Mothers Against Drunk Driving, MADD, an organization dedicated to curbing drunk driving nationally and in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, has criticized President Obama for hosting what became known as the "beer summit" to mend fences between Sergeant Crowley and Professor Gates.
A spokes person for MADD said that the idea of having a beer to soften the dispute between the professor and the officer was not a good idea because young people tend to mimic the actions of adults. In Massachusetts as in every state, it is not illegal to consume alcoholic beverages and drive.
In a Massachusetts OUI charge, the issue is whether the consumption of alcohol diminished a driver's ability to operate a motor vehicle safely. When someone is stopped for DUI, the officer's observations generally fall into standard categories: driving ability, ability to respond appropriately to questions, demonstrating mental alertness and physical coordination as demonstrated by field sobriety tests. Also, the officer will judge a suspects mental alertness by whether or not the individual listens to instructions on field sobriety tests and starts the tests when told to do so.
In many DUI arrests, a motorist will admit to consuming alcohol; however, typically the Commonwealth cannot establish the time of consumption. An individual charged with a Massachusetts DUI based on admissions to drinking may have a strong case as the Commonwealth cannot prove a DUI case based on admissions to consumption of alcohol alone without demonstrating that the alcohol actually impaired a drivers ability to operate a motor vehicle safely.
Attorney DelSignore defends motorists charged with DUI throughout Massachusetts and will provide a free consultation to discuss your case. Attorney DelSignore is available any time to take your call and explain to you the process of successfully defending your DUI case.
