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Official facing Chambersburg DUI

Forrest offered probation in DUI case
By DAN DEARTH
September 29, 2009
dan.dearth@herald-mail.com

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — The drunken-driving case against Washington County Board of Education member W. Edward Forrest will be dismissed if he successfully serves six months of probation.

Forrest on Tuesday waived a preliminary hearing in Franklin County Central Court.

Afterward, James M. Stein, Forrest’s attorney, said the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office offered Forrest alternative rehabilitative disposition, meaning the charges against him will be dropped if he has no “criminal legal problems” in the next six months.

Stein said alternative rehabilitative disposition is a standard offer that prosecutors make to first-time offenders such as Forrest.

Forrest likely will have to pay an undisclosed amount of court costs, Stein said, but he will not serve jail time.

“I’m just glad to move past this,” Forrest said after the proceeding. “It was certainly an eye-opening experience for me.”

Forrest was pulled over Aug. 16 at 3:10 a.m. on U.S. 30 in the Borough of Chambersburg, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

His blood-alcohol content was measured at .088 percent, according to court papers. The legal limit in Pennsylvania is .08 percent.

Forrest was charged with driving under the influence, failure to stay in the lane of travel and careless driving.

Franklin County Assistant District Attorney Chris Schellhorn said Forrest was granted leniency, in part because his blood-alcohol content was close to the legal limit.

Forrest probably will begin his six-month period of alternative rehabilitative disposition after he is arraigned Nov. 4. At that time, a judge will ask Forrest if he agrees to the conditions of the ARD program.

Stein said he would file for a motion to dismiss Forrest’s case when the six-month period is over.

Forrest was elected to the school board in 2000 and re-elected in 2004.

He resigned in March 2007 after he received a job promotion, but he ran again in November 2008 and was elected to another four-year term

Learn more about fighting a Franklin County DUI charge by contacting a Pennsylvania DUI Lawyer at Ciccarelli Lawyers. We are available by calling (877) 529-2422.

Prison rehab manager charged with Philadelphia DUI

 

The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting a deputy commissioner in the city’s prison has been charged with a Philadelphia DUI (driving under the influence. )

53-year-old Reginald Hammond was arrested on October 9. The arrest is of note because the commissioner is charged with running a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program for inmates at the prison. He was off-duty at the time of arrest and driving a personal vehicle, although he does have access to a vehicle through his work.

Hammond has been with the prison system for over 25 years. He has served as commissioner for about 4 years, and he is compensated with a salary over six figures. The commissioner’s BAC was analyzed at .14%. He is scheduled to appear in court in December. 

Though Hammond’s superiors at the prison are aware of the arrest, no disciplinary action has been taken at this point. As is common with law enforcement and public organizations, the prison system will conduct an internal review of the case prior to making any judgement. 

It is not necessary for Hammond to be convicted of DUI in order to receive a disciplinary suspension or action against him. Most city institutions will evaluated the case according to their own ethical standards and not the civil standards used in court.

The fact Hammond was off-duty at the time of the arrest will likely minimize any disciplinary action against him. However, since Hammond does operate alcohol rehabilitation for inmates, he may face a more severe penalty if the review finds him in violation of the ethics of his position.

Pa. man gets 3 to 6 years in fatal Pennsylvania DUI crash

FAIRLESS HILLS, Pa. – A suburban Philadelphia man has been sentenced to three to six years in a fatal drunken-driving crash that killed his best friend.

Authorities in Bucks County say 25-year-old Sean Cowley of Falls Township had been drinking in a bar with 25-year-old Stephen Taylor before the February accident. They say neither man was wearing a seat belt when Cowley lost control of the vehicle and hit a tree, sending Taylor crashing through the back window. He died four days later.

Authorities say Cowley was driving more than 89 mph in a 25 mph zone and had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit. He pleaded guilty in August to homicide by vehicle while driving drunk and involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced Tuesday to the mandatory minimum term.

Cowley said he and Taylor had been “brothers” and he thinks about his friend and misses him every day.  Couresty of The Associated Press.    Need a Pennsylvania DUI Lawyer?  Then contact Ciccarelli Lawyers at (877) 529-2422.

Philadelphia area has lower DUI rates than rural PA

 

According to statistics, police officers in rural central Pennsylvania have made more DUI arrests than their city counterparts. 

One Pennsylvania DUI checkpoint established in the mid-state area has recorded over 2,000 arrests for DUI since this time last year. Pennsylvania Troop H, in charge of 6 central Pennsylvania counties, has netted the most DUI arrests in total. This Troop has pulled in 269 suspects for DUI arrests.

The Philadelphia area, with a much higher population concentration, only recorded 191 arrests in the same time period. Pittsburgh, also a metropolitan center, only netted 230 arrests. And officers claim it is not for lack of DUI drivers. Proud members of Troop H say they are just good at what they do. 

Even though the 406 officers in Troop H are only responsible for 1.1 million people, and even though the area is also heavily covered by state troopers, the officers say it the dedication of each individual officer that has made a difference. 

More than 100 officers have elected to undergo specific DUI training offered by Pennsylvania Driving Under the Influence Association and other groups. The officers learn to more keenly observe patterns in drunk driving as well as perform expert field sobriety examinations. 

The central Pennsylvania agencies’ records were commended on the state level. There, officials congratulated sheriffs who place a high importance on DUI enforcement.

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