The Virginia DWI Blog » DWI / DUI

Carlos Martinelly Montano Sentenced 20 Years for Fatal Drunk Driving Accident | Bristow DWI Attorney

admin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:26:45 +0000

Judge Lon Farris of the Prince William County Circuit Court sentenced Carlos Martinelly Montano to 20 years for causing a car accident on August 1, 2010 in Bristow, Virginia that killed Sister Denise Mosier and injured Sisters Charlotte Lange and Connie Ruth Lupton. Montano was found guilty of felony murder, involuntary manslaughter, two counts of maiming as a result of driving while intoxicated DWI, driving on a suspended license, and a third DWI offense within five years.

“I am truly sorry. I feel terrible. I have agonizing pain in my heart. Ever since the accident, I have been deeply moved for the life and the damage I inflicted upon the sisters.” – Carlos Martinelly Montano

Montano is a Bolivian national and was awaiting a deportation hearing at the time the fatal car accident occurred sparking outrage as many are wondering why he was even in the U.S. to begin with. Given that this was Motano’s 3rd DWI offense within five years, he was charged with felony murder and faced up to 70 years in prison. However, Judge Lon Farris reduced the sentence to 20 years after hearing that Montano had found God while in jail during the last year and that he had expressed extreme remorse for causing the accident.

“I have listened to your family and quite frankly, I have lowered down what I originally was going to give you based on that information. But unfortunately, your punishment still needs to be severe because of what you did.” ~ Honorable Lon Farris

If you have been charged with speeding, reckless driving or drunk driving DUI / DWI in Prince William County, Virginia, contact the Parrish Law Firm for a free evaluation of your traffic case. Click here for your free copy of our DUI / DWI Special Report Charged with DWI and don’t know what to do? for helpful tips on how to handle your DUI / DWI charge.

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Virginia DMV 2 Go brings the DMV to you! | Northern Virginia Traffic Lawyer

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:58:37 +0000

We’ve all had the wonderful chore of sitting around a Virginia DMV office for hours to do something simple that cannot be done self-serve on their website or through the mail. After finishing off War and Peace and gone slightly insane, your number might be called. There is some ray of hope for a shorter wait time. The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles it taking to the roads and bringing their office to you.

View more videos at: http://nbcwashington.com.

DMV 2 Go is set up to be a mobile customer service center in a modified RV that will visit businesses, university/college campuses, military bases, government centers, and assisted living facilities/retirement communities to try to make life a little easier for Virginia drivers. There are currently two of them available with plans to have a third one that will service the Northern Virginia area soon. You can even request that DMV2Go come to your location provided you have plenty of space to park this mobile office – 32 feet to be exact. To schedule DMV 2 Go, you may send your request to via email at DMV2GORichmond@dmv.virginia.gov

This full service mobile Virginia DMV office will be open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. So take a look at the DMV2Go schedule for one of these in a parking lot near you and feel relieved to see a much shorter line.

If you have been charged with speeding, reckless driving, drunk driving DUI / DWI, driving on a suspended license, or other serious driving offense in Northern Virginia, contact the Parrish Law Firm for a free evaluation of your traffic case. Click here for your free copy of our DUI / DWI Special Report Charged with DWI and don’t know what to do? for helpful tips on how to handle your DUI / DWI charge.

News van dashcam video used to secure DWI conviction | Stafford DWI Lawyer

admin — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:12:40 +0000

You never know when a camera may be watching and recording your activity and be held against you in court. This is what exactly happened to 57-year-old Chol Ki Lee when Kurt Brooks a reporter/photographer for 9News spotted him weaving, speeding and randomly braking on I-95 south on March evening. Kurt Brooks was heading home from work in a 9News Live van and turned on his dashcam to record Lee’s erratic driving.

It was clear this was not just somebody weaving down the road. He almost killed somebody. Actually I felt like I failed, because I’d been working so hard to try and get this guy pulled over and here we are, after all this time, and he’s gonna go ahead and kill somebody right in front of me. And I was really regretting watching what I was watching – Kurt Brooks.

Brooks called 9-1-1 to notify them of a possible drunk driver and continued to follow Lee for approximately 25 miles from Prince William County to Stafford County recording the events unfold on his dashcam. At one point, Brooks was cut off by Lee and later he witnessed Lee move over into the path of oncoming traffic. Luckily the other driver swerved out of the way just in time to avoid a head-on collision.

Police finally caught up to Lee and arrested him for driving while intoxicated registering a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.14 which is nearly twice the legal limit.

Brook’s capture of Lee’s near head-on collision and obvious drunk driving proved valuable as his video was shown in court on Tuesday in Stafford County and secured a DWI conviction for Chol Ki Lee. The Commonwealth’s Attorney was thankful for this evidence that compelled the judge to sentence Lee to 60-days in jail with all but five days suspended, a $300 fine and a suspended driver’s license for a year, with the exception of driving for work since Lee earns a living as a delivery driver.

If you have been charged with speeding, reckless driving or DUI / DWI, contact the Parrish Law Firm for a free evaluation of your traffic case. Click here for your free copy of our DUI / DWI Special Report Charged with DWI and don’t know what to do? for helpful tips on how to handle your DUI / DWI charge.

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4 Injured in Virginia Beach DUI Accident | Accident Injury Attorney James Parrish

admin — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 18:24:45 +0000

4 Injured in Virginia Beach DUI Accident

Story Highlights:

4 Injured in Virginia Beach Accident

Motor vehicle collision DUI

Date: June 28, 2011

Location: Virginia Beach, Virginia

Type: DUI, Car accident

Outcome: 4 Seriously Injured

Four teenage girls were seriously injured in a motor vehicle collision caused by a DUI driver in Virginia Beach.

Local authorities reported that the DUI driver ran a read light when he collided with the vehicle with the girls.

This was the DUI driver’s third-drunken driving charge. He will be serving 5 years in prison for the incident.

Source: http://hamptonroads.com/2011/06/man-gets-5-years-dui-crash-va-beach

Will that traffic ticket affect my car insurance rates? Yes! | Prince William Traffic Attorney

admin — Fri, 13 May 2011 19:24:16 +0000

You just got pulled over and you are thinking – Will that traffic ticket affect my car insurance rates? The simple answer is, yes it will and you may be surprised at how much. Your driving record is as important as your credit report when it comes to saving money on your auto insurance. When it is time to renew your auto insurance policy, your car insurance company will request a copy of your driving record to see if you have been a naughty driver as getting tickets for moving violations considers you to be a higher risk and will raise your insurance rates accordingly. Every moving traffic violation has a point value and the more points you have on your driving record, the higher your car insurance rates will be. So, if you think that one traffic ticket will cost you just the fine, think again. And if you add more than one traffic ticket to your record in a short period of time, that build up of points and tickets can cost you considerably out of pocket and possibly the loss of your driver’s license.

Before you decide to lead foot it down I-66 or the Prince William Parkway, consider the total costs of getting caught for speeding. In addition to the fines and court costs, you may lose your good driver discount (up to 15%) and your car insurance rates would go up which would be locked in for several years. Yes, I said years. Even worse, your car insurance company could drop your coverage completely based on the charge of the ticket(s), the number of points you have accumulated, or how frequently you are getting the traffic tickets. If you work in an industry that provides you with a company car or you need a good driving record to keep your job such as a CDL license, then you may get in trouble with your employer. And if you build up too many points, the state may suspend your license.

The best thing you can do if you get a traffic ticket for serious violations such as speeding, reckless driving or DUI / DWI is to seek legal counsel to evaluate the situation and represent you in court. Some serious traffic violations are considered criminal charges. With this in mind, an attorney may be able to help you get the ticket dropped or have your fine or other penalties reduced. A traffic lawyer may also help you find ways to reduce the points on your driving record to help lower your insurance rates and in the worse case scenario get your driving privileges back.

If you have been charged with speeding, reckless driving or DUI / DWI, contact the Parrish Law Firm for a free evaluation of your traffic case. Click here for your free copy of our guide Faced with Reckless Driving and don’t know what to do? for helpful tips on how to handle your reckless driving charge.

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Checkpoint Strikeforce Taking Place in Virginia | Manassas DUI Lawyer

admin — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:54:39 +0000

Checkpoint Strikeforce is a zero-tolerance program designed to arrest individuals driving impaired. Sobriety checkpoints through this program are taking place in 5 states including, Virginia, Washington DC, Delaware, West Virginia, and Maryland.

You may have seen some of the advertising campaign for Checkpoint Strikeforce. Their campaign consists of TV commercials with the motto “over the limit, under arrest.”

Avoid an altercation with Checkpoint Strikeforce and choose a designated driver or don’t drink over the legal limit. If you do find yourself with a DWI conviction, an experienced attorney can help. You can also download a free copy of our DUI/DWI Special Report.

Study Shows Alcohol-Related Traffic Risk Increases at Age 21 | Loudoun DUI Attorney

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:00:43 +0000

Previous national studies have shown that about 25% of college students admitted to driving while intoxicated, and and even greater percentage admits to riding with a driver they believe to be intoxicated. A new study shows that behaviors change as students age, and the frequency of drinking and driving takes a sharp upturn once students turn 21.

Full results will be published in the August 2010 journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

The study used 1,253 college freshman at a large mid-Atlantic school. They were interviewed annually for four years, with a 88-91% followup rate.

Three alcohol-related risk behaviors were studied: riding with a driver who was under the influence of alcohol (RWID), driving after drinking any alcohol (DAD), and driving while intoxicated (DWI).

While results showed that rates of risky behavior were high, they also showed a distinct increase when students hit the legal drinking age of 21.

The study results come in the wake of new legislation making penalties for underage drinking much tougher.

If you or someone you know have been charged with a DWI or DUI in Virginia, make no mistake: this is a very serious charge. Contact the Parrish Law Firm for a free case evaluation.

Minnesota Town Auctions Off “DWI Chair.”

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:21:29 +0000

The police department of Proctor, Minnesota is making its third attempt to auction off a vehicle forfeited after a DWI charge was given to the driver.

It wasn’t a car that got Dennis Leroy Anderson charged with a DWI, but rather a motorized chair.

With a National Hot Rod Association sticker on the head and a small steering device installed in the middle, you can debate whether or not this La-Z-Boy is road ready. But definitely not under the command of an intoxicated driver.

The Proctor, MN resident plead guilty to the charge in August of 2008 and forfeited the chair to the Proctor Police Department. After the case drew national attention, the PPD made 2 subsequent attempts to auction the chair off on E-Bay.

Neither attempt worked out, and they are apparently hoping the third time is a charm.

While the chair may make for a funny anecdote, being charged with a DWI is no laughing matter. An experienced attorney can make all the difference in your case. If you have been charged with a DWI or DUI in Virginia, contact The Parrish Law Firm for a free initial case consultation.

Drunk driving becomes more common in young women

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:18:54 +0000

According to a recent University of California at San Diego study, more and more fatal car accidents in the United States are caused by young women driving while intoxicated.

According to colloquial wisdom, young male drivers are most prone to drink and drive in the US. Dr. Virginia W. Tsai and her colleagues decided to see if this was still the case.

Their article published in Injury Prevention, entitled “Alcohol involvement among young female drivers in US fatal crashes: unfavourable trends,” examined five driver age groups: 16, 17, 18, 19-20 and 21-24.

The data, from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, showed that while young males may more frequently drive while intoxicated, the number of young females involved in fatal, alcohol-related crashes rose 3.1% between 1995 and 2007.

The study also notes that substance abuse has increased among teenage girls, especially with regard to prescription drugs and alcohol.

While many educators have recently suggested lowering the legal drinking age, Tsai and associates disagree. “The results of this study should raise serious concern regarding the effect of lowering the minimum legal drinking age to 18 years,” they wrote.

Conversely, in Virginia, groups have advocated for stricter laws with regards to drinking and driving.

A DWI or DUI is a serious offense and should not be taken lightly. You will want to consult an experienced attorney who will try to protect your driving record, keep your record clean, and limit fines and insurance increases. Contact The Parrish Law Firm today for a free case evaluation.

Charged with DWI? Don’t post drunk pictures on Facebook | Virginia DWI Lawyer

admin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 10:51:15 +0000

In the early hours of May 30, 2009, in North Tonawanda, New York, 17-year-old Ashley Sullivan lost control of her vehicle and crashed into a brick sign in front of Deerwood Golf Course. As a result of the car crash, her 20-year-old boyfriend, Alex Rozicki, was killed and she was charged with DWI and criminally neglect homicide. The investigation of the car accident revealed that Ashley Sullivan had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.13 and that she was speeding.

But Ashley Sullivan’s problems did not end there. About a month after the accident, Sullivan took a trip to Florida and posted a picture of herself on Facebook titled “Drunk in Florida”. After Ashley Sullivan pled guilty to DWI and criminally neglect homicide, the judge held the incriminating drunk picture of Miss Sullivan on Facebook against her and she was sentenced to six months in jail, five years probation, and denied youthful offender status.

I’m troubled by your conduct since the crash…and that’s the reason for the jail sentence. – Judge Matthew J. Murphy III

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