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Missoula Man Faces Time After 6th DUI Charge

A man in Missoula was recently charged with a disturbing 6th DUI charge. The man, Taylor Roberts, faced a hearing with presiding District Court Judge Robert Deschamps. The exchanges involved in this court hearing demonstrate just how seriously that judges take a DUI offense, especially one that ranks as the second or more offense. Felony DUI offenses aren’t as common as misdemeanor DUI charges in Montana, so a judge looking at someone who managed to pick up a 6th DUI is exceedingly rare.

The circumstances surrounding the 6th arrest were indeed shocking, both to judges and to police officers in the case. Taylor Roberts was approached while he was intoxicated and starting his car in downtown Missoula. This was after an alert Uber driver noted the intoxicated man getting behind the wheel of a car. Concerned for public safety, the Uber driver alerted the police.

Once on the scene, things quickly escalated. 37-year-old Roberts not only refused to turn off the vehicle but crashed into a parked car just in front of him. Nathan Griesse, the officer on the scene, described trying to open Roberts’s door, only to be bitten by a dog in the back seat. This frightening scene was played out in court thanks to graphic descriptions by the terrified officers.

Still not stopping, Roberts then backed into the parked patrol car behind him. Officer Jerry Odlin was able to finally get Roberts to stop by pepper spraying him. The dog was also pepper sprayed. Serious cases such as this most definitely qualify as “felony DUI” which is much more serious than misdemeanor DUI charges. The result of the hearing was the judge issuing some very strong words for Roberts and making sure that he got more than a slap on the wrist for the offense.

Roberts accepted a plea agreement whereby he admitted a felony DUI charge and also admitted guilt to several misdemeanors: Careless driving, negligent endangerment, and obstructing an officer. The original plea agreement would have put Roberts behind bars for 13 months in the Montana Department of Corrections. That was to be followed by a five-year suspended sentence. The judge had other ideas.

Calling Roberts a “genuine menace,” he retorted, “I mean I might as well give him a hearty slap on the wrist and send him on his way.” Deschamps was shocked by the facts of this case and wanted a harsher penalty for Roberts. His objection was to the area of the plea that called for the total sentence to run concurrently to a sentence in Ravalli County, where Roberts had already received a two-year sentence with the DOC.

What the correction by the judge means is that Roberts will have a total of 10 years probation instead of just 5. Roberts didn’t seem to acknowledge the severity of the situation and stated that he would be leaving Montana as soon as he was out of corrections. The judge snapped back. “You’re not going anywhere until your probation officer says you can.”

This case demonstrates some important facts about DUI cases. Keep in mind that even for a 6th offense DUI, Roberts did not see the significant amount of jail time one might have expected him to receive. His lawyers had plenty of room to question the facts of the case, especially since Roberts was not yet driving when he was approached. This can sometimes reduce the sentence or call into question the DUI in general. While it’s certain that a person with a 6th offense DUI needs to receive jail time, license suspension, and high insurance rates, you’ll notice that the offender did receive less jail time than someone might think one would get for a 6th offense DUI.

As a perpetual offender, the jail time is often gradually increased over time. Websites such as DUIwise help defendants of DUI charges understand how to beat the DUI charges uses the services of lawyers. DUIwise.com contains helpful information about the seriousness of DUI charges and other topics. The purpose? To help people charged with a DUI understand that they DO have legal options.

So often people who are charged with DUI simply give up and plead guilty the day after they’re arrested. This is an unfortunate fact. As good DUI lawyers know, every DUI is unique and contains circumstances that might allow for a dismissal or reduction of the charges. Even in worst case scenarios like those faced by Roberts, an experienced and passionate attorney can step in to make sure that the person who is pleading guilty is treated fairly before the law and given their best chance to avoid another DUI in the future.

Taylor Roberts will face jail time after this 6th charge, but he will eventually be released and given yet another chance to clean up his act. With the help of a good lawyer overseeing his behavior after release, Roberts has a much better chance to meet the terms of his probation and rebuild his life for the better. Alcoholism and problem drinking is a tragedy in any society. Good people quickly become bad people who don’t seem to understand the pain and danger they hand out to society.

A good DUI lawyer like those represented on DUIWise knows how to help their clients not just during the DUI bargaining phase and/or trial but also as they complete the terms of their probation. Roberts’s future may be uncertain right now but if the outcome of his case is any indication, it’s obvious that he has a good chance of getting out in a few years and perhaps turning his life around. A good DUI lawyer will answer all of his questions during his probationary period and help him complete all of the requirements of that probation. While judges, in this case, were rightly concerned and firm, with the help of legal representation, Roberts was able to avoid a much stiffer penalty that might have put him behind bars for a very long time indeed. As for whether or not this “genuine menace” turns his life around, time will tell.

Fatal Oklahoma Homecoming Parade

DUI related crashes are not something to take lightly. They are brutal, often violent, and more often than not, fatal. Typically when alcohol or other toxins, like drugs, are mixed with driving, serious things happen. Car crashes, charges, and sometimes both happen in light of a DUI incident. When it comes to terrible accidents, the mind goes back to Oklahoma a few years back to a terrible incident that stands out in history.

It started out like any other day for the students at Oklahoma State University. It was a typical Saturday during football season, busy and full of life. It just so happened to be October 25, the day of OSU’s homecoming festivities. For many students, homecoming is an exciting day where people of all ages come together to celebrate the university and the football team.

What started out as a typical homecoming parade, ended in a tragedy that day. During the parade that morning, unsuspecting onlookers were taken off guard when a woman came crashing through an intersection that had been blocked off for the parade. She plowed into the crowd of people with her car, and the results were indescribable.

The gray car that the woman had been driving was smashed on one side, and the windshield was also shattered from the impact made. A motorcycle was crumpled and mangled after being hit by the woman’s car. There are many people injured on the scene as well, but the most haunting tragedies were the deaths that day.

Four people suffered a terrible fate when the woman sped through the crowd. There were mangled chairs, twisted blankets, water bottles everywhere, and even a broken baby stroller. The carnage was immense. The woman, who had been behind the wheel, was immediately suspected of driving under the influence. Investigators immediately tested her blood for substances, like alcohol or drugs, which might have impaired her driving.

The 25-year-old woman was arrested and remained incarcerated throughout Saturday night. Her charge? DUI. The motorcycle, which was mangled and destroyed, belonged to an officer who was working security for the parade that day. The woman struck his bike before plowing into the crowd.

The people she hit were flying in the air like a rag doll, and witnesses say they were almost thirty feet into the air on impact. Immediately, people were being treated for injuries. At least 44 different people were injured in the crash, while three adults and one boy, two years old, died. The adults passed at the scene of the horrendous crash, but the little boy died later from sustained injuries. Many of the injuries were critical.

At first, many of the news media though the crash was part of the parade. However, that view soon changed the look of panic on so many people’s faces came into view. The incident sparked a homicide investigation on the woman as well since she was responsible for so many people’s death that day.

Her father had a few things to say on the matter at hand that almost seem shocking in light of the events surrounding the crash. He claims that the woman, his daughter, has always been a timid person. She wasn’t an alcoholic, and she had even attended the homecoming festivities that Friday night. According to her boyfriend, she was home by 10 p.m. that night, but her actions seem to prove something different. Her father was afraid that the media would paint her to be a bad person, but the accident, which did involve alcohol, stands to reason.

The President of the University considered canceling the homecoming game against Kansas. However, they continued as scheduled. The university added a moment of silence before kickoff to help honor and remember those who had been a victim of the nasty crash only hours before. Many of the OSU players knelt down on the sidelines in a silent prayer of their own.

Many of the fans who attended the game that day were forced with the task of walking past that intersection to get to the stadium since the intersection was less than three blocks away. Many National Guard troops remained to keep watch while Red Cross officials and the Medical examiner’s office continued the cleanup and reporting tasks at hand.

Saturday evening left a somewhat clean intersection again, leaving the tragic event somewhat in the past. Though there were many hurts, many survived the horrible crash. For those who didn’t, the families suffered the losses greatly. The woman, responsible for the crash, has spent time in incarceration for her actions. This event will go down in history in the state of Oklahoma as one of the more tragic events.

Even though this isn’t the first tragedy to strike Oklahoma State University, it still stands as one of the worst on the list. When considering the things that are driving while intoxicated can do, it is gut wrenching and earth shattering. Not only do the drivers of these vehicles put their own life in danger, but they endanger many innocent people as well. Whether those people are driving cars or standing on the sidewalk to watch a homecoming parade doesn’t matter. What does matter is keeping the streets safe by restraining from consuming alcohol and driving.

Many states are cracking down on the DUI and DWI laws and charges. More people are being caught and punished now than ever before, and when looking back at this incident, it is no wonder. The families will suffer forever, and the woman will as well since she will always be stricken with the consequences of her reckless actions.

It is important to remember never to drink and drive. If you have been drinking, you should relinquish your keys or your right to drive. Find a ride, grab a cab, or find an Uber to take you home. It is better to be safe than be sorry, and it is better to pay a little more for a ride home than pay for your life from a fatal crash.

Wisconsin Woman Facing DUI Charges After Fatal Accident

Motorcyclists in the State of Wisconsin, along with the rest of the country, find many dangerous obstacles while on the road. Although you wear a helmet and other protective clothing on your body, that won’t stand a chance against a collision. With so few protective barriers, collisions involving motorcycles often end in a fatal outcome, either involving serious injuries or worse.

Accidents involving motorcycles are terrible. The accidents involving a fatality are even worse. However, if the other motorist has been suspected of a DUI, the accident becomes much more stressful and severe regarding potential consequences. Believe it or not, this sort of thing happens quite often in the world, Wisconsin included.

This incident occurred in Wisconsin, and it even has a lesson to be learned. Late in July of this year, one woman caused a serious accident of the nature mentioned above. The accident claimed the life of an unsuspecting motorcyclist that was going on his merry way.

During a normal drive, a motorcycle, and a car were in the wrong place at the wrong time, at the same time. A woman was the driver of the car, and a man was driving the motorcycle. The woman reportedly crossed the road into oncoming traffic. She swerved and veered on the wrong side of the road, where she then proceeded to hit a man in a head-on collision. The man was driving the motorcycle just like any other day.

The man was quickly airlifted to a waiting medical facility for the treatment of his wounds and injuries, which were extensive and eventually fatal. However, the emergency personnel who was first on the scene report, much to their dismay, that the man died in transit to the hospital. He went all day without knowing what would come to him later, and the woman had some serious explaining to do. An accident of this nature does not go without consequence.

The accident is mind-boggling enough alone, but with a certain element coming into light, the accident is even more appalling. Police from the Wisconsin town have reported about the terrible accident later by saying that the woman, who had been driving the car, admitted to the accident. In a panic, she even requested that the police take her into custody because of it. They took her to the station and began to question her as well as run tests. When they tested her for blood alcohol content, her levels were at a .30, well over the legal driving limit. In Wisconsin, they take these serious facts into consideration of the accident.

Not only was her blood alcohol content over the legal limit, but this was not her first charge either. Things were not looking good for the driver of the car that day. She, reportedly, has had two other OWI convictions on her record, and she is also facing various charges because of the fatal accident involving herself and the man on the motorcycle. One of the charges the woman faces includes a drunk driving offense, which is her third offense on her record. You can imagine the severity of her charge after the police found out this information.

There are many penalties for DUI accidents and charges, none of which are minor. These types of charges are not taken lightly because of the severe threat they pose toward other drivers on the road as well as the intoxicated drivers themselves. The DUI charges increase in severity as well, and since she has two other charges, the conviction will be serious. This, with the added fatal accident, has serious repercussions for the woman who was behind the wheel that day. The woman does have a chance to defend herself in court, by the law of course. A defense attorney might even be able to help her avoid conviction for the woman, but it stands to reason that driving under intoxication is serious and life-threatening. The woman, whose final charges are still unknown to the public, has the chance to face life in prison because of her reckless actions.

What is not found in the recollection of the fatal accident is the turmoil after the fact, not only for the family of the deceased but even for the woman herself. It is safe to say that the motorcyclist probably left a family of some kind behind. He probably had friends. The mourning for this loss of life is only heightened by the events surrounding his death. It could have been avoided.

For the woman, she will be faced with this terrible thought for the rest of her life. The death of this man will hang over her head. It is possible that the woman was also feeling turmoil after the accident since she knew what she had done and turned herself into the police in this Wisconsin town. Her reckless actions took a life that day, and she will live with that guilt for the rest of her life.

When looking at the facts of this accident, there are a few things to consider before hopping back into your car and driving down the road. Motorcycles are not as safe as they seem. You always take a risk when riding one on the roads. Also, driving is difficult anyway, but with the mix of alcohol or drugs, driving becomes a huge hazard.

Not only is driving under intoxication dangerous for other drivers on the road, but it is dangerous for the one doing the driving. Car accidents are one of the leading causes of death, and DUIs play a huge role in this statistic. It is always safe to relinquish your driving after you have been drinking. Call a cab, call an Uber, or find another ride back home. Remember to keep yourself and everyone else safe by not drinking and driving.