Clark County DUI / DWI Law Blog

In a previous post, we mentioned that the newly elected Sheriff of San Francisco has become entangled in allegations of domestic abuse involving his wife on New Year's Eve. At the time we wrote that post, the District Attorney's office was still determining whether charges would be pursued in the case.

Well things developed quickly, because on Thursday Sheriff Mirkarimi pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor counts domestic violence battery, child endangerment and dissuading a witness. Interestingly, the Sheriff's wife was present at the hearing to criticize the judge for her handling of the case.

According to a recently released study published in the Journal of Pediatrics, many pediatricians may be more likely to suspect domestic abuse in children from a low-income family than those from higher-income families. The research did find, though, that the race of the child doesn't appear to affect doctor's opinions.

The research, while inconclusive, does point to the stereotypes of many who feel that child abuse and domestic violence doesn't happen in affluent families, and that abuse is more readily suspected among the lower class.

Our readers may have heard of Ross Mirkarimi, San Francisco's new sheriff who is currently embroiled in somewhat of a fiasco that has some calling for his resignation. According to sources, Mirkarimi-who took his oath of office on Sunday-was reportedly involved in a domestic incident with his wife on New Year's Eve.

Mirkarimi's wife is said to have approached a neighbor to reach out for help on the night of the incident. The neighbor reportedly took photographs of the bruised woman, who later denied that domestic violence occurred. She has also said that the situation had been "taken out of context."

Although the state of Washington has not used sobriety checkpoints since the late 1980s, some state lawmakers have recently started a campaign to bring them back.

Sobriety checkpoints, which make use of road blocks in order to catch drunk drivers, were found to be unconstitutional by the Washington State Supreme Court, but concerns over the number of drunk-driving related fatalities has these lawmakers calling for reconsideration of the issue.

Many of our readers may be aware of the singer Chris Brown and his arrest two years ago on allegations that he assaulted his then-girlfriend, the singer Rihanna.

At the time, Brown was 19. He later pleaded guilty to felony assault and was sentenced to five years of labor-intensive probation and one year of domestic violence prevention classes.

Our Vancouver readers may be interested to know that Washington is one of 14 states that currently mandate the use of ignition interlock devices for all convicted DUI offenders. Such mandatory use of ignition interlock devices is heavily pushed by groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving because of its effectiveness in preventing drunk-driving related deaths.

For those who do not know, ignition interlock devices are machines that act as in-car Breathalyzers. Drivers are required to blow into the devices, which will detect the presence of any alcohol and prevent the car from starting if any is detected, preventing the offender from getting on the road.

The increasing popularity of mandatory ignition interlock devices for convicted DWI offenders is a hopeful sign for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, who has been pushing for the use of such devices for years.

The group has been pushing lawmakers to adopt measures mandating the devices for all DWI offenders in the hopes of reducing injuries and deaths stemming from drunk driving accidents.

A 24-year-old Everett, Washington man reportedly crashed into a pedestrian walkway, striking two individuals on Monday night and killing one.

According to the Washington State Patrol, the driver went across a raised median on the onramp to Highway 2 going eastbound, then went through a dirt berm, around secured metal pylons and then onto the pedestrian where the two had been walking. At this point, it isn't clear what charges will come from the incident, but police suspect that the driver was under the influence of alcohol.