Getting back behind the wheel after being arrested and charged for drunk driving in Massachusetts and elsewhere may by a little too easy nowadays.
These sentences just don’t seem to be holding up in court. Offenders are being let off with little to no punishments and it’s endangering motorists nationwide. Remember when President Obama’s uncle was busted for drunk driving right here in Massachusetts? Well, he’s already driving again, according to Mail Online.
The President’s uncle, 67-year-old Onyango Obama, was recently approved to get his ‘hardship’ driver’s license. A hardship license will allow him to drive throughout the state of Massachusetts from 12:00 p.m. to midnight.
Our Boston personal injury lawyers understand that the President’s drunk driving uncle was able to somehow convinced the Registry of Motor Vehicles panel that without a valid driver’s license, he wouldn’t be able to maintain his position as the store manager at his local liquor store. After the persuasive discussion, the drunk driver is back on the road again. He’s also reportedly an illegal immigrant. Even with all of this information, his request was still approved.
“He met all of the criteria,” said a spokeswoman for the state’s Registry of Motor Vehicles, Sara Lavoie.
So that’s it. He only had to surrender his driver’s license for 45 days. Two of the other convictions were dismissed. To make it even worse, the drunk driving charge will be thrown out if he stays out of trouble for a year.
If you remember, President Obama’s uncle was taken into arrest in Framingham back in August after officers busted him for rolling a stop sign which in turn caused a police car to crash into an SUV.
Officers say that the driver’s speech was slurred, his eyes were bloodshot and the smell of alcohol overpowered the vehicle. When officers administered a field sobriety test at the scene, he returned a reading that was twice the legal limit.
Reports from the incident indicate that the President’s uncle pleaded not guilty to the charges and said that he would be contacting the White House.
None is this is all that surprising considering the state of Massachusetts has a 90 percent acquittal rate for these kinds of cases. For safer roadways, the next step we need to take is stricter punishments for offenders.
Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers, LLC is here to offer help to victims and the family of victims who have been the injured or killed in a drunk driving car accident in Boston and elsewhere in Massachusetts. If you or someone in your family has been involved in an alcohol-related traffic accident, call (617) 777-7777 to set up a free appointment to discuss your case.
More Blog Entries:
Judges Too Lenient in Drunk Driving Cases in Massachusetts, Says Boston Globe, Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog, March 29, 2012
MAP-21: New Efforts to Battle Drunk Driving Accidents in Roslindale and Elsewhere, Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog, March 23, 2012