Surprise Man Charged With DUI Despite 0.000 Alcohol Content (Phoenix, Mesa: 2013, crime)

[swbrotha100]

I would hate to think the Surprise PD acts like this, if the story is true. Links below.

Surprise man charged with DUI; documents show drug recognition experts said no impairment present

Jessie Thornton, Man Arrested For DUI Despite 0.000 Alcohol Level, To Sue Police For Racial Profiling

[AZBradley]

D.W.B. in Surprise!

[Finger Laker]

you can get a DUI while not having any alcohol in your system .... "intoxicating liquor" isn't the only thing that can lead to impairment ..... however, IMO it appears a stretch to have his action (if it even happened) be consistent with impairment from a substance

unfortunately there are some hyper agressive cops out there

I'd be hesitant to say it's race related though - mainly because the ramped up enforcement of DUI has led to many instances that clearly shade the line.

An example is this couple from Mesa (white)
Heather Squires was arrested for DUI without drinking a drop of alcohol - Page 1 - News - Phoenix - Phoenix New Times

Also, I've personally been tagged twice on DUI fishing stops by cops .... once back in my small town hometown in NY and once in my neighborhood out here

The time out here I made the mistake of driving home from a friends house about 12:30 -1:00am ....... coming down the main street that feeds into the subdivisions I noticed a police officer sitting back in one of the cross streets ....... I pretty much figured I had a good chance of getting pulled over ... I knew my lights and everything were good, checked my speed and it was appropriate. Full stop. Within the lines. Signal into my neighborhood.

As soon as I made the turn into my neighborhood (about 1 block past) he lit me up.

He must of immediately realized I was sober and was pretty much a jerk the whole time. His stated reason for pulling me over was it "looked like you were going a little fast back there". A complete lie, so I responded "really? I thought I was a little under - what is the limit back there?" ....... his response "I don't know what the limit is, just looked like you were going a little fast"

He proceeded to try and give me a hard time about other things that were in order until a call came in that he had to run off to ... at which point he left abruptly muttering that I was free to go.

It's unfortunate these type of things happen - but they do.

[Sco]

I don't think this had anything to do with race. The sad fact is that due to the influence of MADD, the militarization of the civilian police, and the ease with which an officer can invoke magic words like bloodshot eyes while lazily writing their reports, cops view DUI stops as low hanging fruit and career boosters.

I fully expect that one day it will be a crime to drive within 48 hours of merely dreaming about drinking alcohol.

[jzcrandall]

Originally Posted by Sco

I don't think this had anything to do with race. The sad fact is that due to the influence of MADD, the militarization of the civilian police, and the ease with which an officer can invoke magic words like bloodshot eyes while lazily writing their reports, cops view DUI stops as low hanging fruit and career boosters.

I fully expect that one day it will be a crime to drive within 48 hours of merely dreaming about drinking alcohol.

You hit the nail on the head. MADD is way out of control, and are becoming the NRA of traffic laws. The resource officer thinks the current limit of 0.08 is ridiculous because people are still able to drive at that limit, and is annoyed because they're talking about dropping the limit to 0.05. Besides, there's a bigger risk from aggressive driving and road rage, but where's the outrage?

[ibarrio]

Charges have been dropped by the DA. Reports are that Surprise police have pulled this guy over10 times. Something is wrong here and I bet the city settles before the dirt comes out.

[magnum0417]

I knew before coming here from NY that the whole DUI is open to interpretation and one can get a DUI for taking a sleeping pill or cough syrup. Any prescribed depressant for that matter. I find it amazing how many people I know go out and just have one drink at a restaurant. What's the point ? One drink does nothing to most people so why potentially get hassled for DUI after one 12 ounce bottle of Dos Equis at Majerle's ? Which is why I drink at home after all my errands are done. If I'm out with friends, drink soda or juice. I think the DUI laws are anal retentive but it is what it is and have to accept the guidelines and adjust one's lifestyle appropriately.

[Finger Laker]

there is a presumption of being under the influence of intoxicating liquor in AZ which is at less than .05

[Juram]

Sad fact->You can be cited for DUI despite not actually being inebriated. Its often fairly straightforward to beat, but you need an attorney for that, which isn't cheap, so you could be totally innocent, maybe just tired or maybe the police officer is having a bad day and in their judgment, you are driving under the influence. Even if innocent you could be guilty.


Also keep in mind that there are many who are pushing for the legal BAC to be dropped even further, meaning you'd get hell of a lot more of these DUI after not drinking cases.

[DetroitN8V]

I hope this man gets a nice fat check from the city.