DUI News Round-up: Three DUI Cases Are Resolved

By Danielle Briones

Published on January 26, 2012

In this DUI news round-up, we review Miguel Cabrera's DUI plea deal, and take a closer look at two cases in which the DUI charges against a Republican congressman and county commissioner were dropped.

Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera Accepts DUI Plea Deal

Miguel Cabrera accepted a plea deal in his DUI case. The first baseman for the Detroit Tigers pleaded no contest to a DUI charge; charges of resisting an officer without violence and having an open container in his car were dropped.

Cabrera, 28, avoided a public trial and jail time by accepting the plea offer. He was sentenced to one year of probation. However, it is possible that he will be granted early termination of his probation after six months.

Cabrera is also sentenced to 50 hours of community service, but he can opt out for $10 per hour. In addition, his license is suspended for six months, he received more than $1,400 in fines, and he is required to attend a victim-impact panel and courses on drunk driving.

The Detroit Tigers star was arrested in Fort Pierce, Florida in February of last year when he was on his way to spring training. According to the police report, Cabrera was on the side of the road next to his Land Rover, which still had the engine running.

The arrest affidavit states that Cabrera had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and the odor of alcohol on his breath. Further, it says that Cabrera had an open bottle of James Buchanan's Scotch Whisky and was acting aggressively toward the officers. Cabrera refused to take field sobriety or breath tests, and refused to get into the patrol car upon his arrest.

DUI Charges Against Ohio Rep. Jarrod Martin Dropped

The DUI and child endangerment charges against Ohio state Rep. Jarrod Martin have been dropped; instead, the Republican congressman pleaded guilty to failing to keep the trailer he was hauling in a marked lane, a minor traffic violation.

Last July, the Ohio Highway Patrol arrested Martin in Jackson County after officers saw that the truck he was driving drifted out of its lane and the attached trailer didn't have taillights. When the officers asked Martin to submit to field sobriety tests, Martin refused. This resulted in an automatic one-year suspension of his license, per state law.

The judge in the case found that the officers did not have probable cause to arrest Martin. Martin's attorney says that there was no evidence showing that his client was drinking while driving.

Martin has been fined $150, plus court costs, for the traffic violation.

DUI Charges Against Lincoln County Commissioner Dropped

The DUI charges against Lincoln County Commissioner Terry Thompson have been dropped after lab results showed that there was no alcohol in his system.

Thompson, 66, was pulled over after officers saw him cross the center line and fail to use his turn signal. He submitted to field sobriety testing, including tests that required him to stand on one foot, and walk with one foot directly in front of the other. According to the police report, Thompson did poorly on these tests.

When asked to complete a breath test, Thompson agreed and blew a 0.00. Despite this, Thompson was arrested and charged with driving under the influence.

State crime lab reports have since backed Thompson's claims; results showed that there was no alcohol, controlled substances, or pharmaceuticals in Thompson's system.

Thompson was not charged with any traffic violations relating to the police stop. He has stated that he paid more than $1,500 in legal fees as a result of the DUI charge.

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