The consequences of driving under the influence can cost someone their life. Over the years, more and more people have become aware of the seriousness of the crime, and this fact was very evident on Saturday when an 11-year-old called the police to report that his mother was driving drunk with him in the car.
Nicole Norris is a 30-year-old Oregon mother. She has many reasons to be proud of her son after he placed a 911 call that may have saved both of their lives. Norris was driving with a BAC level twice the legal limit in Oregon, putting both herself and her son in grave danger. Thanks to the phone call, Norris was arrested and removed from the car and Oregon roads.
The Hillsboro, Oregon Sheriff’s office reported the story on Tuesday. Washington County officials were very grateful that the young boy had the common sense and initiative to make sure his mother didn’t put herself, him, and others in grave danger with her drunk driving. While authorities are no doubt grateful to the boy, as are others who drive on those roads, a defense attorney will need to review the information to ensure that a DUI actually took place. As in a lot of DUI cases, not everything is as it at first seems.
This particular case has additional circumstances as well. The woman isn’t just facing a DUI charge but a child endangerment charge as well. Deputy Shannon Wilde commented on the case saying, “He was able to tell us how much he saw her drinking and told us he thought she hit the curb.” He added that “her driving was so bad he realized this was not normal.”
The alert child phoned 911 and from GPS coordinates, officers were able to track and finally locate the vehicle as it was driving on the road. Officers were very complimentary of the boy’s actions, calling him “a very brave courageous young man.” He added that sometimes “doing the right thing is not easy,” as is evident in this case where he had to call authorities on the woman he calls his mother. Not every young man would have been so brave in this instance.
As for the mother, she would do well to investigate information on sites like DUIwise that help defendants get the best legal help that’s available out in the world. After all, despite the shocking nature of this case and the fact that she endangered her child, there is always hope for a brighter tomorrow in every DUI case. No one has to repeat their mistakes. Since her young son was alert and brave enough to call authorities, now a good lawyer might be able to take over the case and manage to get help for the young mother.
Oregon defendants will find plenty of information on DUIwise.com, including information about how to beat a DUI case in court with the help of good legal representation. It’s a complete fairy tale that you can’t beat a DUI with a breathalyzer readout showing how intoxicated you were. In fact, many people who take breathalyzers get false positives on their readouts. A good defense attorney will examine the breathalyzer used in the woman’s case and ensure that it gave an accurate readout.
Children always have everyone’s best interests at heart and the boy in this case certainly was trying to do the right thing. His actions likely saved his mother and himself from suffering far graver consequences for the DUI. However, all of the facts of the case might not be accurate, and a good defense attorney is going to analyze the events before the DUI, during the DUI arrest, and after to make sure that all of the proper procedures were followed.
Often times DUI defendants have trouble with drugs and/or alcohol. They can benefit from punishments that fall short of prison. The woman might be able to take a plea bargain and plead guilty in exchange for seeking treatment for alcoholism. She will likely lose her license for a period of time if she’s found guilty or if she pleads guilty. A good defense attorney in a DUI case will undoubtedly go over all the facts of the case with the defendant, witnesses, and police officers in the case so that they can determine what the recommended punishment should be.
Many DUI defendants do take plea bargains which can reduce the charges to something other than a DUI. As we all know, DUIs have serious impacts on car insurance. If the woman were to face this, she might be put in a financial situation that would make a life for herself and her son harder. If she’s able to seek treatment instead of getting a DUI and then have a lesser charge, this can definitely give her a head start on a recovery that is worthwhile.
Police are still sorting out the facts of the case. For now, Oregon police know that one intelligent young man did what he felt was right and called 911 to take a drunk driver off the road. This decision could have saved his own life, his mothers, and countless other lives. Police could not compliment the young man enough for his brave actions.
The fate of Nicole Norris will likely play out in a courtroom later this month or next month. As of now, the DUI charge and child endangerment charges have stuck and that is what she will be facing when she first enters her plea. Hopefully, she will discuss her case with a good defense attorney so that she can truly get the best possible outcome for herself and her son. More circumstances about the case are pending, as reporters piece together what has been reported by police and investigators so far. For now, Norris hasn’t issued a public statement about her arrest or about the young man that she calls son and how she feels about the 911 phone call he made. We can only hope she would be proud.