Recently in DUI Cases Category

We warned you that Arizona authorities were going to be out in full force over the holidays to deter drunk drivers. If you were caught by the several DUI task forces operating over New Year's weekend, one of the worst things you could have done was run. Take our word, and the examples of two Prescott Valley men, for it.

Both men were booked into Yavapai County jail on DUI and felony unlawful flight charges stemming from separate incidences in which they tried to flee from a DUI task force operating in the county, reports The Daily Courier.

More than a year after an Arizona State University student was killed in a DUI crash, Berry Williams was convicted of first-degree murder, reports KTAR News Radio.

Williams was also convicted of unlawful flight from law enforcement, endangerment and shoplifting. At minimum, he faces 25-years to life in prison due to the murder charge.

Arizona House Speaker Andy Tobin said in a statement this week that he still has complete confidence in Victor Riches, his chief of staff, even after Riches' extreme DUI conviction and cocaine scandal. Perhaps this statement will cause some Arizonians to question the House Speaker's judgment if they have not already.

According to Phoenix New Times, Tobin made the following statement on June 21, after the news of Riches' DUI was widely reported on in the media. "I've since ascertained that Victor has done everything that has been required to take both personal and legal responsibility for this mistake and that there has not been nor will there be any impact on House operations."

Brad Braudrick not only faced felony charges after driving a pickup truck off of Lakeshore Drive in March 2010, but he also saw his friend Joshua Lee Bristow be pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. According to Prescott Daily Courier, a judge sentenced Braudrick to five years in prison last month after the defendant pleaded guilty to charges of manslaughter and driving under the influence.

Braudrick reportedly had a blood-alcohol level of .081 percent, which means that he was legally drunk at the time of the crash. Lawyers representing the driver tried to argue, however, that Braudrick's DUI crash was not to blame for Bristow's death and that a delayed medical response was actually the cause of his friend's death. It was Braudrick himself who called 911 after the accident.

Not all law enforcers and county officials follow the rules of the road in Arizona. According to AZ Family, a former Maricopa County detention officer was sentenced to 10.5 years in prison on Tuesday after pleading guilty to counts of manslaughter and endangerment.

The defendant, Adrian Salazar Guzman, had been accused of killing 27-year-old Alisha Marie Trejo on October 16. Trejo was on her motorcycle at a stop sign in Goodyear, when Guzman apparently hit her from behind with his vehicle. Goodyear police said that Guzman had told authorities after the fatal crash that he had been drinking throughout the day and that he had left a bar just one half hour before the crash.

Two children were sitting on a sidewalk coloring in the town of Whiteriver when they were suddenly hit by a '95 Dodge Dakota pickup truck. White Mountain Independent reports that the driver of the truck was identified as 19-year-old Adrienne L. Shipp, who then allegedly tried to flee the scene of the accident.

Apparently, the driver hit the children after failing to make a proper left turn on Alchesay Road and drove through a wooden fence, into a front yard. The driver was not injured after the crash, but a 5-year-old child on the sidewalk named Larnell Quinero was killed as a result of the crash and a 4-year-old girl named Jermaine Foster, who was transported to Phoenix Children's Hospital to be treated for injuries, was critically injured from the alleged DUI accident.

Officer Jared Zygowicz was fired from the Chandler Police Department in February after his November DUI arrest, but now the officer could be facing even more trouble as a law enforcer in the state -- this time with The Arizona Peace Officers Standards and Training Board.

The Arizona Republic reports that the board has opened an investigation into whether Zygowicz used his position as a police officer to avoid a DUI arrest. The Standards and Training Board now has the power to revoke Jared Zygowicz's certification if they find that he has violated board rules.

Joshua Pearce, the 30-year-old son of Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce, just can’t seem to stay out of trouble and complete the terms of his probation stemming from his 2006 DUI case. According to The Arizona Republic, authorities recently issued an arrest warrant for Joshua Pearce after he violated the terms of his probation.

Pearce turned himself in earlier this week in connection with the warrant and was then booked into the Mesa City Jail. The senator’s son now has a hearing scheduled for April 26 regarding the revocation of his probation.

Police officers are supposed to enforce Arizona's DUI laws and not endanger others by driving around the community impaired. Perhaps rookie officer Mike Phillips of Surprise didn't consider all the implications of his new job.

The Arizona Republic reports that Phillips, who has been working as an officer for the Surprise Police Department for less than a year, was arrested by one of his own co-officers on Tuesday after getting into an accident with another vehicle. The accident apparently involved only one other vehicle with an adult at the wheel and a child inside.

No injuries were reported as a resutl of the low-speed crash in the area of Paradise Lane and Mountain Vista Boulevard.

A man who allegedly drove in the wrong direction on I-17 near Highway 17 in Flagstaff last week is now facing endangerment charges. Luckily, nobody was hurt and a Yavapai County Sheriff's deputy was able to safely pull over the suspect, Edward Moreno, before any accidents or injuries occurred.

Apparently, the driver didn't even realize that he was traveling in the wrong direction on the highway. ABC News reported that the deputy conducted field sobriety tests and made an arrest after Moreno appeared to be impaired. Yavapai County deputies also found two beer bottles in Moreno's vehicle and said that they noticed an odor of alcohol coming from the suspect's breath.