He's Sorry!

By Jeff Simpson

 GOP Attorney General candidate Brad Schimel, who gave formerly convicted felon Scott Jensen a get out of jail free card,has revealed another skeleton in his closet.   He had a drunk driving conviction in 1990. 

Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel was cited in May 1990 in Milwaukee County for first-offense drunken driving. Schimel, 48, said he made a mistake when he was young, pleaded guilty and took responsibility for his actions. He has worked to fight drunken driving as a prosecutor, he added.

Yes Schimel took responsibility for his actions, he just felt the need to wait 24 years to "take responsibility for his actions".  He had numerous chances to come clean about his conviction but never felt the need to do so, which leaves the question - what else is he hiding?

I guess as long as he is sorry, whats the harm.  I wonder if he will allow the "I'm sorry, I was young and dumb" defense to be successful with others who come through the criminal system if he becomes our next Attorney General?

Money Talks

By Jeff Simpson

In Texas, a teen who killed four people while driving drunk, was given 10 years probation:

A Texas judge agreed with defense attorneys’ claims that a 16-year-old who killed four people while driving drunk had been given whatever he wanted by his wealthy parents and had never learned to accept responsibility for his actions.
So she sentenced him to 10 years on probation, setting aside prosecutors’ request for a 20-year prison term after the teen pleaded guilty last week to four counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault causing serious bodily injury.
Court records show Ethan Couch had a blood-alcohol content of 0.24, more than three times the legal limit for an adult, when he slammed into four people who’d stopped to assist a stranded motorist June 15 alongside a narrow Tarrant County road.
All four pedestrians were killed, including a mother and daughter, and two of Couch’s friends were thrown from his pickup and severely injured.

In Wisconsin, a 40 year old woman was given 8 yeas in prison and 10 years probation for a drunk driving crash that killed a man:

Forbeck sentenced Carlson to eight years in prison and 10 years of extended supervision.

“There are consequences to what we do in this life, and you are going to bear those consequences,” Forbeck told her.

Carlson created a “deadly mix” when she tried to drive home from a wedding reception the night of Aug. 18, 2012, with a blood-alcohol concentration more than double the legal limit, he said.

She was driving home after getting into a fight with her boyfriend, who Junig said was supposed to take her home but wound up drinking.

Carlson drove through a stop sign at the intersection of Highway 11 and County B west of Janesville and crashed into the car that carried Menard and three other people, all of whom were injured.

Prosecutors charged Carlson with two felonies and six misdemeanors after the crash, and in September she pleaded guilty to the most serious charge: homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle.

- See more at: http://www.gazettextra.com/Content/20131115/Tara_Carlson_gets_eight_years_in_prison_for_drunken_driving_crash_that_killed_James_Menard#sthash.0rAHUS7N.dpuf

 A Janesville woman is heading to prison for killing someone while driving drunk.
Tara Carlson, 40, will spend the next eight years locked up and ten years after under supervision.
Back in August of 2012 she was driving on highway eleven outside of Janesville when she crashed into a car killing James Menard, 64, of Chicago.

There are many more stories like this than the former.  It is amazing what money buys you in America these days.  

It sure helps you in our justice system when you have high priced lawyers and unlimited funds.  Imagine what you can get away with when you have TWO high priced law firms and a legal defense fund working for you!

Forbeck sentenced Carlson to eight years in prison and 10 years of extended supervision.

“There are consequences to what we do in this life, and you are going to bear those consequences,” Forbeck told her.

Carlson created a “deadly mix” when she tried to drive home from a wedding reception the night of Aug. 18, 2012, with a blood-alcohol concentration more than double the legal limit, he said.

She was driving home after getting into a fight with her boyfriend, who Junig said was supposed to take her home but wound up drinking.

Carlson drove through a stop sign at the intersection of Highway 11 and County B west of Janesville and crashed into the car that carried Menard and three other people, all of whom were injured.

Prosecutors charged Carlson with two felonies and six misdemeanors after the crash, and in September she pleaded guilty to the most serious charge: homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle.

- See more at: http://www.gazettextra.com/Content/20131115/Tara_Carlson_gets_eight_years_in_prison_for_drunken_driving_crash_that_killed_James_Menard#sthash.0rAHUS7N.dpuf

Forbeck sentenced Carlson to eight years in prison and 10 years of extended supervision.

“There are consequences to what we do in this life, and you are going to bear those consequences,” Forbeck told her.

Carlson created a “deadly mix” when she tried to drive home from a wedding reception the night of Aug. 18, 2012, with a blood-alcohol concentration more than double the legal limit, he said.

She was driving home after getting into a fight with her boyfriend, who Junig said was supposed to take her home but wound up drinking.

Carlson drove through a stop sign at the intersection of Highway 11 and County B west of Janesville and crashed into the car that carried Menard and three other people, all of whom were injured.

Prosecutors charged Carlson with two felonies and six misdemeanors after the crash, and in September she pleaded guilty to the most serious charge: homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle.

- See more at: http://www.gazettextra.com/Content/20131115/Tara_Carlson_gets_eight_years_in_prison_for_drunken_driving_crash_that_killed_James_Menard#sthash.0rAHUS7N.dpuf

Forbeck sentenced Carlson to eight years in prison and 10 years of extended supervision.

“There are consequences to what we do in this life, and you are going to bear those consequences,” Forbeck told her.

Carlson created a “deadly mix” when she tried to drive home from a wedding reception the night of Aug. 18, 2012, with a blood-alcohol concentration more than double the legal limit, he said.

She was driving home after getting into a fight with her boyfriend, who Junig said was supposed to take her home but wound up drinking.

Carlson drove through a stop sign at the intersection of Highway 11 and County B west of Janesville and crashed into the car that carried Menard and three other people, all of whom were injured.

Prosecutors charged Carlson with two felonies and six misdemeanors after the crash, and in September she pleaded guilty to the most serious charge: homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle.

- See more at: http://www.gazettextra.com/Content/20131115/Tara_Carlson_gets_eight_years_in_prison_for_drunken_driving_crash_that_killed_James_Menard#sthash.0rAHUS7N.dpuf

Forbeck sentenced Carlson to eight years in prison and 10 years of extended supervision.

“There are consequences to what we do in this life, and you are going to bear those consequences,” Forbeck told her.

Carlson created a “deadly mix” when she tried to drive home from a wedding reception the night of Aug. 18, 2012, with a blood-alcohol concentration more than double the legal limit, he said.

She was driving home after getting into a fight with her boyfriend, who Junig said was supposed to take her home but wound up drinking.

Carlson drove through a stop sign at the intersection of Highway 11 and County B west of Janesville and crashed into the car that carried Menard and three other people, all of whom were injured.

Prosecutors charged Carlson with two felonies and six misdemeanors after the crash, and in September she pleaded guilty to the most serious charge: homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle.

- See more at: http://www.gazettextra.com/Content/20131115/Tara_Carlson_gets_eight_years_in_prison_for_drunken_driving_crash_that_killed_James_Menard#sthash.0rAHUS7N.dpuf

Sheriff Clarke Makes A Joke - Of Himself

As the gentle reader has probably already heard, Graeme Zielinski, the former spokesman for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, was arrested and charged with his third count of driving under the influence.

I'm not going to defend his actions because they are simply indefensible.  He screwed up.

And predictably, the cheap shot artists and the hate-filled have been having a field day attacking Zielinski day in and day out.

With the frenzy they were working themselves into, one just knew that it was only a matter of time before one of the right wing nut jobs went over the line and made an utter ass out of themselves.

Unsurprisingly, that idiot turned out to be Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, who tweeted this:

Guffaw.

It might have been funnier if it weren't for the fact that Clarke had is own little issue of driving drunk.

Then again, Zielinski might have wished Clarke was the officer that found him, since Clarke seems to have a soft spot for drunk drivers, to the point of personally trying to help them out of snowbanks.

Someone must have tipped Clarke off that he opened himself up for ridicule because he quickly reached out to Media Trackkkers and issued a "clarification":

UPDATE: Sheriff Clarke elaborated to Media Trackers on his tweet saying, “It is a common request when a Milwaukee resident is arrested in another county that they ask to serve their sentence in the county where they live.”

I got news for Clarke - it's also common that a county sheriff act with decorum and dignity as opposed to acting like an adolescent and immature bully.  

Congratulations Are In Order

Randy Hopper and Valerie Cass are engaged!

I guess Randy Hopper has been too busy making wedding plans to register, as a profit off public education lobbyist , like his friends!  

Imagine the beer that will be consumed there, I would recommend New Glarus try and get that contract.  It would be huge for business! 

If they want ratings gold, I would recommend that COPS comes and films the reception!

  

 

 

Randy Hopper

Engaged to Valerie Cass

The Effect of Money in Politics!

There are two very strong monied lobbies in politics nationally that both made the news yesterday, and I think we are going to find two very different results:

1.  Dallas Cowboys Nose Tackle Josh Brent was in an accident where he was drunk and ended up killing a passenger in his vehicle.  

Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent has been arrested and charged with intoxication manslaughter stemming from a late night crash that resulted in the death of a teammate.
CBS Station KTVT reports that Jerry Brown Jr., a 25-year old currently on the Cowboys' practice roster, was killed in the accident.
Irving police spokesman John Argumaniz said the accident happened about 2:20 a.m. Saturday in the Dallas suburb, hours before Brent was to be on a team flight to Cincinnati for the Cowboys' game Sunday against the Bengals.
When police arrived, Brent was responsive and able to speak with officers. Brown was unresponsive and was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Officers conducted a field sobriety test on Brent and arrested him on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, Argumaniz said. The charge, a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison, was upgraded after Brown was pronounced dead.

 The Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) lobby has proven very powerful and has worked successfully to increase punishments for drunk drivers.    Obviously Josh Brent was acting very irresponsibly and his actions caused death to another human being.  He is in much trouble and will be forced to pay for his mistake.  

Our second story comes from Pennsylvania:

 Police said the gun went off as Joseph Loughrey, 44 (pictured), and his son Craig were getting into their car outside the Twigs Reloading Den in Mercer, PA.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that Loughrey told police he had emptied the magazine of his 9-millimeter Taurus handgun, and he didn’t know there was a bullet in the chamber. The gun discharged and his son was struck in the chest.

State police said Loughrey was cooperative and distraught during questioning, the newspaper reported.

“I know that little kid was everything to him,” Mark McLaughlin, Loughrey’s friend and co-worker, told the newspaper.

The National Rifle Association(NRA) has also been one of the very strongest lobby organizations in Washington.  Unfortunately, instead of making people more responsible who own guns, they have focused on making it easier to own guns with less responsibility.    Joseph Loughrey also acting very irresponsibly and his actions caused death to another human being.  We will see what his punishment is.  

 It will be interesting to follow these two stories to completion and see how each is treated in the courts and in the press!  

Randy Hopper The Sequel

Randy Hopper Stories never get old.

A quick recap Of Randy Hopper Randy Hopper was a spoiled rich child from the Fox Valley who bought himself a Senate seat as a solid family man. The problem was during the recalls when someone unwittingly knocked on his door, his wife(who signed the recall petition) told them that they were searching the wrong place. The "man of the house"(term used loosely) Randy Hopper was no longer living there, he was now residing in Madison with is 25 year old lobbyist girlfriend Valerie Cass! Luckily for all of us in the State of WIsconsin Randy Hopper was successfully recalled and the true public servant Jessica King was elected to replace him!!

Fast forward a few months of unemployment later and Randy Hopper and his very young mistress were partying on a Sunday! The problem was Randy Hopper decided to hop behind the wheel after having a few too many. Randy Hopper was then arrested for Drunk Driving. Hopper, did as most all republicans do when they get caught red handed(1. Claim to be the victim, and 2. Hire a trial lawyer). Unfortunately his whiny claim of victimhood, and his excellent trial lawyer was able to get him off all charges of drunken driving. Seems republicans can skip out on any laws they feel like not adhering too.

The problem for Randy Hopper though, and the great thing for the rest of us, is that the special prosecutor Frank Endejan, has decided to appeal a judge's decision to dismiss a case against the former state senator.

Special prosecutor Frank Endejan, who handled the previous cases for the county, signed the notice of appeal. Numerous attempts to contact Endejan were unsuccessful. District Attorney Dan Kaminsky said the "decision to appeal is one made by the special prosecutor who by law performs all duties of the district attorney on the case for which he is assigned." Kaminsky said he consulted with Endejan regarding the appellate issues and procedure and put him in touch with assistant attorney generals who are experienced in the appeal process. "My understanding is that the appeal is intended to address the standard a judge should use in deciding whether an officer may request a suspect submit to a blood alcohol test," Kaminsky wrote in an email.

Let's hope justice prevails this time! Here is Randy testifying during his first trial.


 Here is some advice that Mr. Hopper and his paramour had better follow in the future!

Full Of The Christmas Spirit

Or some kind of spirit, anyway:

The executive director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association was arrested last weekend in Columbia County on suspicion of drunken driving after he was called to the scene of an accident involving the group's director of finance.

James L. Palmer II was arrested early Saturday after a Columbia County Sheriff's deputy noticed he smelled of alcohol, his speech was slurred and his eyes were bloodshot. A preliminary breath test showed Palmer's blood alcohol level was 0.146.

Palmer told a sheriff's deputy that he was called to the scene of a one-vehicle crash by Jean O. Steinhauer, who is director of finance for the police association.

When a Columbia County Sheriff's deputy arrived at the scene around 2:30 a.m. Saturday in the Town of Hampden, a state trooper reported Steinhauer had crashed her vehicle into a shed and had been consuming alcohol, according to the Columbia County Sheriff's accident report. When the deputy arrived, Palmer was standing outside his vehicle parked next to Steinhauer's vehicle.

Palmer told the deputy that he had been drinking with Steinhauer earlier in the evening at the High Noon Saloon in Madison. He admitted drinking three scotches and had been at his Sun Prairie home for about an hour and a half when Steinhauer called him to say she had driven off the road, according to the accident report.

Three OWI Convictions In One Month

I received the weekly issue of the Waupaca County Post, and this story caught my eye (sorry, no link):

Waupaca County Circuit Court Judge John Hoffmann placed Ryan C.A. Johnson, 23, Waupaca, on three years' probation on Monday, Feb. 9.

Johnson was convicted of his fourth and fifth drunken driving offenses. He will serve 100 days in jail and pay $1,723 in fines and court costs for his fourth offense and serve eight months in jail and pay $1,748 for his fifth offense.

Johnson was convicted of his third drunken driving offense and misdemeanor bail jumping on Jan. 8 in Shawano County, where he will spend a total of 115 days in jail and pay $2,166.

This guy is only 23 years old, but has been already convicted five times for drunk driving. It has cost him thousands of dollars already, and now will cost him a good chunk of his life. However, he should be grateful he still has a life and hasn't killed himself or someone else.

I know that there has been a lot of talk about drunk driving over the past several months, with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel doing a story on it every day for over two months and even has a blog to just cover all of the OWI stories throughout the state.

The different approaches to this problem is as diverse as the number of stories about drunk driving. There are some that advocate a complete crackdown on drunk driving, including making first offenses a criminal matter, establishing police checkpoints, lowering the blood alcohol level for drunk driving, and increasing the sentencing for drunk drivers, especially repeat offenders.

As for criminalizing the first offense of drunk driving, it seems to me that the current set up is rather counter intuitive. If driving while intoxicated is illegal the second, third, or any other number of times, why isn't it criminal the first time? Perhaps it is due to the valid concern that the offender might have made a mistake that is out of their character, and don't want to punish the person excessively. While that makes some sense, it would seem to me that we trust our judges to make their rulings based on the law, but with common sense. If we can't trust the judge's to judge if the person's background and history, then they are not very good judges.

The check point idea is a very bad one. Simply put, it is too much like a police state and it infringes on the rights of too many people, even if it might save some lives, to justify following that plan. Besides, some cops wouldn't know a drunk driver if they saw one.

I don't think lowering the BAC levels, increasing the penalties or raising the drinking age will have any meaningful impact on the issue, especially when it comes to repeat drunk drivers. Look at the young man at the beginning of this post. He had already picked up two previous offenses. I am sure that there was some penalties, like fines and the suspension of his license, but that did not deter him from going out and doing it some more.

I realize that it is emotionally and politically easier to just beat up on the drunk driver, but being a social worker and having more than a passing familiarity with psychology, I adhere to the theory that alcoholism is a disease, and needs to be treated as such. Drunk driving can be a symptom of this disease. They are generally in denial of their illness until something forces them to recognize their problem. This is common among many people who have a mental illness.

People that are arrested for their first drunk driving offense are usually ordered to have an assessment and go through a remedial driving course, but rarely is the offender offered any actual therapy or counseling to help them realize that they have a problem, on how it is hurting themselves and their loved ones. They are never given the chance to help themselves out of their downward spiral.

Instead of dumping all of this money in locking up first offenders, I would like to see some of that money be used in offering the offender a chance to get better first. Sure, the incarcerated drunk driver will have sobriety forced on them while in prison (unless they know how to make jailhouse hooch), but this won't address the underlying issue of his or her alcoholism, nor will it give them the tools to deal with it when they are released from prison.

If the person refuses to heed the advice of the counselors and therapists, and doesn't take measures to follow steps to help themselves from putting further people at risk, then they need to be taken from behind the wheel and off of the streets before someone gets hurt or killed. But while incarcerated, it is imperative that they are given the tools they will need to remain sober on the outside. Otherwise, they are only being set up for failure when they are eventually released.

Wouldn't it make sense to spend less money, keep people a productive member of society instead off a financial burden housed in a jail, and bound to continue the cycle until they die or kill someone else?

I Don't Know Which Is The Most Surprising

Rhode Island arrested a guy for drunk driving. He had a .491 on a blood alcohol test. I don't know which is the most surprising part of the story:

1. That he didn't die of alcohol poisoning,
2. That he was even coherent enough to walk, much less drive,
3. That they released him from prison on a promise to return to court, or
4. That the guy wasn't from Wisconsin.