Drunk driving, which is already dangerous – both to the driver and to others in the vicinity – becomes so much more potentially dangerous when the driver refuses to cooperate with law enforcement. This was once again made painfully clear when a police chase in Allegan County ended in a violent crash after the driver refused to follow orders from police.
However, not following orders is now the very least of that individual’s problems…. Read more ›
40-year-old Jose R. Teneyuque Sr, who prosecutors say is responsible for his 19-year-old daughter’s death, was just jailed after months of living in relative freedom on a personal recognizance bond. He was sent to jail for violating bond conditions.
Teneyuque, whose blood alcohol count at the time of the accident was 0.30 (which is almost four times the legal limit in Michigan), was granted a conditional release bond which required that he be monitored three times a day via Soberlink – a remote alcohol monitoring device. Read more ›
Starr Kiogima-McGill, the 28-year-old Grand Ledge woman who was charged with second-degree murder and drunk driving causing death for causing the accident that killed her 4-year-old daughter, has been found guilty, and is facing the possibility of life in prison.
The Eaton County Circuit Court jury only deliberated for about 45 minutes before deciding that McGill was indeed guilty. Her attorney has said that in her state of grief and devastation over the loss of her daughter, this verdict has not helped. But the details of the case are tragic, and no one expected a different outcome. Read more ›
In the wake of the drunken boating accident this past summer, that claimed lives and put one man in prison for years, it comes as little surprise that Michigan legislators have chosen to change the state’s drunk driving laws concerning the operating of watercraft while intoxicated.
A package of bills was unanimously passed by the Michigan Senate which increase penalties for “BUI” or boating under the influence. Drunk drivers of boats and other recreational vehicles will now also contend with blood alcohol content requirements similar to those applied to drivers on the roads. Read more ›
Brandon Verfaillie, the 32-year-old man from Chesterfield Township charged with several felonies for driving his boat while under the influence of alcohol and causing a fatal crash, has pled guilty to the charges.
Verfaillie appeared in court on Monday where he pled guilty to three felony charges, namely two counts of operating a vessel while intoxicated causing death, and one count of operating a vessel while intoxicated causing serious injury. Read more ›
Michelle Carmelita Lerma appeared in the Grand Rapids District Court recently for her preliminary hearing. Seated in a wheelchair, both her arms in casts, the 40-year-old faced Judge David Buter while the prosecution explained why she was being charged with OWI causing death.
Lerma is accused of driving drunk and causing an accident which took the life of 58-year-old Grass Lake resident, Gregory Gene Johnson, known as “Tex” to his friends and family. Read more ›
Bryan Lee Stuck, the 29-year-old Sturgis Police Officer who has gained a level of notoriety of late for his very drunk driving accident last month in Kalamazoo County, has chosen to plead not guilty to “super drunk” charges, which will likely land him a trial in the near future. Read more ›
