Ron Bellanti - Stop Drunk Driving Now Blog

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Billings Woman Gets 13th DUI Offense Dismissed

Lori Ann Cole, a Billings resident, struck a plea agreement with Yellowstone County District Court with allowed her to have her 13th DUI offense dismissed. Instead, on Monday July 22, Cole, 55, appeared before the court and was ordered to serve a three-year suspended sentence for the charge of felony criminal endangerment. Additionally, Cole was ordered by the judge to pay a fine of $1,000 and serve a concurrent six-month suspended jail term for a misdemeanor charge.

To read the full article, click here.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Singapore's Pee-Analyzer Combats Drunk Driving

A nightclub in Singapore is attempting to decrease the number of fatal accidents caused by drunk driving by analyzing a person's alcohol levels in their urine called "The Pee Analyzer". The Pee Analyzer is a multi-step monitoring program that begins as soon as a person parks their vehicle at the club.

When the patron pulls up to the club, the valet givens them an RFID-enabled parking pass in exchange for their keys. This pass is self updating, reporting new statuses every time the person uses the urinals in the bathrooms. If the pass indicates that the user has had too much to drink, it will display messages directly in front of the urinal saying, “Maybe you’ve had one too many to drive; call a cab or use our drive home service.”

To read the full article or learn more about this new product, click here.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Hamptons Mom Drives Drunk With Toddler After Assaulting Nanny

Laura Bowery-Falco, 44, Hamptons mother of two, is accused of assaulting her her nanny after the nanny tried to stop her from driving drunk with her toddler in the vehicle. Authorities reported the 20-year-old nanny believed Bowery-Falco was intoxicated and did not want her to taking her 14-month old in the car.

During the scuffle, Bowery-Falco grabbed the nanny by her hair and pulled her to the ground, which she then attempted to punch her in the face. Bowery-Falco then drove down the road to her mother's home, eight houses away, where she was then arrested.

To read the full article, click here.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

DUI in the NFl


On June 11 the Denver Broncos’ director of pro personnel was charged with a DUI. This is the second time a member of the Broncos’ personnel was charged with a DUI. His crime occurred a mere month after he was hired by the Broncos (he had previously worked for the Philadelphia Eagles, and more recently the Cleveland Browns). The second member of the personnel to be convicted was Matt Russell, who was coincidentally arrested a few weeks later. 

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Jason Kidd Pleads Guilty

Jason Kidd, former NBA star turned coach of the Brooklyn Nets, pled guilty to drunk driving in New York. Back on July 15, 2012, Kidd was arrested for driving his SUV into a telephone pole at 2 am after a night of partying at a club. Avoiding jail time, Kidd was placed on interim probation and was also ordered to speak to high school students in Long Island about the dangers of drunk driving.

To read the full article, click here.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Drunk Driving Hotline Helps Law Enforcements

During this past 4th of July holiday, drivers were reminded to stay sober when traveling and to be vigilant of drunk drivers. In Nebraska, road signs were placed along interstates and highways flashing the message: "Report Drunk Drivers Immediately. Dial *55." By dialing *55, callers were connected to Nebraska Patrol Dispatch where they were then put through to local law enforcement.

This campaign has been around for many years, but it was unaware to many people. It was during the holiday weekend that the Nebraska Department of Highway Safety decided to advertise *55.

To read the full article, go here

Friday, July 19, 2013

6 drivers in 7-car pile-up charged with drunk driving

Georgia authorities report six of seven drivers involved in an early morning pile-up were charged with driving under the influence of alcohol Friday morning after the 4th of July holiday. The accident was caused by a pedestrian attempting to walk onto Interstate 75 at 3 am that morning, who was then later charged for being in the roadway.

The accident left five of the drunken drivers in jail and the sixth in the hospital. The pedestrian was also taken to the hospital after being struck by one of the vehicles.

Click here to read the full article

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Girl Takes Keys From Drunk Driver Who Killed Friend

Jessilyn Eisman of Council Bluffs Iowa was in a car with three of her friends one Friday morning when the struck by a van heading the wrong way on Veterans Memorial Highway. The operator of the van, Hilberto Velasques-Ramirez, 31, allegedly had a blood alcohol content of .178, more than twice the legal limit.

Once the incident occurred, Eisman, who suffered minor injuries herself, crawled out of the wrecked vehicle and told Ramirez to call 911, in which he refused. Realizing that he was trying to leave the scene of the accident, Eisman took the keys out of Ramirez' vehicle so he could no longer drive away.

To read the full article, click here

Monday, July 15, 2013

Twenty Arrested


For 20 people in Independence and Gladstone Missouri drinking and driving led to their arrests. Starting Friday night June 14 police in Independence, Missouri began a saturation Patrol which ran from 10 p.m. Friday night until 3 a.m. Saturday morning. They also ran a checkpoint. The result ended in six arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. During the search for drunk drivers 36 violations were reported, six drivers were found operating without valid license and 14 other arrests were made.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Sorry Ford

In east Texas, a dirt stock car racer Tommy Ford, a father to his daughter Bailee, a lover to his girlfriend and a son to his mother. Tommy lost his life when he was riding in the bed of his friend’s pick-up truck.  The driver, who was driving as well sped down a country back road, missed a turn and crashed into a tree. Tommy suffered a fatal head injury from the truck’s tool box.  

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Burbank Resident Faces Life In Prison

Bradford Pate, a 38-year old Burbank resident, was charged with two counts of murder on Tuesday 6/25/13 after he slammed his car into oncoming traffic on the 14 freeway in California. He was also charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and DUI.

Pate was allegedly driving his Toyota Tundra south on the north side of the freeway. It was then when he drove head-on into Dr. Manard Giles, a pastor of The Answer Community Church of God in Christ in Lancaster, CA. If convicted, Pate faces up to life in prison.

To read the full article, click here

Monday, July 8, 2013

Found Guilty

John I. Dixon IV, a police officer of Petersburg, VA was found guilty Tuesday of driving while intoxicated while off-duty. The 31 year old was sentenced to six months in jail with five months 25 days suspended. His drivers license was also suspended for a year. It is unknown whether Dixon IV is still with the Petersburg Police Department.

To read more click here.

Friday, July 5, 2013

Titans Player Supports New Tennessee DUI Law

Tennessee Titans player Delanie Walker who lost his aunt and uncle in a drunk driving related crash in February now wants to help prevent this from happening to others.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Intoxicated Woman Crashes Car Not Once, But Three Times

At 1:15 in the afternoon on Tuesday 6/25/13, intoxicated Margery Zalusky, 52, crashed her car three times within two miles of travel before getting arrested by Syracuse police. Zalusky started off by rear-ending a parked car, only to leave the scene and collide with two vehicles a short time later in a parking lot. Her drunken adventure came to an end after she came to an off-road construction zone, where she collided head-on with a construction excavator.

Two 24-ounce cans of beer were found in the wreckage of her totaled car. She was taken into custody and brought to St. Joseph's Hospital until she sobered up. Zalusky was released on an appearance ticket.

Read the full article here

Monday, July 1, 2013

Cold Dinner

Elesha Cruey’s husband, Rhett, and seven-year-old son, Skyler made a quick trip to the Ranger’s Ballpark to pick up tickets. It wasn’t far so Elesha stayed home preparing dinner for the family and she expected them back home in no time.  Her parents were visiting and her mother was watching the evening news when there was a horrific crash on the freeway, recognizing one of the cars that were on fire she called Rhett’s phone many times with no answer.