Florida DUI Lawyer Blog

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA – According to The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, a Palm Beach Circuit judge sentenced a 21-year-old male to 25 years in prison for DUI manslaughter and failing to render aid. Bendy Sainthilaire was sentenced for the 2005 death of Terry “TJ” Brown, 28.

The DUI accident occurred on December 18, 2005, when Brown was riding his bike along North Federal Highway in Boca Raton. He was headed to work as a chef at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. Sainthilaire was 18 at the time of the incident and reportedly had been out all night drinking.

Sainthilaire’s Ford Explorer was stopped by a Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy near Hillsboro Beach after the deputy noticed a bike lodged in the grill of the SUV. The defendant testified that another man had been driving at the time of the crash but had forced Sainthilaire, at gunpoint, into the driver’s seat.

Sainthilaire said he made a mistake by drinking and driving, but under questioning by prosecutors, he denied that he was the driver. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

DUI death brings 25 years, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, September 20, 2008

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FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – A former Broward County prosecutor who is currently a South Florida lawyer was arrested last week in Fort Lauderdale on drunk driving charges. The Broward Sheriff’s Office arrested the lawyer after he crashed his gray Honda along SE 6th Street and U.S. on Friday morning.

No other cars were involved in the accident, but he hit a sign and damaged lawn sprinklers and a flower bed outside an apartment building. The owner of the Fort Lauderdale apartment building said the damage is estimated around $4,000.

According to the police incident report, the attorney had bloodshot eyes and alcohol on his breath. He also reportedly attributed his inability to walk in a straight with his flat feet and refused to take a Breathalyzer test. The attorney was released on $1,500 bail.

Prominent lawyer Al Milian arrested on DUI charge, Miami Herald, September 19, 2008

DUI Charges Filed Against Prominent S. Fla. Lawyer, CBS4.com, September 19, 2008

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MIAMI, FLORIDA – Miami police have arrested a man who is suspected of killing a father of four in a hit-and-run accident. The accident occurred on Saturday night near the Miami home of Kamar Jackson, 29, whose car was crushed by a speeding SUV, killing Jackson on impact.

The following day, Jackson’s family made a plea for the killer to come forward. Police say that when’s the suspect, Carlos Rodriguez, told them his SUV had been carjacked. He claimed that the gash on his forehead was the result of a beating. Police told Rodriguez’s SUV fifteen blocks from the site of the hit-and-run. The vehicle had a crushed front-end, shredded tires, and a shattered windshield.

Police said the suspect’s story seemed implausible. During questioning, he admitted that he’d gone to a Miami strip club on Saturday night and driven drunk. He is now in custody of the Miami police.

Police Arrest Driver In Deadly Hit-And-Run, Local10.com, September 15, 2008

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MIAMI, FLORIDA, September 15, 2008 – At about 1:15 a.m. Sunday morning, Kama J. Jackson, 29, was killed in an accident where someone ran a stop sign at 20th Street and First Court and collided with his vehicle. The person who hit him subsequently fled the scene.

Carlos Alberto Rodriguez, 27 was drinking at a strip club and says he does not remember the crash. He was driving a Honda Passport at a high rate of speed when he ran a stop sign striking Jackson. A judge granted him a $2,000 bond on charges of leaving the scene of an accident involving death and making a false report to law enforcement. It seems that Rodriguez went to the police station with his brother to make a report about Rodriguez being carjacked and beaten. Ironically, police had been circulating the wrong picture of the suspect in the crime – it was a picture of Rodriguez’s step-father who has the same name. When they realized he fit the description, they started questioning Rodriguez, who then admitted he had been drinking at the Pink Pussycat strip club and was drunk when he left and got behind the wheel of his car. Rodriguez says he does not remember anything after leaving the strip club.

According to the Sun Sentinel, he originally stayed at the scene, then left and crashed again at a construction site, taking off off on foot.

There is an on-going investigation, and it is anticipated that additional charges of DUI Manslaughter will be filed against Rodriguez if they can find someone able to testify as to his level of impairment.

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The Florida Highway Patrol has uncovered a new development in the death of an 18-year Jacksonville Sheriff Officer. Vicki Mullins, 45, girlfriend of Michael Hartsfield, 50, is being charged with DUI manslaughter in connection with Hartsfield’s July 30 death.

According to reports, Mullins was driving a Ford Mustang convertible on Fort Caroline Road when she lost control of the vehicle. The Mustang landed in a ditch upside down. Rescue workers had to cut Hartsfield out of the vehicle. He later died at Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center.

Authorities say Mullins’ blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit. On Friday, she was arrested and charged with DUI manslaughter. She was being held on $750,003 bail at the Duval County Jail.

Girlfriend Charged In Crash That Killed Officer, News4Jax.com, September 14, 2008

Girlfriend Charged In Officer Boyfriend's Death, WOKV.com, September 14, 2008

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A Fort Lauderdale woman was arrested last month on drunken driving charges. Hathaikarn Russo, 34, was driving down Florida’s Interstate 395 when she was involved in an accident that occurred around 1am on a Thursday evening.

As a result, the westbound lanes of Interstate 395 were closed from Alton Road to Miami until about 8:30 the following morning. The DUI accident left one woman dead, and another victim was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Russo is charged with DUI causing serious bodily harm and driving under the influence-manslaughter.

Woman Charged With DUI After Fatal Crash: Crash Closes Westbound Traffic On MacArthur Causeway, Local10.com, August 14, 2008

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The Palm Beach Post reported yesterday on a Boyton Beach man who was arrested on multiple charges of DUI manslaughter and leaving the scene of a fatal crash. James D. Baker, 64, killed a 23-year-old women from Planation, Florida, and injured two other people back in June. Baker was driving his Jaguar the wrong way on Interstate 95 on the night of June 7 when he caused the wrecks.

Police records show that Baker kept driving after the crash and that he was previously arrested on drunk driving charges in April. Lt. Tim Frith told the Palm Beach Post that Baker was out of prison while the Florida Highway Patrol investigated the crash. Frith also said that Baker’s blood alcohol level the night of the June car accident was almost twice the legal limit of 0.08.

Baker will make his first appearance in court today. He is being held at the Palm Beach County Jail.

Boynton Beach man charged with DUI manslaughter booked in jail, Palm Beach Post, September 8, 2008

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The St. Petersburg Times reports that Florida law enforcement officials are increasingly adding child neglect charges to DUI cases where they believe the child’s life may have been endangered.

According to the July arrest report for Brian Adam DeLeon, the Odessa man had his 13-month old son in the car as he weaved in and out of traffic on Memorial Highway. Undercover Deputy Felix Moret pulled over DeLeon on July 25 and observed the smell of alcohol on his breath. DeLeon has pleaded not guilty to charges of DUI and child neglect.

DeLeon’s blood alcohol level was below Florida’s legal threshold of 0.08, but the deputies suspect he may have also been driving under the influence of drugs, so they are awaiting the results of a toxicology report. His was wife was in car with him, but she has not been charged.

Moret said that he has seen at least three cases of DUI and child neglect so far this year. But as the St. Petersburg Times points out, parents can also be charged for bringing children along when they complete an illegal transaction, such as drug trafficking.

DUI arrest can bring a charge of neglect, St. Petersburg Times, September 2, 2008

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Prosecutors claim a Woodbine, Maryland man used a Florida driver's license to cover up his record of driving under the influence. Gerald Thomas Titus, Jr., 37, is facing 11 charges after a traffic incident in July. These charges include driving under the influence of alcohol, fraud of personal identity to avoid prosecution, and possession or use of a false government identification document.

When police pulled over a motorcyclist for speeding on March 22, they observed that the cyclist’s breath smelled strongly of alcohol. The man showed the officer a Florida driver’s license with the name Frederick John Karr, Jr. The address was listed as St. Petersburg, Florida. According to court documents, he was sentenced to a year and a half of unsupervised probation. Since he received probation before judgment, the conviction could be removed from his record if he completed his probation satisfactorily.

The man was again stopped for drunk driving on July 9, which promoted the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office to investigate. The officials now believe that Karr deceived officers by giving them a false name and false identification. However, it is unclear how he would acquired this false driver’s license, since the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles requires two forms of ID (among other items) to obtain a Florida driver’s license.

Cops: Fake ID hid DUI record, CarrollCountyTimes.com, August 27, 2008

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