A Santa Rosa teenager was arrested for assault and DUI in California following a road rage incident. The California Highway Patrol says that a Petaluma woman called around 4:00 am Sunday morning to report a 2-door black Acura following her on northbound US Highway 101. The Acura driver was tailgating the woman and then would sped pass her only to slam on his brakes. The driver also swerved in a presumed attempt to force her off the road.

The woman provided a description of the Acura to CHP who in turn alerted local law enforcement agencies. A Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy spotted the Acura and initiated a traffic stop. The driver, eighteen-year old Carlos Gomez, was suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol and taken into arrest. He was booked into the county jail on charges of CA DUI, assault with a deadly weapon, driving without a valid license and driving without insurance.

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San Diego County sheriff’s deputies stopped a transit bus and arrested the driver for driving under the influence in California. On June 1, Davis Costello was driving a North County Transit bus when a passenger suspected he may be intoxicated and contacted the Sheriff’s Department. The Route 309 bus, which operates between Oceanside and Encinitas, was stopped around 4:25 pm in Encinitas.

Deputies conducted field sobriety tests and determine that Costello was under the influence of alcohol. He faces charges of California DUI, driving with a blood alcohol content in excess of .08% and driving a commercial vehicle with a BAC of more than .04%. According to the District Attorney’s Office, all were filed as misdemeanor offenses. Costello was charged with two counts of public intoxication in April.

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Actor Chris Klein was stopped by the California Highway Patrol early Wednesday morning for suspicion of driving under the influence in LA. An officer stopped Klein on the 101 Freeway about 3:15 am. The 31-year old star of the ‘American Pie’ movies reportedly failed a field sobriety test and was arrested.

This is Klein’s second California DUI offense. He pleaded guilty in 2005 to two misdemeanor counts of drunk driving after registering a blood alcohol content of .20%. He received five years probation and was fined $1800 for that offense.

Klein starred as high school jock Chris ‘Oz’ Ostreicher in the 1999 ‘American Pie’, and its sequel. He has been linked romantically in the past with Katie Holmes and Ginnifer Goodwin.

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A piece of anti-drunk driving legislation in the California State Assembly has been modified by an Appropriations Committee, removing two main points from the original bill. The key changes include the removal of a life-time ‘look-back’ period for prior California DUI arrests and the elimination of a provision allowing judges to permanently suspend a repeat offender’s driver’s license.

Under current state law, the prosecution can search a ten year window for any prior driving under the influence offenses in California. Any DUI more than ten years old is not included on a driver’s record. Regarding license suspension, the existing law allows a judge to revoke a license for three years after a third offense for DUI in California. The proposed legislation sought to change that to a lifetime suspension. The compromise was a revocation of up to 10 years at the discretion of the judge.

Economics were cited for the changes in the proposed bill. California is currently grappling with a $19 billion deficit and any new expenses to the state budget are highly scrutinized. The lifetime look-back period especially would have increased the number of felony DUI convictions, in turn adding more inmates to the already crowded state prison system.

The original bill was challenged by civil liberties advocates and California DUI defense lawyers. It was noted that getting one’s license back is strong incentive for a CA DUI offender to seek treatment for an alcohol problem which would potentially reduce recidivism. As part of the process, it is recommended that repeat offenders be required to install an ignition interlock in their vehicles before having driving privileges restored.

Starting July 1, 2010, California will begin testing a pilot program requiring mandatory installation ignition interlock devices for those arrested for drunk driving in Los Angeles, Tulare, Alameda and Sacramento Counties. If successful, the program may be expanded to the rest of the state.

The author of the DUI legislation is undeterred by the committee changes, saying that compromise is part of the legislative process. He added that any opportunity to remove a drunk driver from the highway is worth it. The bill now heads for a vote on the Assembly floor. If passed it will be taken up by the state Senate.

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Hideki Irabu was stopped for suspicion of driving under the influence in Southern California on May 17. The retired major league baseball pitcher reportedly was drifting outside of marked traffic lanes and nearly hit a parked car. Gardena police say that they will wait for the results of a blood test before deciding whether to charge Irabu with DUI in California.

Irabu was booked around 2:00 in the morning and released the next morning after posting $5000 bail. If charged, it will be a first offense misdemeanor DUI.

Irabu lives in nearby Rancho Palos Verdes. He had an excellent record as a pitcher in the Japanese baseball league, though his success in the states was mixed. He played for the New York Yankees, Montreal Expos and Texas Rangers between 1997 and 2002. He then returned to Japan and played until suffering a knee injury. Upon retiring from the sport, Irabu, 41, moved to southern California.

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Legislation drafted to increase the penalty for driving under the influence in California has stalled in committee over anticipated costs associated with the bill. The measure drafted by Assemblyman Jerry Hill would give judges the authority to permanently revoke the driver’s licenses of those convicted of a third DUI offense. It would also allow authorities to review a person’s entire driving history rather than being limited to a 10-year look-back period, and assign jail sentences accordingly.

A consultant has reviewed the bill and estimates it would cost taxpayers at minimum $11 million and potentially as much as $28 million. The bulk of the costs would be associated with the need to expand California’s already crowded prison system. The proposed DUI measure comes at a time when the federal government has ordered California to reduce its prison population. To comply, the state has released inmates incarcerated for lesser crimes, like drug possession, theft and DUI in California.

Under current state law a motorists found guilty of drunk driving in California is subject to a jail sentence, beginning with a first offense. Typically, an offender is offered court ordered treatment programs before being sent to jail. The potential jail term increases with each additional offense within 10 years, and a fourth offense is filed as a felony.

Opponents of the license revocation bill say that it will remove a very influential incentive for drunk driving offenders to enter an alcohol or substance abuse treatment program. Research shows a drop in recidivism for drunk driving when an offender is required to complete a treatment program before being licensed to drive again.

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Jani Lane, former singer for the 80’s band ‘Warrant’, was arrested for driving under the influence in the LA area. It is his second CA DUI offense in less than a year.

Lane sideswiped a parked vehicle with his black Infiniti sedan in Woodland Hills last Sunday evening. According to an LAPD arrest report, he failed a field sobriety test and a breath test registered a blood alcohol content twice the legal limit. Both the parked vehicle and Lane’s vehicle were damaged though no one was injured. Lane, 46, was booked for California DUI and released around 3:00 am Monday.

In June 2009, Lane was charged with drunk driving after striking another parked car. The following month he pleaded no contest and was sentenced to three years probation, three months in an alcohol education program and one month of community service. Lane was arrested Sunday by the same officer from the 2009 incident.

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