A Vietnam veteran has been sentenced after being arrested on drunk driving charges. The Virginia man was on his job as a driver for a nonprofit group that serves special needs and senior citizens when he was involved in a one-vehicle accident. The drunk driving charges were issued by an officer after he claimed he smelled alcohol on the man’s breath.
A report on the incident stated the man had taken several special needs adults to their place of employment one morning and then went to eat lunch. He admitted in court that he drank wine with his meal and later went to pick the same workers up in the organization’s van to take them to their homes. Before he had dropped any of them off, he ran off the road and hit a tree. All passengers were wearing seatbelts and were not seriously injured.
Police claim that the man did not pass the field sobriety tests that were given to him at the scene and that his blood alcohol content was over twice the legal limit when tested a couple of hours after the incident. They also said they found wine in containers in the van, and the man said they were just in his personal tote. Because the driver was transporting people, the commonwealth considered this to be an aggravated case. The judge fined the man and sentenced him to 12 months in jail, 10 months of which were suspended, and two years of probation.
A spokesperson for the nonprofit group has stated that the convicted man will no longer be a driver for the organization. The report did not say if he would still be employed in any other capacity with them. Virginia residents who find themselves in a similar situation do have rights when it comes to drunk driving charges. A good defense strategy may be successfully incorporated to lessen or even dismiss the consequences of any charges issued.
Source: Roanoke.com, Former NRV Senior Services driver sentenced for DUI, Melissa Powell, Jan. 29, 2014