 2:09 p.m., police responded to the Acme parking lot in the Newtown Square Shopping Center for a reported reckless driver driving a Saturn. Upon arrival, police made contact with the reckless driver, who was later identified as Kenan Nameli, 45, of Drexel Hill. When asked what happened, Nameli told police, “I was driving the car, I hit them and left,” according to the incident report. In addition, Nameli told police he did not have a driver’s license and had been drinking, according to the report. While speaking to Nameli, police observed a strong odor of alcohol coming from him. Nameli submitted to a portable breathalyzer test in which a 0.18 percent blood alcohol concentration was recorded. In addition, Nameli had allegedly struck his vehicle into the rear bumper of a nother vehicle that was stopped at a traffic light on South Newtown Street Road/Rt. 252, according to the report. Nameli was arrested and charged for DUI, accident involving damage attended to a vehicle or property, failing to give information and render aid, careless driving, and driving while operating a suspended or revoked license.
DUI Sergeant John C. Flanagan
Sergeant John C. Flanagan, who was fired in August, had more than twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system when Surprise police pulled him over in March , according to a document from the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board.
Flanagan had his two children, ages 5 and 7, in his car when he was stopped, the document said.
The law-enforcement oversight board will now determine whether to strip the 13-year veteran of the Phoenix Police Department of his certification to be a police officer in Arizona.
Executive Director Lyle Mann said Flanagan has until mid-February to request an appeal.
“It’s now up to him as to whether or not he wants a hearing before they consider action against his certification,” Mann said.
Flanagan, 41, pleaded guilty in October to two counts of aggravated DUI and one count of extreme aggravated DUI. All counts are considered felonies, but were designated Class 1 misdemeanors after Flanagan pleaded guilty.
Flanagan, who could not be reached for comment, served 10 days in jail, received two years’ probation and 80 hours of community service in addition to fines and fees, according to court officials.
DUI Convictions Rafael Espinoza Moreno
Rafael Espinoza Moreno, 27, was sentenced to 19 years and 8 months after pleading no contest to charges stemming from the Aug. 14 crash that killed Esmeralda Ramirez of Baldwin Park, prosecutors said.
Ramirez was walking to church with her boyfriend at about 2:30 p.m. when Moreno, who was later found to have a blood-alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit, lost control of the 2005 Jeep Laredo he was driving, travelling onto the sidewalk along Baldwin Park Boulevard near Stewart Street and fatally striking Ramirez, Baldwin Park police Lt. David Reynoso said.
Ramirez was pronounced dead at the scene.
"Alcohol and excessive speed were factors in this collision," Reynoso said. "Moreno had never been issued a California driver’s license but had previously received a citation for driving with no license and speeding. Moreno had also been previously deported and was in the country illegally at the time of the crime."
Moreno fled the crash scene and was found hiding about two blocks away, police said.
"It appears Moreno was in the process of telephoning his family members to pick him up so he can elude arrest," Reynoso said.
The crash occurred on Moreno’s birthday.
DUI Charges 37-year-old Robert Craft
37-year-old Robert Craft was initially charged with two counts of felony DUI involving death and having an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle after the October 28 crash that killed 10-year-old Haley and 7-year-old Cameron Upchurch.
Authorities say the 2 children were riding in a car with their 9-year-old sister, Christeena, and grandparents, Wayne and Teena Rabon, when the collision occurred on South Lake Dr.
Highway Patrol investigators ruled that Wayne Rabon, who was trying to enter a private driveway while driving the family home from church, pulled in front of Craft and that both parties contributed to the crash. Authorities concluded that Craft was legally drunk, but was driving slightly below the posted 55 MPH speed limit when the collision happened.
Christeena Upchurch and the Rabons were treated at the hospital and released. Cameron, however, died at the hospital shortly after accident and Haley passed away just a few days later.
Because of the MAIT team findings, Craft’s charges have been downgraded to DUI 2nd offense. He was due in court on Wednesday, but that appearance was re-scheduled to February 6th. He has been in jail with no bond since the accident.
DUI Arrest Lynisha Nicole Jefferson of Escalon
Lynisha Nicole Jefferson of Escalon is being held on $101,560 bail in Hayward city jail. She is scheduled to enter a plea Feb. 7 at the Hayward Hall of Justice.
Jefferson also is facing two charges of driving of under the influence and a misdemeanor charge of child endangerment.
Jefferson was arrested at 2:40 a.m. Tuesday after police say they saw her trying to park a 2011 Nissan Altima in front of Quick Stop convenience store at 1001 MacArthur Blvd., near Dutton Avenue, Lt. Jeff Tudor said.
The officer reported seeing her throw a tequila bottle out her car window and noticed she appeared intoxicated when he initiated a conversation, Tudor said.
He then saw a 1-year-old in a car seat in the vehicle, he said.
The woman failed a field sobriety test and she was taken into custody, police said. A small amount of marijuana was discovered in the vehicle, Tudor said.
DUI lawyer Michelle Winspur may face DUI Charge
Local attorney Michelle Winspur, who was barred from practicing law on Jan. 6, is now facing criminal charges in Kings County Superior Court for showing up to work intoxicated.
Winspur, 45, made headlines in December when she failed to appear on her client’s behalf in the highly publicized Denise McVay murder case.
Now the Kings County District Attorney’s Office has filed charges against her for drunken driving and appearing in court while under the influence of a controlled substance.
On Thursday, a lawyer representing her pleaded not guilty to the charges. She did not appear herself, Chief Deputy District Attorney Larry Crouch said, because she apparently checked herself into rehab.
Winspur is now scheduled to appear in court for a pretrial hearing on March 9.
DUI Arrest Gina Hersh kicks police during DUI
Officers stopped Gina Hersh, 37, near Higley and Elliot roads after two people called police to report her dangerous driving, according to police spokesman Sgt. Bill Balafas.
He said Hersh was confrontational with officers during the traffic stop and kicked an officer in the knee at the police station. She was restrained but continued to be physically combative.
Hersh was booked at Maricopa County Fourth Avenue Jail on aggravated assault to an officer and alcohol/DUI-related charges.
DUI Arrest hospital CEO St. John’s Medical Center acting CEO John Kren
St. John’s Medical Center acting CEO John Kren was charged with DUI earlier this month after allegedly flipping his truck and later being arrested in the hospital’s emergency room.
According to the probable cause statement by Teton County Sheriff’s Deputy Aaron Dunlap filed Jan. 17 in 9th Circuit Court, Kren, 45, lost control of his Chevrolet pickup truck shortly after 9 p.m. Jan. 13 while heading north on Spring Gulch Road near the Cattlemen’s Bridge. The truck rolled and came to rest on its cab.
Sheriff’s deputies noticed Kren showed “several signs of intoxication” after the crash, the court document states. There was a “very strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath,” his eyes were “red and watery” and his speech was “noticeably slurred,” the document states.
A portable breath test measured Kren’s blood alcohol content at 0.18 at the time of his arrest, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08, according to the probable cause statement. Kren told deputies he had two drinks that night, the document said.
St. John’s Board of Trustees President Michael Tennican learned about the incident from Kren on Jan. 20. In a written statement, trustees said that, although they have not met to discuss the matter in detail, they “are not aware of any evidence that this was [anything] other than an isolated incident occurring outside of work hours.”
“John has been a strong contributor to the work of the hospital for more than 10 years,” the statement reads. “His performance has been exemplary, and there have never been any questions raised in regard to his conduct or behavior.”
Kren sustained minor abrasions and a cut to his nose in the crash, according to Dunlap’s statement, and was transported to St. John’s Medical Center by ambulance. Kren had not been wearing a seat belt.
There were no passengers in his truck, and no other vehicles were involved, the statement said. However, due to an earlier report that multiple persons were trapped in the vehicle, emergency responders were called to the scene, Dunlap reported.
“I am distressed and embarrassed that I was involved in a single-car accident on Jan. 13 and have been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol,” Kren wrote in a statement. “I’m terribly sorry that this happened. This has never happened before in my life, and I will work diligently each and every day to make sure it never happens again.”
Kren, the hospital’s chief financial officer, has served as acting CEO since Nov. 1, after the early retirement of CEO Pam Maples. She and several trustees recommended him for the position.
DUI arrest Hayward
A Hayward man was arrested early Friday morning after police say he drove drunkenly into a stop sign and two parked cars and then tried to run from the scene.
The suspect, whose identity was not immediately released, was driving an Acura sedan about 2 a.m. on Bishop Drive when he hit a stop sign on Harder Road. He then continued south, where he struck a parked BMW sedan and limousine, said police Lt. Dave Lundgren.
After the second crash, the man tried to flee the scene but was chased down by officers about a block away, Lundgren said. He was taken to the hospital for minor injuries. No one else was harmed.
The driver was arrested and booked on suspicion of misdemeanor DUI and hit-and-run. He was released pending an upcoming court date.
DUI charges Scott Mitchell, Sebastapol, California
Scott Mitchell, 40, of Sebastapol, Calif., also has been charged with driving on train tracks and failure to obey a traffic sign, said Officer Albie Esparza, a police spokesman.
No injuries were reported as Mitchell is expected to be cited and released, Esparza said.
"It appears he just drove into the tunnel and his vehicle got stuck when it hit a concrete step," Esparza said. "We believe he was under the influence of alcohol. It’s very fortunate that nobody was injured."
Mitchell’s vehicle entered a tunnel on Church Street shortly before 6 a.m. and traveled eastward almost to the Van Ness Station, said Paul Rose, spokesman for the city’s Municipal Transportation Agency.
No trains were involved in the incident, Rose said.