HARRISBURG, Pa. – Senate Bill 290 was overwhelmingly approved by the state House of Representatives to expand the use of ignition interlock devices for people who have been caught driving under the influence. The Bill was approved by a vote of 194-1 and is expected to return to the Senate for concurrence. With passing of this bill, the legislature aims to make ignition interlocks mandatory for those first-time DUI offenders who register a high blood-alcohol level at the time of arrest. Ignition interlock devices are installed on the steering column of the vehicle to test the blood alcohol content of…Read More
42-year-old Ricardo Patterson III of Willingboro was charged with driving under the influence and taken into custody for drunk driving, after he hit and killed a teenager Sunday morning. According to authorities, Patterson faces multiple charges including driving under the influence and reckless driving. An investigation into the matter is ongoing as authorities review the circumstances of the crash to determine whether more serious charges need to be filed. The teenager who was hit by Patterson’s vehicle was identified as 17-year-old Antwan Timbers Jr. He was walking with a friend shortly after midnight off the road at Route 130 South…Read More
HARRISBURG – A new bill signed into law by Gov. Wolf Wednesday aims to require installation of the ignition interlock device for some first time drunk drivers caught in Pennsylvania. According to MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), the passing of this bill leaves only two U.S. states without any form of ignition interlock for first-time offenders. According to Wolf, drunk driving is a deadly crime that puts Pennsylvania families at risk. With the signing of this legislation, people will be prevented from driving drunk and endangering themselves and putting other lives at risk. “We owe it to both motorists and…Read More
Next month, a Northampton County judge will decide whether or not to allow house arrest for a 3-time DUI offender who is wheelchair bound and paralyzed. 30-year-old Miguelangel Tsiounis of Bethlehem Township was arrested for his third DUI arrest on 23 October, 2015 in Freemansburg. When police stopped and attested him, they found out that the driver was on parole for his second drunken driving conviction. Tsiounis was sentenced to 90 days up to 5 years in prison for the second offense. Since he was paralyzed, he spent the sentence on house arrest. His attorney, James Burke, is again looking…Read More
According to reports, an American Airlines pilot was arrested Saturday at Detroit Metropolitan Airport by the airport police after he allegedly showed up drunk for a flight to Philadelphia. The pilot was issued a Breathalyzer test before the flight which he failed. As a result, Flight 736, which was expected to arrive in Philadelphia at 8:47 a.m., was cancelled. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) detained the co-pilot who was determined to be under the suspicion of having a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit. According to law, FAA prohibits anyone from operating or attempting to operate an aircraft within eight…Read More
23-year-old Sean Sperl of Lansdale, who was found guilty in the death of a friend in a 2013 accident, was cleared of the DUI homicide charge by a jury. Sperl was facing the most serious charge of DUI homicide, after the crash that killed 21-year-old Ryan Petrille. However, the same jury that convicted him of the charge now acquitted him. The accident caused by Sperl resulted in the explosion of his car that split in half, resulting in the death of his friend. The incident took place on 22 April, 2013 when Sperl, Petrille, and Ryan Benner went to Phillies…Read More
It started as a perfectly fine day in April when a group of 21-year-olds from Lansdale went to Citizens Bank Park where they drank beer and liquor before and during the game when Phillies beat the Pirates, 3-2. The perfect day soon turned tragic as hours later, one of the group members lay dead in Salford Township after being thrown from the backseat of a car that hit a utility pole. The member, identified as Ryan Petrille, was abandoned by two of his friends as they fled the scene, leaving his body behind. Details of the incident were revealed Monday…Read More
According to court administrator Michael Kehs, Montgomery County is reverting back to the old system from the pilot-program that segregated DUI cases into a separate court. According to Kehs, DUI cases in Montco constitute between a quarter and a third of the inventory each year. The workload becomes too much for one judge to handle, and due to the heavy caseload, they have to revert back to the old system. Unlike courts in the other 12 Pennsylvania counties, which consist of the drug court and the treatment-based DUI courts, the DUI court in Montco was not a treatment court. In…Read More
HARRISBURG, PA. – A legislation was unanimously approved by the Pennsylvania Senate which approved the use of ignition interlock devices for those who are caught driving under the influence. The bill would allow DUI offenders to be eligible for an ignition interlock device, which will be set up in their primary vehicle and a limited license would be set up under Senate Bill 290 for drivers who do not have a prior offense in the last 10 years. Senate Bill 290 now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration. Senator John Rafferty, who sponsored the bill, said that according to…Read More
MADD President David Griffin resigned from his volunteer position as president of the MADD East Prince County chapter after he was charged with impaired driving. 65-year-old Griffin, who is a former deputy chief Summerside Police Services and a 45-year veteran of the force, was charged with impaired driving in June. At that time, he was the volunteer president of the local chapter. He immediately notified MADD Canada and resigned from his post. The news was announced Tuesday by Andrew Murie, the organization’s CEO. Murie states that protocols are followed for everybody in the organization, including volunteers and staff. “Any infractions…Read More