Ithaca Man Faces Felony Charges Under Leandra’s Law
In New York, under the provision of Leandra’s Law, even first time drunken driving offenders will face felony charges if they have a passenger under the age of 15. The resulting sentence will be significantly more serious than for a normal DUI charge. It is instantly treated as a felony.
According to Ithaca Voice, 33 year old Rajan J. Knox from Ithaca has become the latest to be charged under Leandra’s Law. According to the arrest report and the arresting officer’s verbal statements, Knox was initially pulled over for speeding at 50 mph in a 30 mph zone. When the officer approached Knox he smelled alcohol on the perpetrator. He also noticed that Knox’s eyes were glassy and out of focus and his speech seemed slurred.
The suspecting officer subjected Knox to field sobriety testing and a breathalyzer test, following which his suspicions were confirmed. Knox failed the field sobriety test while breathalyzer test showed that his blood alcohol content (BAC) was 0.181, which Ithaca NY drunk driving accident attorneys say is over twice the legal limit of 0.08 in the state. To make things worse Knox had a minor child as a passenger in the backseat.
Madison man transporting wine arrested with BAC three times over legal limit
Jae C. Ehrgood, a 57 year old from Madison has been arrested for suspected drinking and driving, according to the Ithaca Journal.
The Broome County Sheriff’s Department dispatched officers to exit 4 in Kirkwood in response to calls from witnesses who reported a large tractor-trailer veering from one side to another in an erratic fashion on the highway. Responding officers arrived to the location as soon as they could and spotted the vehicle still swaying from lane to lane. Concerned for public safety, the officers pulled over the tractor-trailer and confronted Ehrgood.
The 57-year old told arresting officers that he was transporting 80,000 pounds of wine in his tractor – trailer. The man’s odor, slurred speech, glassy eyes, and unstable driving made officers question if he had been indulging in some wine himself.
They subjected him to a breathalyzer test. Shockingly his blood alcohol content (BAC) registered at 0.25, which is three times more than the legal limit of 0.8. Consequentially, the man was arrested and charged with aggravated DUI, two misdemeanor’s and a traffic infraction (BAC over 0.18, DWI and failure to maintain lane).
Penalties for a first-offense DWAI in the state of New York
According to Ithaca NY drunk driving accident attorneys, any person proven guilty of driving while ability impaired (DWAI) in a court of law for the first time is subject to penalties and fines. This includes a fine between $300-$500 and/or 15 days of imprisonment, suspension of driver’s license for 3 months (exceptions for under 21 drivers and commercial drivers), a legal surcharge of anywhere between $225-$260 depending on which court the case is tried in.
This is in addition to a driver responsibility assessment for three years at their own expense (costs $250 a year) and mandatory attendance of a Victim Impact Panel. With that said, if you do have an attorney representing you and a fantastic one can be found using the site USAttorneys.com your situation can be much more dire.
