‘Life-changing’ DWI Court celebrates first graduate

‘Life-changing’ DWI Court celebrates first graduate

Rodney Long has proudly invited some of his loved ones to attend his appearance in St. Louis County District Court today.

Sixth Judicial District Judge Shaun Floerke believes Long has reason to be proud.

A little more than a year after rear-ending another vehicle on Interstate 35 and registering a blood alcohol content of 0.43 percent — more than five times the legal limit to drive — Long has completed a yearlong program of counseling, treatment and sobriety to become the first graduate of the South St. Louis County DWI Court. A ceremony will be held at the courthouse in Duluth this afternoon.

“The DWI Court is what you make of it, but I’ll tell you straight out — it’s an awesome program,” the 41-year-old Hermantown man said Thursday. “I’ve learned to believe in myself and to believe in this DWI Court because it does work and it did change my life.”

In DWI Court, the judiciary, prosecution, defense, probation, law enforcement and drug and alcohol counselors work as a team to provide treatment for drunken-driving offenders, monitor them and hold them accountable.

Until the DWI Court was formed last year, treatment for a felony DWI offender wasn’t ordered to begin until the defendant had been sentenced, which could be weeks or months after the offense.

Under DWI Court protocol, a driver’s drinking problem is addressed within days of arrest.

DWI Court coordinator Amy Lukasavitz said there are 25 participants in DWI Court. Only one person has left the program when he decided he wanted to contest his drunken-driving charge at trial, Lukasavitz said.

Participants undergo an intensive regimen of substance abuse treatment, mandatory drug and alcohol testing and frequent and random home visits in addition to regular status hearings in front of DWI Court Judges Floerke and Sally Tarnowski and the DWI team.

“Judge Floerke is an awesome judge because he gets into your life,” Long said. “Judge Floerke talks to you. You walk into the courtroom and he looks at you and says: ‘How can we help you today, Rod? How was your week?’ That’s what DWI court is. He’s sincere. He’s trying to make a program work and trying to make it so that people don’t just go and sit in jail.”

Floerke said the change in Long — who had three drunken-driving incidents in four years — has been remarkable.

“The guy was in tough shape when he came in,” the judge said. “They come to court in chains, fresh from getting arrested. He was just in awful shape. We hooked him up with someone at the chemical dependency center as part of his treatment and it just clicked in for him. He started going to celebrate recovery. … The guy is kind of a poster child [of the DWI Court]. He really, really has gotten his life back.”

Long said the entire DWI team helped him, but he singled out Floerke and Tammy Brosz, a counselor at the Center for Alcohol & Drug Treatment, as the people who really got through to him.

“I clicked with Tammy,” Long said. “Going one-on-one with her was awesome. She helped me learn how to cope with what I went through with my divorce. She said that I shouldn’t be ashamed, that I’m not the only one that has gone through this and there is help. I don’t need to abuse myself. It’s OK. I need to go on with my life.”

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Man charged with aggravated DWI

MORNING UPDATE -- Man charged with aggravated DWI

GLENS FALLS -- A Moreau man was arrested late Wednesday on charges he drove drunk with a blood-alcohol content nearly triple the threshold for driving while intoxicated, police said.

Douglas E. Brock, 50, of Lamplighter Acres was arrested at 11:39 p.m. when Glens Falls Police Officer Tony Lydon saw him driving on South Street with a taillight out, said Glens Falls Police Sgt. John Winchell.

Lydon also saw Brock make a turn without signalling, and when pulling him over found him to be intoxicated, police said. His BAC was found to be 0.23 percent, nearly triple the 0.08 percent threshold for DWI.

He was charged with aggravated DWI, a misdemeanor, and ticketed for having a taillight out and failing to signal for a turn, police said. Brock was released pending prosecution in City Court. 

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Editorial: Laws alone will not solve alcohol abuse

Editorial: Laws alone will not solve alcohol abuse

Curbing repeat drunken driving by court mandated ignition interlock systems is a worthwhile first step. But it is not the total answer to Wisconsin's drunken driving problem.

Rep. Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah, is to be commended for his part in the legislative initiative. Kaufert co-sponsored legislation in the state Assembly that would require the devices for drunken drivers who have two or more convictions, and first-offense drunken drivers who have a blood alcohol content of 0.15 or more, which is nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08. The ignition interlock is an onboard breathalyzer that will not permit the automobile to be started if the driver has alcohol in their system that exceeds the pre-determined limit.

Kaufert is one of 25 legislators from both parties signed on to sponsor the bill, giving strong bipartisan support in the Assembly.

Assuming the bill become law, the question becomes "What next?" in the state's campaign to reduce deaths, injuries and property damage caused by drunken driving in Wisconsin.

There are a number of proposals circulating the legislature that offer different approaches. Everything from mandating server sobriety to lowering the legal limit to criminalizing first time offenses are on the table. But the legislature should put a priority on scrutinizing the "all you can drink" promotions that are particularly popular in Wisconsin's university communities, including Oshkosh.

Law enforcement officials know only too well that those promotions encourage binge drinking and subsequent problems. Further, those types of specials perpetuate the drinking culture that has become pervasive in Wisconsin, whether it be at the tavern, church picnics or fund raising events. No one is proposing prohibition but "all you can drink" specials often lead to irresponsible consumption of alcohol.

But legislative solutions alone mask Wisconsin's real problem. The problem is not drunken driving. The problem is a state-wide culture that tolerates alcohol abuse and in some cases condones it. And legislation will not change human behavior. For example, the problem drinker or alcoholic is unlikely to be deterred by the ignition interlock system. It is too easy to borrow a car from a friend or relative because those folks are usually the enablers that prop up the problem drinkers to begin with. That does not mean the law should not be passed but merely an acknowledgment that no law provides a perfect solution.

We have made the argument before and will continue to make it. The first step is admitting we have a problem. Then the solution to chronic alcohol abuse rests with a fundamental societal change in the state's culture of drinking. That responsibility rests with families, schools, churches and advocacy groups to break the grip that alcohol abuse has on the state.

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Jeremy Morlock: DWI Incidents Can be Prevented

Jeremy Morlock: DWI Incidents Can be Prevented

Last week, New York State Police responding to a two-vehicle crash in the Town of Boston arrested the operators of both vehicles and charged them with driving while intoxicated. Police upgraded one of the charges to felony level after learning that one driver had a 2001 DWI conviction. Neither of the men were seriously injured, but a dog in one vehicle died after apparently breaking its back in the crash.

I think it proves that drunk driving is far too prevalent when both of the drivers in a crash are charged with DWI. And that unfortunate dog is far from the only victim in crashes like this that happen throughout Western New York all through the year. Barely a week goes by that our local sheriff's report and the East Aurora police blotter don't have a few DWI arrests between them. Thankfully, most of these arrests don't involve major injuries or deaths, but people have to realize that they put their own lives, and the lives of others, in serious jeopardy each time they get behind the wheel while drunk.

Reading the reports, it's clear that there are a wide variety of offenders, from teenagers who can't legally drink in the first place and are new to driving, to the parents of kids that age, to the elderly who should certainly know better. I'm often on the roads at night, so I'm especially conscious of the number of drunk drivers around in the late hours. Unfortunately, there are too many instances of drivers charged with DWI in the afternoons, when children and other pedestrians are prevalent and drivers need to be at their most alert.

Our police agencies are very vigilant, and I thank them for it, but there is no way they can catch every single person who has too many drinks and hits the road. Some of those who grumble about arrests or fight their charges in court should be thankful that they encountered the police while weaving on the roadway, rather than encountering the police after a deadly crash.

It is the duty of each driver to make certain that he or she is fit to take the wheel. We use cars so often that we take them for granted, and forget that driving is a heavy responsibility. The Governors Traffic Safety Committee reported that in 2006 (the most recent year for which it had statistics), there were a total of 3,216 DWI arrests in Erie County. The same year, there were 496 alcohol-related crashes, 470 alcohol-related injuries and 22-alcohol related deaths.

Those numbers are far too high. In order to bring them down, we must not only make certain that we ourselves are making the right decisions, but watching our friends and loved ones as well. After several drinks, it can seem inconvenient to find a ride, walk home or sleep on a friend's couch, but it is not nearly as "inconvenient" as an arrest, injury or having someone's death on your conscience.

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Cops: Man drove drunk hours after guilty DWI plea

Cops: Man drove drunk hours after guilty DWI plea

NEW WINDSOR - A man with two previous driving while intoxicated convictions – including one earlier the same day – was charged with drunken driving Monday.

Town police said James Early, 61, of Newburgh, was stopped on Route 9W at 3 p.m. He had a blood alcohol level of .17 percent, police said.

The newest DWI charge was a felony because of two previous convictions on the same charge. Police said Early had pleaded guilty that morning before Orange County Court Judge Nicholas DeRosa to an earlier charge of felony driving while intoxicated, and also had a misdemeanor drunken driving conviction in July 2008.

Early was sent to the Orange County Jail on $3,000 bail, pending a Town Court appearance Friday.

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Newburgh man given time to pay traffic fines

Newburgh man given time to pay traffic fines

CITY OF NEWBURGH - A judge Wednesday gave Supreme Williams of Newburgh until next month to pay $90 worth of traffic fines.

Williams, 27, was released on his own recognizance.

Williams was cleared of murder and weapon-possession charges last fall in connection with the fatal Jan. 1, 2008, shooting of Elisha Stubbs, 34, in the city’s East End. 

He was released from the Orange County Jail on Tuesday after being sentenced to time served for charges of attempted drug possession and DWI that were unrelated to the shooting.

Williams was turned over to city police before leaving the jail Tuesday because of a bench warrant for failure to appear on the traffic fines.
He was released Wednesday after he appeared before City Court Judge Peter Kulkin.

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First two graduate Beltrami County's DWI Court

First two graduate Beltrami County's DWI Court

Gordon Jones, one of two men honored Wednesday as the first graduates of Beltrami County’s DWI Court, said the program has completely changed his life.

“In a major way,” said Jones, 24. “I regret the DWI, but I don’t regret DWI Court.”

Jones was stopped for driving while intoxicated after midnight on April 28, 2007. He was presented with the option of entering a new program, DWI Court, a collaborative effort among the court, prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement, probation and chemical dependency treatment to reduce repeat DWI offenses.

Jones and Justin Lindgren, 28, were honored at Beltrami County Courthouse as the first two graduates of the program.

“This is a very exciting day for us in DWI Court,” said Judge Shari Schluchter on behalf of the program’s team. “These are two who have worked very hard.”

DWI Court is an option available to third- and fourth-time DWI offenders.

The intense program is said to last about two years, although both Jones and Lindberg completed it in roughly 18 months.

Broken into three phases, it requires an initial commitment of biweekly court appearances, weekly probation visits and weekly meetings. Participants also must undergo either inpatient or outpatient treatment, depending on the recommendations from the court and follow any aftercare prescribed.

“Day one was the hardest, to say ‘I will commit to two years of intense supervision,’” Lindgren said. “But then it gets easier. It’s just one more day.”

The allure of the program is reduced fines and jail sentences. 

“It was the best decision I ever made – and the easiest,” Lindgren said.

Jones said the program has changed his life.

“I was just roaming around before,” he said, noting that he was just living with a family member before he entered the program.

Now, Jones is working at Northern Lights Casino. He is attending and planning to graduate from Northwest Technical College in auto mechanics.

“It has changed my whole life,” Jones said.

While undergoing training in anticipation of the Beltrami County DWI Court, Schluchter said, the court team heard from retired Minnesota Chief Justice Russell Anderson, whose words were engraved upon the medallions presented to Jones and Lindgren for their graduation:

“If you fall down seven times, you need to get up eight.”

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