• 07
  • March
    2011

Oakland A's outfielder Coco Crisp was arrested for drunk driving last week after Scottsdale Police alleged that his vehicle kept straying from its lane. Crisp was given a field sobriety test, which law enforcement claims he failed, and taken to Scottsdale city jail. Crisp isn't the only baseball player to have recently been arrested and charged with DUI.

Detroit Tiger Miguel Cabrera was arrested DUI last month. Officers found Cabrera inside his vehicle alongside the road. Police claimed he had a whiskey bottle in his possession and drank in front of the officers. Law enforcement accused him of being uncooperative and took him to jail after he refused a breath test. He was charged with DUI and resisting an officer without violence.

While Cabrera and Crisp formulate their defense strategies, they will also have to be careful to avoid another DUI arrest. Under the current Arizona law, Crisp will already face the possible installation of an interlock device in his vehicle if he is convicted. But Arizona dishes out especially tough punishment upon repeat DUI offenders, potentially including mandatory jail sentences, license suspension and expensive fines.

DUI charges also present the accused person in a negative light to the community, even when the charges lack merit. Ordinary people accused of drunk driving have to work to restore their reputation in society, just as Crisp and Cabrera are tasked with. A crucial part of that process is forging a sound defense strategy and achieving the best possible outcome, so the accused may move past the ordeal and get on with his or her life.

Source: abc15.com, "Oakland A's outfielder charged with DUI in Scottsdale," 3/2/2011; msn.foxports.com, "Tigers' Cabrera charged with DUI," 2/17/2011.