A 24-year-old South Carolina teacher was recently charged with a felony DUI, following a mid-August early morning crash in which the teacher, Wendy Ellen Burnett, crashed her car into a patrol car. The police officer in the patrol car sustained injuries, according to reports. Police Officer Sustains Injuries The police officer who was harmed in […]
Category Archives: The Bateman Law Blog
An article in WMBF News reports that a man has been charged with a felony DUI (driving under the influence) following a crash on July 3, 2016, that left one person fatally injured. The crash happened when the driver of an SUV – Christopher Cooper, age 30 – ran his vehicle off of the road, […]
Scotty was acquired by The Bateman Law Firm as an investigator after a fourteen year career in Law Enforcement, in which his area of operations were DUI detection and drug-related offenses. Scotty received numerous accolades in his career such as the Aggressive Criminal Enforcement (A.C.E.) Distinction in 2000 by the Office of the Director of the South Carolina […]
With July 4 right around the corner, Americans are preparing for backyard barbecues and firework fiestas. But, while drunk driving has been on the decline for decades, America’s birthday still brings a heightened risk of drunk driving — and alcohol-related traffic accidents. This often spurs policymakers to support poorly targeted or ineffective tactics in an attempt […]
In December of 2015, Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Braden Bunch was arrested on charges of driving under the influence. At the time of the arrest, arresting officers said that they smelled alcohol, and that Bunch admitted that he had been drinking that night. The public information officer, who was originally arrested because […]
A woman is facing felony DUI charges following a fatal crash that occurred in September of 2015 on I-26 in South Carolina. The woman, 24-year-old Destiny Mills, was driving her vehicle while intoxicated when she slammed into the rear of another vehicle, killing 21-year-old Olivia Johnson when she was ejected from the vehicle. While Johnson […]
Drinking and driving is a potential problem across the country, and across the state of South Carolina. In the Greenville area, it is important to obtain legal help if you find yourself in legal trouble regarding a DUI. A Nearby Prosecutor Arrested for DUI In nearby Lexington, the chief prosecutor, Donnie Myers, faces DUI charges […]
While restaurants and bars promote their parties for St. Patrick’s Day, public safety and law enforcement departments similarly step up their efforts to combat drunk driving. Agencies use public service announcements to warn about the dangers of drinking and driving on the night of St. Patrick’s Day. According to the NHTSA, about a third of […]
In South Carolina, the state courts have various tools at their disposal to punish or help to rehabilitate individuals who have been charged and convicted of Driving under the Influence (DUI). Of course, courts have the ability to sentence those charged with criminal offenses to serve jail sentences. In the case of DUI convictions, a […]
In many states, including South Carolina, the government has instituted what are called “zero tolerance” laws regarding underage drinking and driving. Under these zero tolerance laws, the state considers anyone under the legal drinking age of 21 to be prohibited from consuming alcohol and then driving. So, any trace of alcohol is a crime for […]
In criminal cases, there are extremely high risks for the accused. There is the risk of incarceration of course, but not just the issue of being imprisoned but the length of imprisonment as opposed to probation or other criminal penalties such as fines. Additionally, there are various other issues that relate to a potential conviction. […]
It is not uncommon for intoxicated drivers to be stopped by law enforcement personnel during any period throughout the year. To be sure, police officers and other members of law enforcement often patrol the roads of South Carolina, searching for those who may be driving under the influence. However, there are certain times throughout the […]