DUI Arrest May Have Ended in Suicide

There are many stresses that a college student faces while they are going through school. The kinds of stresses which can lead to a suicide are different for every student who has taken their own life. It is not unthinkable that a DUI could lead to a suicide.

This is something which many are suspecting is the reason for the death of Michael Richard Edmonds Jr., 26. This resident of Clay County was attending the University of Florida as a journalism major. He was a student like any other, but was arrested on Saturday for a DUI.

The stadium was open for a small amount of students to tour the facility. There were about 30 students in the stadium getting the grand tour when Edmunds leaped from an upper level of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Onlookers rushed to help the student who was not yet dead. They tried to provide medical attention while the paramedics were on their way. The police also rushed to the scene to help in subduing the crowd and providing better medical care.

They were not able to help Edmonds recover from his injuries and he died on the spot. This marks another student to have died in similar circumstances on the site. The last death has not been for years, but it is not unheard of for students to take their life in this way.

The speculation leans towards suicide though there was no note which was indicated in any reports. The only recent motivator for such an act was the DUI charge that Edmonds received recently. Campus officials are reiterating that any student who feels the mounting pressure of student or outside life is urged to speak ith campus counseling services right away to avoid a possible tragedy.

Run for the Border Ends in DUI Arrest

Two individuals decided to get a late night snack after a night of drinking which led to an arrest.

The incident happened at a Taco Bell in Port Richey. Taco Bell employees working the drive thru were dealing with a couple of really annoying customers at the late night drive thru. They decided that they should call the police about the incident as it appeared that the two in the car were both intoxicated.

When police arrived on the scene, they found the car still on the premises with the two still inside. As soon as the sheriff’s deputy was positioned behind their vehicle, the two passengers started tossing various items out of the car. Everything from food to food boxes to the keys to the car were tossed out of the window.

When the deputy approached the vehicle, he confronted Micah James Mistretta. Mistretta smelled like alcohol and was slurring his speech when speaking with the officer. He also had bloodshot eyes. All signs pointed to the idea that Mistretta was under the influence of alcohol.

The deputy attempted to administer a breathalyzer, but Mistretta refused a total of three tests. He would not even agree to submit to the roadside sobriety tests. Refusal to submit to any sobriety tests always leads to an arrest and charge as if you had taken the test and failed it.

Mistretta argued that he could not be charged for DUI because he was not drinking and the keys were not even in the car when the officer arrived. The witness reports and their presence in the car was enough to prove that Mistretta was indeed driving the car while intoxicated.

He was processed through the Land O’Lakes jail and was released after posting bail. This is his second DUI charge.

Man Charged to 25 Years in Prison for DUI Death of Port Orange Couple

The 2009 deaths of a Port Orange couple has resulted in two consecutive 12 1/2–year prison terms for the 37 year old South Daytona man who was responsible.

The crash which occurred at Christmas in 2009 left Brett Gerken, 59, and his wife Renee, 49, dead. Last month, Christopher Thomas Price pleaded no contest to the two counts of DUI manslaughter. The sentence was handed recently landing Price in jail for 25 years.

This is the second fatal crash for Price. In 1995, Price was involved in a DUI manslaughter case in Marion County. The charge was amended to a charge of vehicular homicide when he pleaded guilty to the charges.

The charge which occurred in 2009 occurred on Taylor Road near Port Orange. When Brett Gerken saw a pickup truck approaching him coming in the wrong direction, he veered off of the road, but was still hit 15 to 20 feet off of the road.  Brett Gerken was pronounced dead on the scene. His wife died the next day.

The toxicology report from the accident showed that Price was driving under the influence of drugs. There was a trace amount of marijuana in his system. The majority of the drugs which was impairing his driving was the Xanax and oxycodone he had been taking.

Many friends and family members of the Gerkens showed up as well as writing in letters to the court. Among those who wrote into the court included Courtney Gerken, daughter to the deceased. She wrote that ‘the holidays will always seem empty to me”. She also stated that, “because Mr. Price didn’t learn from his mistakes, I have no immediate family.”

Price also wrote from jail to Circuit Judge R. Michael Hutcheson that he feels he was living in a fog and realizes that he was a true addict.

North Florida Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for 2 DUI Deaths

A man from North Florida was charged recently for DUI manslaughter for an accident which occurred last year. He was sentenced to 17 years in state prison by the Volusia County Courts.

David Lee Weed, 58, was arrested on June 21, 2011 for his part in an accident which occurred on Interstate 95 near Daytona Beach. Weed was traveling in his 20077 Volkswagen Jetta when he rear-ended a 1998 Chevrolet Suburban. Upon impact the Suburban was caused to crash. This caused the Suburban to crash in a way which was fatal for the occupants of the vehicle.

Inside of the vehicle was Glady D. Jean, 46, Miami. She was killed at the time of the accident and the rest of the passengers were rushed to the hospital for care. Husband Auguste Jean, 62, died while at the hospital. The other four people in the Suburban were lucky enough to have only sustained minor injuries as a result of the crash. Weed did not suffer any major injuries as a result of the accident.

The charges that Weed was facing as a result of his accident were two counts of DUI manslaughter. He ended up pleading no-contest to the two charges. Because the charges were both second-degree felonies, he was sentenced to 17 years in prison for each charge. He has been sentenced to serve the terms concurrent. This means that he will only serve 17 years total for both deaths. He was also charged with a first-degree misdemeanor of DUI with damage to person/property. When Weed is released from prison at the end of his sentence, he will not be allowed to drive. The judge permanently revoked his driver’s license in order to protect the community from anything like this ever happening again.

Volusia Man Gets Ten Years After High Speed Chase

Last August, a high speed chase led by a South Daytona man ended in the individual being arrested and sent to jail. Recently, he was sentenced to ten years in prison.

The incident in question occurred on Aug. 30. It started in Port Orange and quickly moved into South Daytona. Kenneth Gasper Monte led police on a chase which exceeded over 90 miles an hour. Along the way, Monte hit two cars in order to evade police. He also managed to evade a spike strip which was put out to stop him. Monte also crashed into a police car as well right before he crashed into a barrier. After flipping his car and it catching on fire, police were finally able to apprehend him.

While being process, Monte’s blood alcohol level was registered at 0.282. This is more than 3.5 times the legal limit of 0.08 for the state of Florida. The level of alcohol in his blood stream indicates a disregard to his own safety as well as the safety of others behind the wheel.

Along with being sentenced to ten years in prison, Monte was also sentenced to five years in drug offender probation upon release from state prison. His license was suspended for life and he has been ordered to pay several fines and restitution. The court fees of $2,200 and restitution of over $10,000 (for victims of the crimes) will have to be paid.

The list of offenses that Monte was charged on includes: aggravated fleeing or eluding, DUI with property damage, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and two counts of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer. He pled no contest to all charges. Judge Marriott adjudicated him guilty on all five charges and sentenced him accordingly.

Lady Gaga Impersonator Arrested for DUI

It is not every day that the police have to arrest a celebrity in Orlando. It did not happen on Sunday either when a celebrity impersonator was arrested for DUI.

At 2:45 a.m., Sunday, on Orange Blossom Trail, Brittney Harland, 27, was involved in an accident which caused her to run a red light and crash into another car. All of this occurred while wearing her blonde wig and caution tape around her neck.

The officers who arrived at the scene smelled alcohol on the breath of Harland. They also recognized that she had blood shot eyes and slurred speech. This led officers to believe she had been drinking alcohol so she was given a field sobriety test. She was not able to pass the test as she lost count of her steps while she was performing the “walk and turn exercise.”

When she realized she was going to be charged with a DUI, she pleaded with the police saying that she already had a DUI in 2007 and did not want to get in trouble. She was asked to submit to a breathalyzer twice. The results of the tests were .166 and .161. These are both over twice the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle.

When interviewed, Harland admitted to having two beers and a double shot before leaving the Parliament House in Orlando. She was charged with DUI and was ordered to remove her wig for the photo that they have to take during booking. She was allowed to keep the tape on her neck as it did not have any bearing on the face recognition ability that they use the photos for.

After being processed, Harland was released on $1,000 bond. There is no word as to where you can catch her next appearance.