DC Criminal Lawyer Blog

Charges against a Mitchellville woman accused of driving while intoxicated have been upgraded after one of the pedestrians she struck before crashing into the front of an Adams Morgan restaurant died of her injuries. Twenty-three-year-old Chamica Adams was originally charged with aggravated assault and driving while intoxicated, but an additional charge of involuntary manslaughter was added on September 20th.

The US Attorney's Office for the District amended charges against Adams after twenty-six-year-old Julia Bachleitner died September 14th due to injuries sustained in the collision. Court documents indicate that Adams was traveling south on 18th Street NW at approximately 8:30 p.m when the accident occurred. She was turning onto Florida Avenue when her 2007 Dodge Charger "mounted" the center island of the road, colliding with two women waiting at the median to cross. Adams' vehicle continued on, colliding with a small tree before crashing into Keren Restaurant at 1780 Florida Avenue NW. The restaurant was unoccupied at the time of the accident. Court papers indicate that Adams had a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit at the time of her arrest.

At an initial hearing in the case, a DC Superior Court judge released Adams from jail, ordered that she attend a "high-intensity supervision program," and forbade her from consuming any alcohol. The judge also imposed a longer than standard curfew on the 23-year-old woman, from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. instead of the usual 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. curfew. Adams had no prior convictions for Washington DC DUI charges. It was not disclosed whether she had assigned or been retained a Washington DC DUI Attorney to face the upgraded charges against her.

A preliminary hearing in the case was originally scheduled for September 28th, and it is not yet known if that has changed along with the number of charges against Adams.

This article is presented by The Law Office of David Benowitz, serving Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC. For more information, please visit our Maryland DUI Lawyer and Virginia Criminal Defense Lawyers websites.

Just weeks after a DC DUI lawyer successfully defended Washington Redskins cornerback Byron Westbrook against DUI charges, a former Redskin was arrested on suspicion of DUI. Quinton Ganther, who was a running back last season with the Washington Redskins, was arrested around 3:15 a.m. on July 10. He was booked into jail and released on $1,482 bail. The Seahawks, with whom Ganther has been signed, had no comment other than to say, "We are aware of the situation, and in the process of gathering information."

The running back is not the only Seahawks team member to be arrested this off-season. Linebacker Leroy Hill was arrested in April and charged with assault and domestic violence. His trial is set to begin at the end of the month. Safety Kevin Ellison, who was signed by the Seahawks this month, was arrested in May while he was still on the Chargers' roster. Ellison is accused of possession of Vicodin without a valid prescription. The Chargers waived him after the alleged offense, and he was signed with the Seahawks. The Chargers are facing their own DUI woes, suspending receiver Vincent Jackson after his second DUI conviction earlier this year. According to the NFL rumor mill, the Redskins are considering attempting to trade for Jackson.

If Washington picks up Vincent Jackson, he and Byron Westbrook will not be the only two Redskins arrested for alcohol related offenses in 2010. In June, Redskins guard Chad Rinehart was found guilty of public intoxication stemming from a January incident. He was ordered to pay $195 in fines and court fees.

This article is presented by The Law Offices of David Benowitz, a criminal and DUI defense firm serving Maryland, Washington DC, and Virginia. For more information, please visit our Maryland DUI Lawyer blog or Virginia DUI Attorney website.

Actress Lindsay Lohan is once again making headlines related to her 2007 DUI conviction. When we originally brought you Lohan's story on our DC Criminal Defense Attorney blog, the actress had just been sentenced to wearing an alcohol monitoring device on her ankle after missing a mandatory hearing. The judge had sentenced Lohan to wearing the SCRAMx device after Lohan repeatedly neglected her obligations regarding her DUI conviction. Now, Lohan has been sentenced to jail time after continuing to violate the terms of her probation.

Under her probation conditions, Lohan was required to attend weekly alcohol education classes. After missing seven classes since December, Lohan was forced to appear before a judge, who was unmoved by Lohan's apology. The judge sentenced the "Mean Girls" actress to 90 days in jail and 90 days of inpatient alcohol treatment, a much stiffer penalty than prosecutors requested. The judge listed a number of ways in which Lohan continually defied the rulings of the court and stated, "There were a number of instances of [Lohan] not taking things seriously. It's like someone who cheats but doesn't think it's cheating if they don't get caught." She said that Lohan repeatedly lied to the court and continued to blame others for her own failure to comply with court decisions.

The latest in the Lindsay Lohan saga comes after her 2007 DUI conviction in which she pled guilty to being under the influence of cocaine and pleaded no contest to reckless driving and driving with a BAC over .08. She served 84 minutes of a four-day jail sentence in that case. Since then, she has been ordered to attend alcohol educations classes, which she repeatedly missed, and forced to wear an alcohol monitoring device, which was triggered by a BAC reading of .03 at after-parties following the MTV Movie Awards.

While the actress is sentenced to 90 days in jail, officials say that she will probably serve much less, reporting that non-violent female offenders generally serve only 25% of their sentence.

This article is presented by The Law Offices of David Benowitz, a DC DUI defense firm also serving Maryland. For more information, please visit our Maryland DUI Lawyer and DC DUI Lawyer websites.

A charity fundraiser turned deadly when an SUV veered into a line of motorcycles riding in memory of a Windham police officer. A motorcycle passenger was killed and two drivers injured when a Chevy Blazer struck them, sending them into the guardrail. One of the injured victims was treated and released from a local hospital; the other was airlifted in critical condition to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

The driver of the SUV, Randall Stewart, 46, was alleged to be driving while intoxicated at the time of the accident. Numerous area police departments received word of his Chevy Blazer driving erratically before the crash. Officers participating in the Knight Ride charity motorcycle event noticed Stewart's vehicle and tried to get him to slow down; however, before they could do so, Stewart swerved into the opposite lane and struck two motorcycles. Police at the scene noted that Stewart seemed markedly impaired, saying that he "couldn't stand up straight" and "he couldn't put together a coherent sentence."

Stewart admitted to police that he had taken a prescription painkiller earlier that morning, but denied consuming any alcohol. However, only 12 hours before the accident, Stewart was charged with a class A misdemeanor DWI as a second offense under New Hampshire DWI laws. He was previously convicted of his first DWI in 2005.

While it is not unusual for a New Hampshire DWI lawyer to see repeat offenders, it is unusual that someone would be charged with the crime twice in 24 hours. Officers report that the first incident was "kind of routine DWI." Stewart was arrested after motorists observed him driving erratically withouth headlights. After his arrest, Stewart was issued a summons to appear in court, and police officers drove him home. Several hours later, he was again charged with DWI after the accident that claimed the life of a 49-year-old woman. New Hampshire DWI laws stipulate that a DWI accident that causes serious injury is considered "aggravated DWI." As such, Stewart has been charged with negligent homicide, aggravated driving while intoxicated and two counts of felony reckless conduct. He is in police custody with bail set at $100,000.

This article is presented by The Law Offices of David Benowitz, serving Maryland, Washington, DC and Virginia. Please visit Maryland Criminal Lawyer and Virginia DUI Lawyer.

Earlier this year, the news media reported that the Metropolitan Police Department discovered that some machines used to determine a person's blood alcohol concentration were not calibrated correctly or were not working properly. An investigation into the matter revealed that the results of Department's Intoxilyzer machines, which are larger than the roadside breathalyzers, have been used to convict at least 400 people of DUI and DWI. Over half of the convictions resulted in jail time. This news was not surprising to DC DUI lawyers, who know that machines are not infallible in assessing a person's BAC, and that field sobriety testing can be subjective when being used to determine someone's level of intoxication.

While earlier reports found that at least eight of the ten Intoxilyzer machines used by the DC Metropolitan Police Department were working improperly, the investigation revealed that all ten machines were in fact defective. The machines were not calibrated correctly and showed a person's BAC to be up to 20% higher than it actually was. Unfortunately, some people convicted of DUI based on the faulty Intoxilyzer readings had already served mandatory jail sentences, paid heavy fines, and lost driving privileges as a result of their convictions. Veteran DC DUI attorney David Benowitz calls for action from the DC Attorney General Peter Nickles, but feels he is "just not willing to deal with the situation." The discovery of the flawed readings will keep DC DUI attorneys busy as those convicted by the inaccurate readings call for new trials and expungements. At least one lawsuit has already been filed.

Prior to clinical sobriety tests, a person may be subject to field sobriety tests if he or she is pulled over and the officer suspects DUI. Sobriety tests often include the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test, which assesses a person's ability to smoothly track an object with the eyes; and the One-Legged Stand and the Walk and Turn, in which the officer looks for clues that suggest impairment, including balance and ability to follow directions. An officer's interpretation of these tests can be highly subjective or can inaccurately predict a person's impairment through a lack of officer training. A DC DUI attorney will evaluate the results of any test leading to the DUI arrest and charge of a client.

A DC DUI Lawyer knows the myriad of possible consequences resulting from a DUI conviction. Suspension of driving privileges, fines, jail time, and alcohol treatment and monitoring are all likely penalties if someone is convicted of driving under the influence.
Recently, actress Lindsay Lohan was ordered by the court to wear an alcohol monitoring ankle bracelet when she missed a mandatory hearing related to a 2007 DUI arrest. This is the second time Lohan has been ordered to wear an alcohol monitoring device, and she joins other celebrities, including rapper Eve and es-basketball player Jayson Williams, who have been mandated to wear the device.
The device, called SCRAMx, detects alcohol in the wearer's skin and takes readings every 30 minutes. The device transmits the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) readings once daily, and while readings can be blocked by something being slipped between the bracelet and the skin, the device registers the blockage. Use of a barrier to block alcohol monitoring is usually considered a violation of parole or probation. Alcohol monitoring bracelets are currently used in 49 states.
According to the SCRAMx website, the device is useful for DUI programs. The makers of SCRAMx assert that the device can be used as a deterrent to drinking and driving and can also be used to assess alcohol dependency to help authorities determine a course of individual treatment.
However, not everyone is convinced of the effectiveness of an alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet. At least one DUI defense attorney claims his client initially chose the bracelet over a jail sentence, but after only a few days, he returned the bracelet and chose to go to jail rather than wear the bulky, uncomfortable device.
DUI penalties can be severe. From significant fines to incarceration, the consequences of a DUI conviction can have long-lasting impact on convicted drivers. A Washington DC DUI lawyer knows how to evaluate the circumstances of the arrest and challenge the results of sobriety tests to protect the rights of those charged with driving under the influence.

There is a delicate balance within the legal system that tilts between enforcing minimum sentences for individuals charged with criminal violations, and allowing judges to use their best judgment when announcing punishment. While an experienced DC DWI lawyer would favor giving the respective judge discretion, editorials from Washington DC news sources are conflicting--even within the same publication.

The Washington Post wrote an article advocating against enforcing required minimum sentences on individuals convicted of crack cocaine possession. They even applauded a recently passed bill that gives "judges a greater degree of discretion" when determining a sentence for low-level drug convicts. However, just a week later, the Washington Post published an article demanding for enforced minimum sentences for drunk drivers. The Post argued that lawmakers in the DC Metro area attempt to "coddle" DUI offenders by diluting important drunk driving laws.

If the contradiction is not already apparent, why should judges not also have discretion in first-time DUI cases, similar to low level drug offenders? It does not make any sense.
A viable argument is made in requiring installed breathalyzer interlock systems into the vehicles of repeat offenders or those who had a blood alcohol content over 0.15 percent. It is still possible however, to be arrested on DC DUI charges even if the level of impairment is comparable to talking on a cell phone while driving. Because each case is different, it would not make sense to punish first time or low level DUI suspects the same as a reoccurring offender with a high breath-alcohol score would be.

A judge should be able to use their best judgment to determine each case individually, as opposed to having a set minimum requirement standard for all. Opposing harsh sentences for a marginal first-time drunk driver is often criticized for being "pro-drunk driving." By this standard, allowing judges to use personal discretion in DUI cases is "no more 'pro-drunk driving' than The Post's editorial is 'pro-crack cocaine.'" While the Post had great intentions on advocating for judge's discretion when deciding drug cases, not to apply it to low-level DUI offenders is inconsistent, as would be apparent to a DC DUI defense lawyer.

Practicing legal defense in a metropolitan area, it is common for a Washington DC DUI lawyer to witness numerous politicians be accused of driving while intoxicated charges. It can sometimes be harder for political officials to be involved in a DUI bust, as the media attention surrounding the situation can be overwhelming for anyone to go through. However, such is the case of State Senator Roy Ashburn, who was recently slapped with DUI charges.

Last Wednesday, Senator Ashburn was pulled over at approximately 2:00 a.m. by law enforcement officials for swerving his vehicle on the roadway. When police officers approached the city-issued Chevy Tahoe, they immediately noticed the smell of alcohol and that Ashburn's eyes were bloodshot and watery. After failing a number of field sobriety tests on the scene, law enforcement officials arrested Senator Ashburn on misdemeanor DUI charges including driving under the influence and driving with blood alcohol content over 0.08. He was brought to the county jail and held there for eight hours before being released on $1,400 bond.

Local television stations are reporting that Senator Ashburn's DUI arrest came after a night of partying at a local gay club that is only a couple of blocks from where the Republican Senator was pulled over. Although since coming to office in 1996 Ashburn has repeatedly voted against expanding rights for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community, he has been dodging questions regarding his own sexuality since 2004. However, it seems as if the questions will only mount in light of his much publicized DUI arrest.

This article is presented by The Law Offices of David Benowitz, representing clients in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia. For more information, please visit our Maryland DUI Attorneys website or the Sarasota DUI Lawyer website.

During the legal career of an experienced Washington DC DUI lawyer, it is common to represent a number of individuals who have been accused of drunk driving charges. The suspected individual is almost always asked to submit to a number of sobriety tests, including taking a breathalyzer test. However, if the machine is not correctly calibrated, it is possible to register an incorrect blood alcohol content level--it is this very reason that a number of Washington DC DUI charges could be tossed out.

The breathalyzer in question is a full-sized device that someone breathes into and it will register a blood alcohol content level. However, during an audit of all Intoxilyzer machines, Washington DC Police discovered that some of them were malfunctioning and they were all immediately removed. While professional technicians are investigating the problem, investigators have been forced to toss a number of DC DUI charges in which results from improperly calibrated Intoxilyzer machines were used as evidence. DC Police Chief Cathy Lainer believes this will be an enormous task--she commented, "It's a lot of work because some DUI cases... use Intoxilyzers, some use breath, blood, urine. It's really sorting through a lot of cases to find out which ones were impacted."

The dismissal of cases because of improper calibration did not surprise DC DUI Attorney, David Benowitz, in the least. "For years myself and other people who do DUI cases have requested info from police on the way they maintain these machines, calibrate and test them," he said. In fact, in the past few weeks Benowitz had a client whose year-old DC DUI charges were dropped because one of the machines were used in his case. "I think this is going to open up a flood gate of appeal motions for new trials. There are people convicted who did jail time on what appeared to be flawed scores."

This article is presented by The Law Offices of David Benowitz, representing clients in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia. For more information, please visit our Virginia DUI Lawyer website or the Clearwater DUI website.

Each day as a Washington DC DUI lawyer, clients are seen who are experiencing the mental and psychological effects of a drunk driving arrest. These effects can be severe, as seen in the case of the woman who was placed in jail after violating the terms of her DUI probation, and then proceeded to hang herself from her jail cell, according to the sheriff's department.

Teresa Hagan, 49, received her first DUI charge in June of 2005. However, she received another a misdemeanor driving while intoxicated charge on July 13th, 2009. On October 2nd, she pled no contest to another driving while intoxicated charge and was sentenced to three years probation and thirty-five days in the Sonoma County jail. In addition, she was ordered to participate in a court-ordered multiple offenders drinking and driving program, and often went to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. It was well known that she was very troubled and suffered from problems with alcohol, and needed help staying sober.

This past week, she was booked for violating the terms of her DUI probation and was taken to a holding cell until she could be placed in correctional facilities. She was found unconscious just a few hours later by a correctional deputy. She hung herself on a sweatshirt she wrapped around a pipe in her holding cell. Deputies began life saving efforts to no avail and she was taken to a local medical center and pronounced dead on arrival. Currently, the sheriff's violent crimes unit and the district attorney's office are investigating the death.

This article is presented by The Law Offices of David Benowitz, representing clients in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia. For more information, please visit our Maryland DUI Lawyers website or the Fort Myers DUI Attorney web page.

As a Washington DC DUI lawyer, it is common to see cases of major political figures arrested for criminal charges, including driving while intoxicated. Even politicians are not exempt from the consequences of driving while intoxicated charges. For example, Senate Majority Leader Sheldon Killpatrick gave up his position in his home state legislature this past week after he was busted for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Killpatrick, 41, has been the face of the state Senate Republicans and was often at the forefront of hefty legislation, including strict ethics and health-care reforms. The former senator's father was killed by a drunk driver during his teenage years, and therefore Killpatrick staunchly supported and sponsored drunk driving legislation and programming. Additionally, he is a member of the Later Day Saints Church which opposes the use of alcohol.

This past Thursday, Killpatrick attended a fundraiser event for Representative Greg Hughes, however no alcohol was served at the event. Hours later, Killpatrick was stopped by a highway patrol officer who noticed his vehicle being driven erratically. When the trooper approached the car, he smelled a "strong odor of alcohol" and proceeded to administer sobriety tests. Although Killpatrick complied with most of the tests, he refused to take a breathalyzer test. He was booked into the local county jail around 2:45 a.m. and released approximately two hours later. Blood samples were taken, however the results could take two weeks to a month to be determined.

Killpatrick was appointed to the state Senate in 2003 and elected into office in 2004. In addition, he won re-election in 2006 and was seeking another election next year. If had stayed in the Senate, he could have faced an ethics inquiry. Instead, Killpatrick followed the example of the four other Utah legislators who chose to resign rather than face an ethics investigation. Despite Killpatrick's exit from the legislature, many of his colleagues admire the integrity such a decision displays and have commented fondly regarding the former senator.

This article is presented by The Law Offices of David Benowitz, representing clients in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia. For more information, please visit our Maryland DUI Lawyers and Virginia DUI Lawyer websites.

Practicing in a metropolitan area, an experienced Washington DC DUI lawyer is likley to see many cases of famous persons who have been accused of operating while impaired charges. A NCAA assistant football coach was involved in a massive car accident on May 17th, 2008 on the Highway--his Jeep Commander had hit the end of a Volkswagen Passat. When law enforcement officials arrived on the scene, they asked the coach to turn off his motor. However, he instead shot forward again into the Passat.

Police determined that coach Dave Watson, 31, was operating while impaired, as his speech was slurred and he was not coherently responding to questions. Watson was uninjured, but was too intoxicated to take a sobriety test; police believed that he would fall down and hurt himself. The driver of the Passat however, was not as lucky. Alaric Valentin, 54, was holding his back immediately following impact. Since the accident he has filed personal injury suits against Watson and the university he represents due to numbness in his left foot, pain in his lower back, as well as a disc protusion.

Following a search of Watson's vehicle, law enforcement officials found four separate bottles of prescription painkillers including a ninety tablet prescription for Norco (a Vicodin-like drug), which was filled that morning. According to police, at the time of the accident, there were only eighty-three pills left in the bottle. In addition, Watson eventually admitted to taking three muscle relaxer pills prior to the accident. He was charged with a DUI and received three years probation.

Watson admitted under oath what his closest friends and family already knew: he had developed an addiction to prescription pain medication since his days playing college football. He testified that he received the medication from doctors associated with both the university and the football team. Watson also informed the court that he told both his mother and head coach Pete Carroll about his severe addiction to painkillers in February 2008--three months prior to the car crash.

However, Carrol did not fire Watson until after he was formally charged with a DUI, despite the fact that he knew about his problem with prescription medications. For this reason, Valentin's attorneys are now including Carrol as a party to the lawsuit. As pointed out in correspondence with the school's counsel, Carrol "is the direct supervisor of Mr. Watson... had actual notice of Mr. Watson's prescription pill addiction, had actual notice that Mr. Watson was using a car provided by the USC, had actual notice that USC team doctors were writing the prescriptions for the drugs Mr. Watson was addicted, and nonetheless continued to allow Mr. Watson to use the company car."

This article is presented by The Law Offices of David Benowitz, representing clients in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia. For more information, please visit our Maryland DUI Lawyers and Virginia DUI Lawyer websites.

Throughout the legal career of an experienced Washington DC DUI lawyer, many clients are represented that have been charged with driving while intoxicated. Even celebrities are not exempt from the consequences of a DUI arrest. A recent example: twenty-two year old Thomas Dekker, the star of Fox's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was arrested in October, 2009, after allegedly side swiping a bicyclist while driving drunk.

According to the local sheriff's department lost control of his vehicle and hit a seventeen year-old cyclist. Police caught up with Dekker at approximately 9:20 p.m., and arrested him on suspicion of felony DUI charges and causing personal injury to another person. As a result, he was taken to the county jail and where he was released the next morning after posting $100,000 bail.

This past Monday, the actor pled no contest to a lesser charge of misdemeanor reckless driving. While this allowed him to avoid jail time, Dekker still received two years probation, was ordered to participate in a twelve-hour alcohol education course, and is required to pay a $300 fine. Prosecutors chose to make a deal with him due to insufficient evidence that Dekker was at fault--the cyclist was going the wrong way and ran a stop sign.

This article is presented by The Law Offices of David Benowitz, representing clients in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia. For more information, please visit our Maryland DUI Lawyer and Virginia DUI Lawyer websites.

As a Washington DC DUI Lawyer, it is likely to represent clients who have been charged with drunk driving. Sometimes, those considered experts on DUI charges and those who enforce them can be pulled over for driving while intoxicated. This is much like the recently example of a state police corporal drove while under the influence and crashed his vehicle while off duty.

Corporal John Quigg is facing severe consequences following the drunk driving arrest. On December 17th, the off-duty officer was driving his Honda Accord west on Route 422, when he lost control of his vehicle and hit a guard rail on the highway. According to reports, when law enforcement officials arrived on the scene, Quigg was unresponsive and hunched over in the driver's seat. The damage to Quigg's vehicle was minor, because he was reportedly driving at a slow speed.

He was taken immediately to the local hospital for a medical evaluation. However, when he arrived, it was discovered that Quigg had alcohol in his system when he crashed. As a result, the off duty police corporal was charged with driving while intoxicated, careless driving, and driving with an open-container charge.

According to a state police spokeswoman Danea Durham, Quigg is on an administrative leave of absence pending what is discovered after an extensive investigation. He has been on the police force for twenty-four years, working as a crash reconstructionist. Generally, Quigg is in charge of overseeing DUI checkpoints on the local streets and highways 95, 76, 676, and 422. In addition, he is considered a drug-recognition expert meaning that he has the ability to determine when a person is intoxicated based upon behavioral and other factors.

This article is presented by The Law Offices of David Benowitz, representing clients in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia. For more information, please visit our Maryland DUI Lawyers and Virginia DUI Lawyer websites.

Because a Washington DC DUI Lawyer practices law in a metropolitan area, it is possible to represent a city official who has been accused of driving while intoxicated charges. Examples of cases handled are much like the driver of a city commissioner who was busted for drunk driving charges on the way to pick up his boss for the local mayoral inauguration. A chauffeur with the Department of the Homeless Services, Nathaniel Chambers, was on his way to pick up Commissioner Robert Hess on the morning of January 1st, 2010.

However, he did not get very far as he was stopped in his city-issued vehicle at the toll plaza. Around 10:30 a.m. he was stopped after traveling in the E-ZPass lane without a pass. When the law enforcement officials approached the car, the smell of alcohol was instantly noted. Because Chambers had a red emergency light on the dashboard of his car, he tried to get out of the situation. Nonetheless, Bridge and Tunnel officers didn't accept the excuse. They ordered Chambers to get out of the vehicle, and when he couldn't stand straight, they asked him to submit to a breathalyzer test.

He refused, and began to argue with the police officers. One of the officers waved a breathalyzer straw to a breath-test machine in front of Chamber's mouth. Although that is not the most accurate way to get a reading of a person's blood alcohol content, the resulted registered as 0.089, which is still over the legal limit. He was immediately brought down to the police station. Despite this, Chambers still maintains that he was not drinking.

This isn't the first time that Chambers has been arrested for driving while intoxicated. In 2003, he was arrested after blowing a 0.10 and was slapped with a $750 fine. Because of his job as a chauffeur, it is unclear whether the Department of Homeless Services knew about his prior conviction when hiring him. The government agency maintains that the charges are taken very seriously, and will be dealt with accordingly.

This article is presented by The Law Offices of David Benowitz, representing clients in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia. For more information, please visit our Maryland DUI Lawyers and Virginia DUI Lawyer websites.