I came across an article from the Washington Post in my Archives (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/11/21/driver-who-plowed-into-osu-crowd-was-not-drunk-court-documents-reveal) & wanted to pass such on, as it relates to yesterday's post & is pertinent to those accused of DUI in the City of Seattle.
At 10:31 a.m. on October 24, 2015, a female reportedly "drove her 2014 Hyundai Elantra into an unmanned police motorcycle before careening into the crowd of spectators" at Oklahoma State University's Homecoming parade. Such resulted in nearly the death of 4 spectators along with nearly 50 others being injured. The 25 year-old driver, who has suffered with mental illness for years, was unscathed. However, she was accused of Driving Under the Influence and formally charged with 4 counts of Second Degree Murder. http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/24/us/oklahoma-car-into-crowd.
Stillwater Police Captain, Kyle Gibbs, said authorities believe [the female driver] was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Gibbs told ABC's "Good Morning America" Monday that authorities haven't seen signs of mental illness in Chambers, though she has made no statements to investigators so far." Gibbs further stated, "Essentially you have someone driving under the influence and they end up killing four persons. That's the reason for that homicide charge." Despite the captain's comments, the driver's blood results came back just one-month later revealing a mere .001 alcohol reading and NO presence of impairing drugs or medication.
This is incident was an ABSOLUTE tragedy, without question. However, the media and law enforcement's knee-jerk reaction that the driver MUST have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs sheds light on the notion that we, as citizens, are not necessarily presumed innocent when it comes to DUI charges. This rings as true here in Seattle as it does in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The attorneys at Veitch Ault & Associates focus in the defense of DUI and other serious traffic violations. If you or someone you know has been arrested for DUI in Washington State, contact Veitch Ault & Associates immediately (425-452-1600) to make sure one is given the best chance possible to defend themselves.
Posted by Robert J. Ault | May 24, 2019 |
One of the negative repercussions of a DUI conviction in Washington State is a requirement of an Ignition Interlock Device (IID) for a minimum of one-year on one's vehicle. While IIDs are well-intentioned and serve a legitimate purpose, these devices are error-prone and often dangerous.
Posted by Robert J. Ault | May 15, 2019 |
While you likely don't have a court date immediately, there are certain things that should be addressed immediately
Posted by Robert J. Ault | May 15, 2019 |
A frequent question I get from new clients is how a Seattle DUI charge will affect vehicle insurance. I briefly touched upon SR-22 insurance in a previous post, but want to provide additional information here. Three years of SR-22 is a requirement the Department of Licensing (DOL) will ...
Posted by Robert J. Ault | May 15, 2019 |
Law Enforcement officers in Washington State do have the discretion to take DUI arrestees Blood without consent in certain cicumstances
Posted by Robert J. Ault | May 15, 2019 |
If an attorney tells you that they don't have to try cases and/or don't lose trials, you should run like the wind. Seattle DUI charges are tough, and any attorney claiming to not lose cases is doing what many attorneys I know do: merely plea their clients guilty when prosecutors ...
Posted by Robert J. Ault | Jan 19, 2016 |
“A defendant is presumed innocent. This presumption continues throughout the entire trial unless during your deliberations you find it has been overcome by the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt…” WPIC 4.01.
Posted by Robert J. Ault | Mar 22, 2015 |
For years, we ,at Veitch Ault & Associates, have suspected that various Washington State law enforcement agencies used "DUI Quotas" for their traffic enforcment officers.
Posted by Robert J. Ault | Mar 20, 2015 |
I found this article today in the Huffington Post. http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/4221000
Such details the following:
"Former prosecutor and judge, Ken Anderson, pled guilty to intentionally failing to disclose evidence in a case that sent an innocent man, Michael Morton, to prison for the mur...
Posted by Robert J. Ault | Mar 19, 2015 |
As I have written before, I don't know a single person who believes it's a good idea to drink a lot of alcohol before getting behind the wheel.
Posted by Robert J. Ault | Mar 12, 2015 |
I came across the following article this morning, which details how distracted driving is expected to surpass impaired driving as a factor in fatal crashes for the 7th straight year in Ontario Provincial. My reason for posting is not to minimize the danger of drinking and driving. Rather, I thin...
Posted by Robert J. Ault | Mar 11, 2015 |
I came across the following article this week, which compares average insurance premium increases following a DUI from city-to-state
http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/insurance/2015/03/09/stpatricks-day-drinking-dui-insurance.
The article ranks Seattle as #17th in the U.S. in average insurance pre...
Posted by Robert J. Ault | Mar 08, 2015 |
I came across this article as a member of the National College for DUI Defense. Though
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Lawmaker-Paul-Moriarty-Says-He-Was-Humiliated-by-False-DWI-Arrest-290842361.html
Posted by Robert J. Ault | Mar 08, 2015 |
I have previouslu blogged about the possible effects of a criminal conviction on one's ability to gain employment in Washington State. Thus, I wanted to post an article from the New York Times written this past week. While the article is well-written and makes some good points, I believe (atleast...
Posted by Robert J. Ault | Mar 08, 2015 |
I tell every potential client I meet with that setting realistic expectations is paramount. Unlike many attorneys who claim to focus in DUI Defense, I am not going to make promises I can't keep. The large majority of our firm's clients come from referrals (from other lawyers, past clients, law ...
Posted by Robert J. Ault | Feb 22, 2015 |
Roughly 90% of the potential clients I meet with are under the impression that their DUI arrest was video and audio recorded. Unfortunately, this is the case only roughly 35% of the time.. As a general rule, I am ALWAYS happy to learn that a client's arrest was audio/video recorded. You may th...
Posted by Robert J. Ault | Feb 22, 2015 |
The following article comes from the Seattle Times in 2015. Such discusses how a number of ill-advised local lawmakers are pushing to amend the current law regarding what qualifies as a Felony DUI in Washington State. At the present time, the number of misdemeanor/gross misdemeanors
Posted by Robert J. Ault | Jan 01, 2015 |
While waiting to be seated for breakfast this morning at a local restaurant, I overheard a man explaining to one of the waitresses that a friend of his had been stopped at a DUI Sobriety Checkpoint in the State of California last evening. The man's friend, intelligently, had agreed to be the desi...
Posted by Robert J. Ault | Jan 01, 2015 |
I recently came across the following article: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/State-lawmakers-mull-toughening-Wash-distracted-driving-law-286516891.html. Such briefly touches upon the notion that law enforcement officers in Washington State have become frustrated with the limited effect of dis...
Posted by Robert J. Ault | Dec 01, 2014 |
Another Day, Another Article in a Washington State newspaper (The Olympian) concerning drivers arrested for Marijuana-DUIs.
Posted by Robert J. Ault | Nov 30, 2014 |
"Prevalence of Alcohol Dependence Among US Adult Drinkers (2009-2011).
Posted by Robert J. Ault | Nov 30, 2014 |
I came across the following article in the Seattle Times this morning (such was, in fact, released on November 29, 2014). The article explains how researchers at Washington State University are currently taking steps toward creating a Preliminary (& Portable) Breath Test Device (PBT) to assi...
Posted by Robert J. Ault | Nov 20, 2014 |
Ever since the legalization of recreational marijuana was approved in Washington State on November 6th, 2012 I have been asked countless times to what degree we can expect the number of Marijuana DUI arrests to increase. If I knew the precise answer, I would be playing the lotto rather than wr...
Posted by Robert J. Ault | Nov 19, 2014 |
This past Sunday, I came across a KIRO Investigative Report on the television. It is a rare occurrence when a local news station provides information worthy of a second thought. However, I will admit that Channel 7's fifteen-minute segment concerning off-duty DUI arrests within the Seattle F...
Posted by Robert J. Ault | Nov 13, 2014 |
A frequent question from one arrested for DUI is, "What is going to show up on Background Checks?" Unfortunately, there isn't a universal answer to this question, as there
If you or someone you know has been arrested for DUI in Washington State, contact Veitch Ault & Associates...
Posted by Robert J. Ault | Nov 13, 2014 |
The blog below comes from an article I wrote in November, 2012. Such was published in the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers magaazine. This article outlines how subjects arrested for DUI often have difficulty providing a breath sample at the police station and are improperly fo...