Massachusetts DUI Lawyer Blog

Around three o'clock yesterday afternoon Massachusetts State Police received several calls from drivers stating that a woman was driving erratically and had a child in her car. A state trooper heard the dispatch and observed a vehicle being operated by Cindy Abkarian weaving back and forth between lanes. The car was pulled over and the trooper observed the defendant's daughter sitting in the passenger seat unbuckled. Abkarian admitted to having used methadone and Klonopin prior to operating her vehicle. Abkarian failed the Field Sobriety Tests and admitted to having a substance abuse problem. She was arrested and charged with OUI Drugs, Possession of Class C, Child Endangerment and related Motor Vehicle Crimes in the Salem District Court.

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Massachusetts Charges Woman WithTaking Pills And Driving With Her Two Year Old Child Unrestrained

My experience tells me that this case is not going to trial. Several factors suggest that the defendant in this case will plead guilty. Independent cell phone callers witnessing Abkarian's erratic operation, the trooper making a similar observation, her admission to using drugs when driving, the presence of drugs in plain view when she was stopped, the failed field sobriety tests and the unbuckled toddler all suggest that Abkarian should plead guilty. With a good lawyer she will likely get probation and perhaps some enhanced drug abuse treatment.

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Last week Nancy Toledo of Braintree, Massachusetts was stopped for having a defective taillight. Once stopped the police officer observed signs consistent with alcohol and drug use. Toledo was asked to perform some Field Sobriety Tests. According to reports Toledo took the tests and failed. She was transported to the police station where she was given the Breathalyzer Test. She failed this too. She was charged with OUI Drugs and Alcohol. Toledo was also charged with Resisting Arrest. After the defendant's car was searched more charges were added; Possession of Drugs and Drinking from an Open Container. The case will be prosecuted in the Quincy District Court.

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Massachusetts Woman Fails Breathalyzer Test, Field Sobriety Tests And Gets Charged With DUI Drugs, Alcohol

Assuming the taillight was in fact defective and stop was constitutionally permissible Toledo's best option might be to admit to sufficient facts and enter the "24D" program. There she will be placed on probation for one year. She will have to enter and complete an alcohol awareness program, pay some fines and lose her license for forty five days. She will be eligible for a hardship license assuming she meets the criteria set out by the Registry of Motor Vehicles. She may also have to undergo some drug counseling if the judge believes she might have a substance abuse problem. Successfully trying this case will be a challenge due to the presence of drugs, the failed field sobriety tests and the failed breathalyzer test.

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Emilio Bicalho was arrested Saturday after hitting a pedestrian with his motor vehicle in a crosswalk. The forty six year old Framingham, Massachusetts man admitted to the police that he had consumed two beers earlier that day. Eyewitnesses stated that the impact of the collision caused the victim to fall on the hood of the van and then hit the ground. Police stated that Bicalho smelled like alcohol and had glassy and bloodshot eyes. He was charged with OUI and Driving Without a License. The case is pending in the Framingham District Court.

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Massachusetts Man Hits Pedestrian, Admits To Drinking Two Beers And Gets Charged With DUI

If this article is accurate and detailed the district attorney might have a hard time proving this case. Every police report generated after an OUI arrest states that the suspect smelled like alcohol and had glassy and bloodshot eyes. That this was reported in this case is no surprise. I would be surprised to see a police report pertaining to a DUI case that does not make that statement. Good defense lawyers in Massachusetts are quick to point this out to juries and make sure that the jurors do not use this contention as a determinative factor in their deliberations. The ingestion of two beers is never enough to prove impairment. Two beers consumed without being metabolized at all yield a blood alcohol content of .04 or one half the legal limit. There were no field sobriety tests given and there was no breathalyzer test taken. This does not add up to a conviction for OUI in Massachusetts.

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Joyce Whitman of Whitman, Massachusetts was involved in a one car crash last Friday shortly after midnight. Police found her car on its roof where it had come to rest after hitting a dumpster and a telephone pole. When the police arrived the car was on fire and the defendant still inside. It took approximately twenty minutes to extricate her from the wreckage. The defendant is facing charges of Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle and OUI in the Brockton District Court. The defendant sustained injuries requiring hospitalization.

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Massachusetts Woman Involved In Rollover Charged With DUI, Other Motor Vehicle Offenses

Cases like this one are usually proved by evidence that the defendant's blood alcohol level exceeded the legally permissible level. Without this evidence the case would be extremely difficult to prove. The article makes clear that there have been several accidents at this location over the years. This fact makes it difficult to prove impairment based on the crash alone. Rather, the blood sample taken and tested at the hospital will determine the viability of this prosecution. If the blood sample was properly taken and there is no issue of contamination this case might be difficult to defend. If on the other hand the blood was not processed properly defense lawyers will look to exclude the blood test results. If the defendant's criminal defense lawyer is successful getting the blood results excluded this case might be very difficult to prosecute.

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Last Friday Peter Koshivas of Holliston, Massachusetts crashed his Honda Civic into a tree just after 1:00 in the morning. His passenger, Benjamin Snow was injured in the crash and taken to the hospital by helicopter. Police stated that both Koshivas and Snow are luck to be alive. Koshivas will be charged with OUI Serious Bodily Injury, Reckless Driving and related Motor Vehicle Charges. The case will be prosecuted in the Framingham District Court. The article was not specific on the details of the crash.

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Holliston, Massachusetts Man Who Injured Friend In Crash To Be Prosecuted For DUI, Other Motor Vehicle Crimes

The article reported that Koshivas was also injured in the crash. Thus, it is reasonable to assume that he never took the field sobriety tests nor did he take a breathalyzer test. I would imagine that blood was taken from him at the hospital and that it has been tested for the presence of alcohol. As I have mentioned in prior posts the blood must be taken and tested in certain ways to avoid the possibility of a false positive result. Absent any eyewitness testimony the prosecution will probably base its case on Koshivas' blood test results and an accident reconstruction. The accident reconstruction simply buttresses the district attorney's case provided they have an alcohol sample that reads a .08 or higher. If not, the OUI aspect of this case is harder to prove.

Continue reading "Holliston Massachusetts Man Involved In Crash Charged With OUI Serious Bodily Injury In Framingham Court" »

Today is probably not one of Tracey Francia's better days. Just after midnight he was returning to his home in Chelmsford, Massachusetts when his car struck Methuen Police Officer John Earnshaw's cruiser. Fortunately Earnshaw was not injured however it was reported that Francia was admitted to the Holy Family Hospital. The accident occurred in the area of routes 495 South and 213 in a construction zone. Reports indicate that Francia failed a field sobriety test. Francia has been charge with OUI Second Offense, Driving with a Suspended License and other crimes. The case will be prosecuted in the Lawrence District Court.

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Massachusetts Drunk Driver Hits Cop Car On Route 495 Southbound

One thing that strikes me as concerning about this article is how the police were able to properly administer field sobriety tests to someone who was injured to the point where hospitalization was necessary. What exactly were Francia's injuries? If they involved his head or legs the results of the field sobriety tests were likely compromised. Typically field sobriety tests check physical or cognitive skills, or both. Certain injuries, particularly those that require a hospital visit might well effect one's ability to adequately perform those tests. The admissibility of these tests will be an interesting issue in this case.

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The Gloucester Daily Times reported that two days ago Mark Hargrave, 55 of Hamilton, Massachusetts was arrested and charged with Second Offense OUI after being pulled over on Route 128 Southbound. Hargrave was also charged with failing to stay within marked lanes and Failure to Stop for a Police Officer. The case is now pending in the Salem District Court.

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Second Offense Operating Under The Influence Charged Against Hamilton, Massachusetts Man

While there is a tremendous amount of detail missing from this article there may be a silver lining for Hargrave's case. If he refused to take the Field Sobriety Tests and if he refused to take the Breathalyzer Test then the only case against him is likely the police officer's observations. Experienced Criminal Defense Lawyers are able to quickly educate jurors about the commonality of police officers' testimonies in cases like this one. The officer will offer the following at trial: 1) that he observed the defendant operating his vehicle in an erratic manner; 2) that when he made the stop of the driver he smelled the odor of alcohol on his breath; 3) the he did not properly respond to the officer's commands; 4) that he appeared unsteady on his feet; 5) that his speech was slurred and 6) that his eyes were red and bloodshot. The defense attorney will show the jury how these subjective observations are common to all officer stops. Almost every OUI police report that I have seen reports this same pattern of detail for the "run of the mill" drunk driving case. This testimony is impeachable and jurors immediately see the doubt in the prosecutor's case. If Hargrave was not impaired he will produce witnesses with whom he was with prior to the arrest and whom he contacted after the arrest to vouch for his sobriety. Cases like this one are usually very triable.

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Last weekend just before 1:00 a.m. Jacqueline Boutin was driving her husband Michael and Peter Colangelo off of Route 140 when she noticed a car rapidly approaching her from behind. The trailing car that was being operated by Colleen Imgemanson ended up hitting Boutin's car and knocking it on its side. Michael Boutin was temporarily trapped but was quickly extricated by the Taunton, Massachusetts Fire Department. It took longer to free Colangelo who was airlifted to the Boston Medical Center where he ultimately died. Boutin and her husband sustained injuries requiring a brief hospitalization at the Morton Hospital. A Taunton police officer responded to the scene after receiving reports that a woman had fled the crash on foot. He then observed Ingemanson walking unsteadily not far from the crash site. Ingemanson admitted to having driven the car. The officer reported that she smelled of alcohol and that she could not pass the field sobriety tests that were administered. Her eyes were bloodshot and her speech was slurred. She refused to take the breathalyzer test. Ingemanson has been charged with Motor Vehicle Homicide While OUI, OUI Second Offense. Leaving the Scene of an Accident with Death Resulting, Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle and Leaving the Scene with Personal Injury. Charges are now pending in the Taunton District Court.

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Massachusetts Woman Looking At Motor Vehicle Charges, OUI After Fatal Accident

Cases like this one are very difficult to defend. Even if the defendant has a valid defense to the OUI Charge the charge of Leaving the Scene of An Accident With Personal Injury or Death will result in a one year minimum mandatory jail sentence. It is probable that the district attorney in this case will be indicting this case and prosecuting it in the Superior Court. There, if convicted the judge can sentence the defendant to a state prison sentence. The district attorney's office will undoubtedly be looking for a state prison sentence after a conviction. Even if the defendant wants to plead guilty a state prison sentence will be strongly considered by the judge.

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