Drunk Driving

U.S. Supreme Court Rules Against Warrantless Blood Tests for DUI Suspects in Missouri Case

Cops cannot force suspected drunk drivers to give a blood sample without a warrant, according to a ruling this week in a Missouri case that made it all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States. The decision has broad implications for Fourth Amendment rights, says Tony Rothert, legal direc ... More >>

Rams Cornerback Trumaine Johnson Arrested for DUI in Montana [UPDATE]

Update, 3:30 p.m: Daily RFT has received more details on the arrest from the Missoula Police Department. The Rams Trumaine Johnson was picked up in Missoula, Montana, very early this morning for driving under the influence of alcohol. Details are scant at this point, but according to the Missoula ... More >>

Emily Hagan: Attorney Says Rain, Street Construction Were Factors in DWI Cyclist Death

This week, news broke that Emily Hagan, a 31-year-old Kirkwood resident, has accepted a plea deal for a three-year sentence -- one year after she was accused of killing a cyclist while driving drunk in University City. "Emily...wanted to accept the responsibility and she did," her attorney Art Mar ... More >>

Cyclist Fatality: Emily Hagan, Suspect in U. City Drunk Driving Crash, Sentenced to Three Years

One year after killing a cyclist in a drunk-driving crash, Emily Hagan, a 31-year-old Kirkwood resident, has been sentenced to three years in prison. After the crash in University City in February of last year, Hagan was charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter and misdemeanor driving wh ... More >>

U.S. Supreme Court Hears Missouri Man's Warrantless DUI Blood Draw Case Tomorrow

When Tyler G. McNeely was knocking back drinks on an October evening in 2010, he probably didn't figure he was about to embark on a two year journey to the United States Supreme Court. But that's exactly where his night of boozing will land him tomorrow, when the nine justices will hear arguments t ... More >>

Ricky Weeden: Incorrigible Drunk Driver Charged With Fatal Accident That Killed Boy

Authorities have charged the man they believe is the hit-and-run driver who mowed down two young boys as they crossed St. Charles Rock Road in Pagedale on Friday night. Rayeshon Williams, age four, died at the scene. His ten-year-old brother, Jayshard Conner, is recovering from injuries at the hos ... More >>

Can Cops Draw a DUI Suspect's Blood Without Consent? US Supreme Court to Hear MO Suit

Did a Missouri state trooper violate the U.S. constitution in October 2010 when he arrested a drunk driver in Cape Girardeau and drew his blood, even though the driver refused?Looks like the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) will now be making the final call on whether such a blood test am ... More >>

The Six Best References To Drunk Driving In Song

The trifecta may be sex, drugs, and rock & roll, but at some point you have to get from point A to point B. Against its better judgement, rock & roll has gotten behind the wheel while intoxicated several times. We are not endorsing such an activity, but the risk factor of driving while intoxicated h ... More >>

New Study Shows Best Way to Prevent Injuries is to Cross the River to Illinois

When it comes to preventing serious injury, Illinois is an infinitely safer state to be in than Missouri, at least according to a new report released this morning by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The report, entitled The Facts Hurt: A State-By-State Injury P ... More >>

John Howard Now Has Two-and-a-Half Six Packs Worth of DUI Arrests

Branson man John Charles Howard, 50, has been charged with DUI fourteen times in Missouri and Kansas. Monday night in Overland Park, Kansas, he racked up lucky number 15. This one came with an increased degree of difficulty however: He was fleeing the scene of a suspected crime.

Emily Hagen Charged in Death of Cyclist Samuel Scott

Emily Hagen, 30, has been charged with first degree involuntary manslaughter and misdemeanor driving while intoxicated in the death of bicyclist Samuel Scott, 19. Hagen allegedly had a blood alcohol content of 0.262, more than three times the legal limit of 0.08, on the February night when she rear- ... More >>

Dan McLaughlin: Broadcaster Too Drunk to Open Car Door During 2nd DWI

McLaughlin's mugshot for his September 2011 DWI.​Cardinals broadcaster Dan McLaughlin was too drunk to open the door to his SUV when arrested for a DWI September 25 -- his second such charge in just over a year. According to the police report for the most recent DWI, McLaughlin didn't have his dri ... More >>

Mizzou Coach Gary Pinkel Arrested for DWI

Boone County Sheriff's DepartmentPinkel was pickled, say police.Chrissake, Gary! Has Mizzou's 5-5 season led you to the bottle? Or are you still celebrating Saturday's win over Texas? Either way, this doesn't look good for ​the University of Missouri.Major Tom Reddin of the Boone County Sheri ... More >>

Dan McLaughlin: Police Report Suggests He Wet His Pants, Name-Dropped Job in First DWI

McLaughlin's mugshot for his August 2010 DWI.​Cardinals' announcer Dan McLaughlin is fighting for his career after getting his second DWI in a little over a year last month. Both arrests occurred in Chesterfield, and the police report from that first DUI in August 2010 paints a very unflattering p ... More >>

Dan McLaughlin: Broadcaster's Fate Sealed After 2nd DWI Arrest

​Mark my words. Dan McLaughlin's career is finito in St. Louis. That's a shame. He was a decent broadcaster, but that's just the way it is. He will not survive his latest PR blunder, and he has no one to blame but himself.On Sunday night, the 37-year-old McLaughlin was arrested for driving under t ... More >>

Male Nurse Rescues State Trooper from Drunk

Now here's something they don't teach in nursing school.​Oh, to have witnessed this scene as it unfolded Saturday night along Interstate 55 and Meramec Bottom Road in south St. Louis County!According to police, Jason M. Becks of Ste. Genevieve was driving erratically around 7 p.m. when a state tro ... More >>

Germ-X Executive Needs Slogan for Senate Campaign; Any Suggestions?

vijon.comBrunner: Just the man to sanitize Washington?​Three months after it was first reported elsewhere, the Post-Dispatch this morning adds credence to the news that John Brunner, chairman of the Vinita Park-based company Vi-Jon, will run for Senate in 2012. Brunner, a Republican, would face Sa ... More >>

Twelve Years for a DWI? Too Much, Says Missouri Appellate Court

Twelve years for drunk driving? Not unless you're a "chronic" offender -- and the judge crosses every T, the appeals court finds.​A Jefferson City man wasn't speeding when he got arrested for drunk driving. Nor did he hit anyone (or anything). In fact, he wasn't even, technically, driving. When po ... More >>

Missouri Supreme Court to Weigh Warrantless Blood Draws for DUIs

If you're on the roadways, you may have no right to refuse a blood test, the Missouri Court of Appeals suggested in a ruling today.​Do law enforcement officers in Missouri have the right to order a blood draw if they suspect a driver is drunk -- even if they haven't gotten a judge to issue a warra ... More >>

Mardi Gras Drunk Driving Arrests? Ha!

Brian VillaDid this year's Mardi Gras revelers expose their boobs? Yes. Did they drive drunk? Apparently, no.​We know there was mayhem and madness down in Soulard this weekend. (Heck, we've got the pictures to prove it!) We also know that 83 people were arrested for alcohol-related deviltry, inclu ... More >>

Driving Home From Mardi Gras? Advice From an Attorney

Kraut Law Group​Mardi Gras season also means DUI season, and the police could be tailing your car next. Sure, you only had a few beers. Your blood alcohol content is surely below the legal limit. But could that still portend trouble if Officer Teetotaler pulls you over? It's a situation fraugh ... More >>

Missouri Drunk Escapes DUI; Drank Brandy to Keep Warm Until Help Arrived

Man's best friend (the brandy not the dog).​Note to self: Always keep brandy in the car. A jury last week sided with a man found drunk behind the wheel of his car following an early morning accident last February. As the Southeast Missourian reports, Thomas Drummond has always maintained that he w ... More >>

Dan McLaughlin Pleads Guilty to Drunk Driving; Settles Daily RFT Poll

​Well, that settles that. Yesterday an attorney for Cardinals' television broadcaster Dan McLaughlin confirmed his client was driving under the influence when he was pulled over on Highway 40 in Chesterfield last August. McLaughlin has been placed on two-year probation and already completed commun ... More >>

Contrary to Popular Belief, St. Louis Police Do Ticket for DUIs

​Move to St. Louis and one of the first things you'll hear from your newfound friends at the corner tavern is not to worry about drinking and driving within city limits.St. Louis cops -- so the logic goes -- have too many real crimes to worry about (homicides, shootings, burglaries) than to spend ... More >>

Dan McLaughlin: Wasted or Not? [MUGSHOT]

​So, Fox Sports Midwest broadcaster Dan McLaughlin is due in court today for a hearing regarding his August arrest on suspicion of drunk driving. McLaughlin was driving down Highway 40 when Chesterfield police pulled him over in response to a 911 call for an erratic driver. McLaughlin, the play-by ... More >>

Same Rams Who Stuck With Leonard Little Say No To Vincent Jackson For DUI Issues

Image viaThe Rams give Vincent Jackson a headache too.​There are several reasons the Rams shouldn't have traded for Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson.-San Diego was reportedly asking for a second-round draft pick and cash in exchange for Jackson. That's a hefty price to pay for the Rams, a fr ... More >>

Zachery Huntsman: Drunk, Texting Driver Crashes Into Home

​Officials with the Madison County Sheriff's Office say Zachery Huntsman was drunk when he crashed his brand new Hyundai Elantra into a home in Moro, Illinois, yesterday. The 20-year-old from nearby Cottage Hills gave police a different excuse for the accident: He wasn't drunk; he was texting. Sad ... More >>

Mizzou Football: A Third of Players, Two-Thirds Coaches To Be Arrested at Current Rate

Roar! I'm in jail. ​Wait - ANOTHER Mizzou football player got arrested? Before the season has even started?Yes: Derrick Washington -- the senior tailback who scored 10 touchdowns and rushed for 865 yards last year -- turned himself in to Boone County authorities yesterday right after being charged ... More >>

Ass Clown of the Week -- Cast Your Vote!

​Bombers, perverts, extortionists, embezzlers, incredibly drunk drivers ... who is this week's Daily RFT "Ass Clown of the Week"? The nominees...1. Stacy Griffin-Lowery: The accountant charged this week with embezzling $90,000 from the Missouri Veterans Commission.2. Jack Eigles: Sued this week fo ... More >>

Guess How Many DWI's St. Louis Police Gave Out on Mardi Gras

Image Via Soulard needs a new street sign​If you saw our earlier post today about the 92 arrests made by St. Louis' finest on the biggest drinking holiday of the year, you already know that a whopping 48 kids were cited for underage drinking on Saturday.But with more than 100,000 adults (a ... More >>

Ass Clown of the Week Is Back! Cast Your Vote for Biggest Local Bozo!

​Yes, 'tis that time of the week once more. Time for you, the readers of Daily RFT, to vote for the most despicable/idiotic local newsmaker of the past seven days. And the nominees...Amanda Hanneman and Jessra Johnson: The University of Missouri lady basketball players accused of beating the crap ... More >>

Illinois Doctor in Trouble For DUI's Uses Fuzzy Math to Fool Court

mugshot via stltoday.comDr. Charles Earnshaw​On Tuedsay, Dr. Charles Earnshaw of Alton, Illinois pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and unlawful use of a weapon. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to drop other weapons and DUI charges the doctor was facing. The judge in the ca ... More >>

From the Blog: Lawn-mower drunks, Juan Encarnación now playing politics, and ancient Cahokian savages

Drunkards vs. Druggers: Who is Ass Clown of the Week?

​Drugs and alcohol make people do stupid, shameful things. Question is, which of these Ass Clowns pulled the dumbest stunt this week? 1. Melanie Velasco: The Jefferson County mother made headlines back in May when authorities found a sandwich bag full of meth in some children's clothes she donated ... More >>

Another Lawnmower DUI; Illinois Drunk Drives Cub Cadet to Store for Milwaukee's Best

bnd.comDennis Cretton​Yesterday we speculated that driving lawnmowers while intoxicated was a recreation sport unique to Missouri. We were wrong. Drunk lawnmowering (that a word?) seems to be a favorite pastime of inebriates everywhere -- particularly those who've lost their drivers license from a ... More >>

You Know the Weather is Pleasant in Missouri When Rednecks Start Getting DUI's -- On Their Lawnmowers

flickr.com/photos/bellhalla​Yes, the corn is getting high. The cicadas are singing. And rednecks are fueling up on booze and mounting their lawn tractors. Must be socks-and-sandals weather in Missouri. As if on cue, yesterday the Joplin Globe in southwestern Missouri reported that police in nearby ... More >>

Sunset Hills Cop Charged with Five Felonies

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch announced today that his office has charged Sunset Hills police officer Christine Miller with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count of second-degree assault for the March 21, 2009, crash she caused which killed four people.Shortl ... More >>

"And That's Why You Don't Use a One-Armed Person to Scare Someone"

Zealous high school principals have been using "scared straight" style presentations in the school auditorium to warn teens about the dangers of drunk driving for decades, probably since the first hillbilly hopped-up on moonshine wrapped his Model T around a tree and lived to tell a horrif ... More >>

Wanted: Scott Spiezio

Wanted: Scott Spiezio

The Business / Brain Failure

7 p.m. Tuesday, June 13. Creepy Crawl (412 North Tucker Boulevard)

Road Rules

When a checkpoint isn't really a checkpoint, the constitutional forecast is cloudy

Last Call

A drunken-driving charge landed Soulard bar owner Martina Paulin in jail. It was a one-way trip.

Letters to the Editor

Published the week of June 7

The Politics of Alcohol: Way Over the Limit

Did You Support a Bill That Recently Failed in The Missouri Legislature That Would Have Lowered the Blood-Alcohol Levels for DWI from .10 to .08 ?

Letters to the Editor

Hartmann