Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog
Wicomico County Sheriff’s deputies recently arrested a 23-year-old Salisbury woman for numerous traffic offenses after she allegedly drove into another person’s home and fled. Shortly after 5 p.m. dispatch received a call detailing the crash, and when deputies arrived the suspect vehicle was still on the scene. Despite heavy front end damage to the SUV the woman attempted to flee from police but was stopped a short time thereafter. The stop however was temporary, as the female suspect was not quite ready to surrender to the law. After the initial stop she allegedly rammed into a police cruiser and again proceeded to flee. This time the suspect led police along the Route 50 Bypass for a short while where she lost control of the vehicle and hit a guardrail. She again tried to run but ultimately was stopped shortly after her second crash.
The young woman was taken to the hospital and released several hours later to the custody of the sheriff’s office. She was issued a total of 16 traffic citations with several being considered serious. In Maryland serious traffic matters carry a potential jail sentence while minor infractions are only punishable by fines and points. The arresting deputy charged the defendant with multiple counts of DUI and driving while impaired by drugs. One of the citations is for DUI per se, which means she must have submitted to a breath or blood alcohol test that came back above the legal limit of .08. She is also facing multiple counts of fleeing or eluding an officer, as it appears police are trying to say they were forced to chase the suspect two separate times. The same is true for leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage. Police are saying there were two separate accidents as the woman first crashed into the house and then the guardrail. In both cases it is alleged she failed to stick around to exchange insurance information and render aid. It does not appear anyone else suffered bodily injury, which means the leaving the scene charges will carry a maximum penalty of 60 days in jail. Under Maryland law DUI and fleeing from police carry a maximum penalty of 1 year in jail, a $1,000 fine and 12 points upon conviction. The penalties increase if the defendant has prior convictions (up to 2 years in prison) and if someone was injured. The penalty for fleeing or eluding police jumps to 3 years in prison if a person suffered bodily injury. Under Maryland criminal law section 3-211 it is a separate misdemeanor criminal offense to cause life threatening injury while driving a car or boat while under the influence of alcohol.
The defendant in this case has a trial date in late August at the Wicomico County District Court in Salisbury. The Blog will continue to follow this case to see what a potential plea would look like. Based on the apparent amount of evidence it does not appear this case would be suited for a trial, especially when considering the sheer number of citations. In addition to all the serious traffic matters she also faces infractions for reckless driving, speeding and failure to control her vehicle. If you have been charged or are being investigated for leaving the scene of an accident (hit and run), DUI or fleeing from police contact Maryland traffic lawyer Benjamin Herbst anytime at 410-207-2598. Benjamin specializes in serious traffic matters and will fight to keep you out of jail and back on the road with a valid license. He is available anytime to offer a free consultation at 410-207-2598 and handles cases in all Eastern Shore jurisdictions including Wicomico County, Worcester County (Ocean City and Snow Hill), Cambridge and Easton. Benjamin has successfully defended criminal and traffic charges in all 23 Maryland counties plus Baltimore City. He is also an experienced federal DUI lawyer for those who have been charged by the Park Police, Fort Meade Police and all other military and federal law enforcement agencies.
Resources:
Salisbury woman arrested for DUI after crashing into house, police car, wmdt.com.