PJ Williams dui charges dropped....
- Thread starter JHoss
- Start date
Maybe the TPD ought to do a better job at following its procedures, if in fact the video and report conflicted.
Good for PJ. If he was in fact drunk driving, hopefully this will serve as a wake up call. Regardless of charges being dropped, I'm sure it cost him a few hundred thousand at a minimum. Pricey wake up call
Don't know about your state but here in Va if you don't blow they jack you up even worse. My friend didn't blow and he had his license suspended for 2 years and couldn't get a restricted license to get to work. My advice would be to blow but pay out the ass for a good DUI lawyer. Not everyone can afford one but they will get you out of more stuff than just no blowing. At least here in Va.
I indicated on a thread when this came out that they may have been the smartest thing he did for himself. Refuse field sobriety and breathalyzer. Another poster seemed to think that wouldn't make a difference. Saying the driving of almost hitting a curb and other things observed would be enough to convict along with the refusal. My point was there are other explanations for those things but if he failed the field sobriety and breathalyzer, there wouldn't be too many explanations to combat that.
And yes I understand if he was drunk and got away with it on a technicality, it isn't a good thing for society.
In FL, you get your license suspended for 1 year (which would also happen if proven guilty of a DUI, on top of many other things). It is widely believed here that you should NOT blow. More times than not, you can get off on a reckless driving charge with a decent lawyer. It's damn near impossible to get off of a DUI after you blow over the level, unless they can prove that the breathalyzer wasn't calibrated properly.
Buddy used to prosecute DUI and he said never blow. They'll have more to prove if they don't have anything on a breathlyzer
You don't blow and the authorities will rough you up at first and try to get you to consent to blow. They will take you to jail etc. Your license will be suspended until if/when charges are dropped. Point is, you don't blow you have a shot to get off. You blow you are basically handing the murder weapon over.
Blow, don't blow. Here's another choice. Don't drink and drive. Better for everyone. No, I'm not a teetotaler, I just make other arrangements to get home.
I have handled 100s of DUIs in Florida. The 'blow' vs. 'don't blow' argument in DUIs gets sticky in Florida because if you refuse to blow that will be an additional criminal charge. The problem is, as an attorney, I can't advise someone to commit a criminal offense. I'll say this though, as an attorney, it's a hell of a lot easier to defend a DUI when there is NOT a blow, vs. a blow where the number is above the legal limit.
As for the video - it almost always helps us (the criminal defense attorney). Police officers are notorious for embellishing their reports. When the report does not match the video, juries almost always side with the defense. My cross-examinations of the police officers are always entertaining during trial when the video is different than the police report. When police credibility is bad, the whole case is usually bad for the State Attorney. the sad thing about it is, now, a lot of police agencies are no longer using in-dash cameras during DUI stops. I have my own reasons for why...
As for PJ - I am glad the case was a dismissal. Hopefully this was a great lesson for him.
As for the video - it almost always helps us (the criminal defense attorney). Police officers are notorious for embellishing their reports. When the report does not match the video, juries almost always side with the defense. My cross-examinations of the police officers are always entertaining during trial when the video is different than the police report. When police credibility is bad, the whole case is usually bad for the State Attorney. the sad thing about it is, now, a lot of police agencies are no longer using in-dash cameras during DUI stops. I have my own reasons for why...
As for PJ - I am glad the case was a dismissal. Hopefully this was a great lesson for him.
Cab ride $10-20 with tip.
Dui $10k plus....
Easy call for this guy.
But then again I'm 43 not 21.
Dui $10k plus....
Easy call for this guy.
But then again I'm 43 not 21.
Cab ride is usually way more than that but your point is taken. Cheaper than dui. People do it I think because they don't want the hassle of having to retrieve their vechile the next day. But it's usually a lot more than 10 bucks even with an Uber which is my preferred impaired state ride
I think PJ has out smarted or lucky with the PD twice now. He should hopefully by now realize his good fortunes and change his behavior.
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Yes that is bad. TPD should do their job to the best of their ability. Even if they had, Jameis Winston would still have never been charged and PJ would still be avoiding the dui charges because....
Correct. Even if you only had one drink and believe you are sober, don't blow. You don't know how much was in that drink and if that machine is screwy.
As has been pointed out, though, just don't drink and drive.
This whole "cab is cheaper than DUI" reasoning is exactly the reason we have such a huge drunk driving issue. People never think they will get caught, ergo not getting caught is the cheapest option of all!
But if we framed the conversation around the real consequences of drunk driving, rather than just a monetary one that most people can't comprehend anyways, maybe things would change. Rather than ask "Wouldn't you rather pay $25 to get home than to pay $10k for a DUI?" ask them "Can you live with yourself if you kill your friends in an accident on the way home?"
If you drive drunk, you are more likely to get into a serious, life-altering accident than you are to get caught by the cops.
And if you don't want to deal with the hassle of getting your car the next day....take an uber/cab on your way out and on your way home. It's really quite simple.
If you think you're even close to the legal limit you don't do anything. A lot of the field testing is designed for you to fail. Even when completely sober you'll likely fail. The test where they make you walk in line gets you because you have to count out your steps. The starting position is with one foot in front of the other. When you turn to go back every single person puts their foot in front of their other and says "one" and then keeps going and counting. However, that's not the first step that's the starting position. The next step is technically your first step. You just failed the test and will be arrested.
just make dui penalties more harsh. make it a $25k fine or minimum 10 days in jail. i wouldnt ever think about it.
I love how everybody prejudged the case when the news broke. I'm not a criminal attorney but I believe in the principle of innocent until proven guilty. I wish LEOs would concentrate more on crime prevention and less on getting the collar.
In Florida I can't think of 1 reason you should blow vs not blow. If you blow it has to be alot harder for an attorney to reduce the charges. Especially if you have any kind of other medical conditions or are on any kind of medication definitely don't blow. I have a good friend that just received 1 for running into the back of another car drunk. He refused to blow and the walking test and was obviously taken to jail and released a few hours later or the next morning 1. His attorney said the best thing he did was not blow, he has high blood pressure and is on medication daily which the attorney used and said he was disoriented from. Medications affect people in many different ways no matter what they are just look at some of the side effects for even non narcotic medicines I can promise you there's a list. His attorney within 60 days had him a drivers work permit and he had to pay some fines, court cost, & take some classes, & has to blow once a week randomly for a few months and it's gone. Now this was his 1st offense so I'm sure a 2nd or 3rd would have been much tougher to defend. I think he spent $5K probably totally but I would rather go that route than the other and will definitely not blow if it ever happens to me.
If you have had 3 or less drinks and you are an ordinary sized dude, blow. You will be under the legal limit.
Never blow. Ever. Your friend isn't telling the entire story. Odds are, it wasn't his first offense. I have personally been charged with DUI in VA. Didn't blow. Beat it in court. No loss of license
This isn't very good advice. If you have one strong drink and blow within a short time, the machine will read your blood alcohol level to be much higher than it really is because of the alcohol that is still in your mouth. Breathalyzers are not very accurate at reading actual blood alcohol levels but they are the standard for some reason.
If you've been drinking, never pull over for the cops. They can't arrest you if you make it to your driveway. Maritime law.
Just made me think of a great business opportunity that would also promote safety: Instead of a cab call Drive-A-Car. Two guys show up in car and drive you and your car home. It would be more expensive but would handle the whole "I don't want to leave my car at the bar" problem.
Of course, that is the whole point of having a "designated driver" but who wants to be the sober guy at a party?
Yes. Call it Car Escorts. I can see the ads ... "It's 2am, you are drunk and struck out at the bar. How will you get home and who is going with you? Don't risk an expensive DUI and ending up snuggling with a 300 pound dude named Bubba. Call Car Escorts. Your car and you will be taken care of ... satisfaction guaranteed."
There are a ton of services that do this -- or something similar to it -- already. BeMyDD.com, SoberScooter, etc.
In some places they have people show up on scooters/mopeds that are able to be broken down and stuck in the trunk. You call them and they ride the little scooter to you, break it down, stick it in your trunk and drive you home. then they take the little scooter to the next job.
Glad it worked out the best for PJ. In another thread people seemed to get the idea if u don't blow u there's a preconceived notion uautomatically get off. I simply stated not true at all. If the officer has evidence on video, stumbling, slurred words and blood shit eyes along with video of Lane to Lane driving) which obvious wasn't present in PJ's case, it can be sufficient evidence.
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