Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
| Turn OFF the Phone | Login/Join |
| Member |
Foxy Brown Accused of Lying to NJ Police MAHWAH, N.J. � Foxy Brown is accused of lying to police during a traffic stop, the latest addition to the rapper's legal woes, according to a published report. Brown, whose real name is Inga Marchand, was driving a sport utility vehicle on Wednesday when she was stopped for talking on a handheld cell phone and failing to stop at a stop sign, police told The Record of Bergen County. After a check showed the SUV's registration had been suspended, the 27-year-old rapper gave officers a variation of her real name and a date of birth that was a year off, authorities said. When a search for the name she gave turned up no records, the officers asked her again for the information, and she gave her correct name and date of birth, authorities said. The officers then learned that Brown's license was suspended, and she was taken to police headquarters, where she was issued seven traffic tickets and released on her own recognizance. She was told to appear in municipal court in Mahwah on Sept. 4. Brown's lawyer, John L. Sampson, did not immediately respond to requests for comment by The Associated Press on Monday night. The traffic stop came a day after Brown was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a neighbor in New York City's Brooklyn borough. Police said that the two women got into a fight over the rapper blasting her car stereo and that, when they passed each other on the street a few days later, Brown hurled her BlackBerry device at the woman, cutting her lip and knocking a tooth loose. Brown is already on probation after pleading guilty to assault in a 2004 dispute over paying for a manicure. | |||
|
| Member |
Police accuse Irving man of watching porn on car DVD Associated Press FORT WORTH � Police issued a citation for a man accused of watching pornography on his car DVD player. Cameron J. Walker, 24, of Irving, was issued misdemeanor citations for obscene display or distribution, not having a driver's license and having an open container of alcohol, Fort Worth police said. An officer on patrol noticed the pornographic images inside the car as it drove by and then parked near a club about 2 a.m. Monday, Fort Worth police Lt. Dean Sullivan said. The images of "multiple naked people" on the 10-inch screen could be seen by someone walking outside the car, Sullivan said. | |||
|
| Member |
Yeah, I saw that story, too, and was going to post it until you beat me to it. After reading it I was reminded of an incident that took place in my hometown last year that 'beats' your story (pun intended)! It, to no great surprise, involves an NBA star. Timberwolves' Griffin was watching a pornographic DVD in his sport-utility vehicle and masturbating at the time of the crash, while drunk! Posted 6/30/2006 USA Today MINNEAPOLIS (AP) � A convenience-store videotape recorded after a March crash involving Eddie Griffin shows the Minnesota Timberwolves forward told store employees that he was drunk and he didn't want to go to jail. The Minneapolis Police Department is investigating whether two officers who responded to the accident failed to ticket Griffin for suspected drunken driving after he crashed into a parked car. Meanwhile, the owner of the damaged vehicle and his brother have sued Griffin and the city, claiming Griffin tried to bribe them and that their civil rights were violated when officers failed to conduct a proper criminal investigation. In the early morning of March 30, Griffin, 24, hit a car near the intersection of University and 6th Avenues. Witnesses said Griffin then went into a convenience store and told employees he was drunk. Portions of a store videotape viewed by The Associated Press on WCCO-TV's website backs up those statements. It shows Griffin saying he was drunk and that he didn't want to go jail. The tape also shows that Griffin offered to buy the owner of the damaged sport-utility vehicle any type of new car or truck he wanted, "but not a Bentley." Messages left Friday with Griffin's agent and his attorney were not immediately returned to The Associated Press. The Star Tribune reported that it had viewed the entire 50-minute videotape, which shows a Minneapolis police officer saying, "He's not getting a DWI," and "We're taking him home to St. Paul." The police report filed after the incident said the crash happened because Griffin wasn't paying attention to the road. Griffin received misdemeanor citations for driving without a license and for inattentive driving. Several witnesses said they told officers Daniel Anderson and Matthew Lindquist that Griffin was drunk, but the police report does not say whether officers gave Griffin blood-alcohol or field-sobriety tests. Police are investigating whether the officers violated department policy when they drove Griffin to his home in St. Paul � officers must contact a supervisor before leaving city limits. Anderson and Lindquist remain on duty during the internal investigation. Police administration could not comment because of the investigation, according to a department spokesman. A lawsuit filed Thursday in Ramsey County District Court alleges that Griffin was watching a pornographic DVD in his sport-utility vehicle and masturbating at the time of the crash. The lawsuit was filed by Jamal Hassuneh, the owner of the damaged vehicle, and his brother, Lindsey. It seeks $50,000 in compensatory damages. The lawsuit also alleges Griffin was drunk and tried to bribe them into canceling a 911 call to police. It accuses interim police chief Timothy Dolan and the responding officers of violating their civil rights by improperly investigating the incident. The plaintiffs are demanding a jury trial. An attorney for the Hassunehs, Michael Padden, told the St. Paul Pioneer Press that both sides had been negotiating a settlement, but he did not say whether talks were ongoing. A message left for Padden by the AP was not immediately returned Friday. Timberwolves spokesman Mike Cristaldi told newspapers the lawsuit was an issue between Griffin and the plaintiffs. He did not immediately return a phone call to the AP. Griffin, who joined the Timberwolves in October 2004, had undergone alcohol-abuse treatment in the past. He was drafted by New Jersey in 2001 and was traded to the Houston Rockets, where he played two seasons. In fall 2003, the Rockets suspended him for missing practices and a team flight, and that same week, he was arrested for marijuana possession. Later that year, he was charged with felony assault for allegedly beating and shooting a gun at a woman in his Houston home. That charge was pleaded down to a misdemeanor, but Griffin violated his probation and was sentenced to 15 days in jail last summer. | |||
|
| Member |
Cities look for ways to keep drivers focused BY ANNA M. TINSLEY STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER STAR-TELEGRAM Just hang up and drive. That's the sentiment many politicians and law enforcement officers are trying to convey to drivers as a nationwide debate continues over whether motorists should be allowed to be on the phone behind the wheel. Highland Park has weighed in, becoming the first city in Texas to restrict drivers' talking habits. As of next month, anyone talking on a hand-held cellphone as they drive through an active school zone will be subject to a $75 ticket. "It's not a big sacrifice," said Darren Fant, Highland Park's public safety director. "Put your hands on the steering wheel and pay attention." Other North Texas communities may soon follow suit, having asked Highland Park leaders for details about their new ordinance. Already, officials in neighboring University Park are planning a vote next month on a similar ordinance. And a state lawmaker has already prepared a bill for the 2009 legislative session to require Texans to use only hands-free headsets while driving. A growing debate The debate over whether motorists can safely talk on the phone has grown over the past decade as consumers have become increasingly attached to their cellphones. People don't just use them to talk in the car, but also to check e-mail or send text messages. "I saw a grandmother driving a big old [car] and she could barely see over the dashboard, but she had a cup of coffee in one hand, a cigarette in the other and a cellphone glued to her shoulder," said Jim Cornehls, an attorney and urban affairs professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. "It was an accident waiting to happen." To counter that, cities, states and countries have been restricting the use of hand-held phones. Countries from Brazil to Japan have long had bans in place. In recent years, at least five U.S. states -- California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Washington -- have followed suit. Now some critics fear that new regulations might spread through other cities and states like chickenpox. ... Texas already has some restrictions: Teens can't use cellphones while driving until they've had their license for six months, and school bus drivers can't use cellphones when a passenger 17 or younger is on board. State Rep. Garnet Coleman wants even more restrictions. He is planning a bill next session to prohibit drivers from talking on cellphones unless they use hands-free headsets or pull over to talk. "Making sure the attention of Texas drivers is on the road is a critical public safety issue," said Coleman, D-Houston. "I intend to re-file my hands-free headset legislation to ensure Texas drivers are as safe as possible." ... Watching Highland Park Even so, University Park leaders say they may follow Highland Park's lead because they are neighboring communities, but also to keep people in their community safe. "The reality of the geography of the Park Cities is that if Highland Park adopts something of this nature, to maintain consistent enforcement, it makes sense for University Park to consider a similar measure," said Steve Mace, community information officer for University Park. In six months, Highland Park officials will review the new law and determine whether they should expand it citywide. "I'm not for taking away citizens' rights unless there's a compelling reason," Fant said. "And I hate being the first in Texas to do something. "But I want our kids to be safe." | |||
|
| Member |
Panel Rebukes Judge, Citing �Lunacy� in Court Sign In to E-Mail or Save This Print Reprints Share Del.icio.usDiggFacebookNewsvinePermalink By DANNY HAKIM Published: November 28, 2007 The next time you pass through the city court system in Niagara Falls, N.Y., remember to turn your cellphone off. Skip to next paragraph Niagara Gazette Judge Robert M. Restaino jailed 46 defendants. City Room Blog The latest news and reader discussions from around the five boroughs and the region. Go to City Room � Yesterday, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct recommended the removal of a judge in Niagara Falls City Court who had what the commission�s chairman called �two hours of inexplicable madness� when a cellphone rang in his courtroom. On the morning of March 11, 2005, the judge, Robert M. Restaino, was presiding over a slate of domestic-violence cases when he heard a phone ring. According to the commission�s report, he told the roughly 70 people in the courtroom that �every single person is going to jail in this courtroom� unless the phone was turned over. A security officer was posted at the door while other officers tied to find the phone, but failed. After a brief recess, Judge Restaino returned to the bench and asked the defendant who had been standing before him in the front of the courtroom when the phone rang if he knew whose it was. �No,� said the defendant, Reginald Jones. �I was up here.� The ringing had come from the back of the room. Nonetheless, the judge scrapped plans to release Mr. Jones, set bail at $1,500 and sent him into custody. He was the first of 46 defendants to be sent into custody that day because of what could be called the case of the ringing cellphone. The judge opined at length about his frustration over the phone. �This troubles me more than any of you people can understand,� Judge Restaino said, adding: �This person, whoever he or she may be, doesn�t have a whole lot of concern. Let�s see how much concern they have when they are sitting in the back there with all the rest of you. Ultimately, when you go back there to be booked, you�ve got to surrender what you got on you. One way or another, we�re going to get our hands on something.� One defendant, according to the report, told the judge, �This is not fair to the rest of us.� To which the judge replied, �I know it isn�t.� Another told the judge, �This ain�t right.� The judge responded: �You�re right, it ain�t right. Ain�t right at all.� The commission said that Judge Restaino acted �without any semblance of a lawful basis� and behaved like a �petty tyrant.� It said his conduct �transcended poor judgment.� All of the defendants in the courtroom were there as part of a program in which domestic-violence offenders can agree to undergo drug and alcohol testing, as well as counseling, in lieu of jail time. Participants make weekly appearances in court to have their progress monitored and are released after each appearance unless they have violated terms of the program. Eleven of the defendants had already appeared before the judge that morning and were simply waiting for the proceedings to end, only to be recalled and have their releases rescinded. All the defendants were taken to the city jail. Fourteen who could not make bail were taken to the county jail. After receiving inquiries from the local news media, the judge ordered their release in the late afternoon. Judge Restaino could not be reached for comment. His lawyer, Terrence Connors, said Judge Restaino would exercise his right to appeal the decision within 30 days to the New York State Court of Appeals, The Associated Press reported. During that time, he remains in office. The 48-year-old judge has been on the court since January 1996 and has not had previous disciplinary problems, according to the commission. Raoul L. Felder, the commission chairman � who is best known as a celebrity divorce lawyer � was the lone dissenter on the 10-member commission. He voted to censure the judge, though he excoriated his behavior in the report, calling it, among other things, �two hours of viral lunacy.� But Mr. Felder said he was swayed by the fact that it was a first offense and that the judge was contrite in an appearance before the commission. �If we had the power to suspend, I would have voted to suspend him, but we don�t,� Mr. Felder said. �But to destroy a man�s life because he snapped doesn�t make any sense. This guy was 11 years a judge, 10 years a public defender, and seemed to have an exemplary record before this.� The other commissioners rejected his contention. One of them, Richard D. Emery, called Mr. Felder�s arguments �breathtaking.� And Robert H. Tembeckjian, the commission�s administrator, said �the fundamental rights of 46 people were deliberately and methodically violated,� adding that �it was no consolation to those thrown in jail that the judge had not been in trouble before.� [Maybe he forgot he was no longer at school or in the military!] JAS [This message was edited by JAS on 11-28-07 at .] | |||
|
| Member |
Study: Drivers on Cells Clogging Traffic By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer WASHINGTON � Drivers talking on cell phones are probably making your commute even longer, concludes a new study. Motorists yakking away, even with handsfree devices, crawl about 2 mph slower on commuter-clogged roads than people not on the phone, and they just don't keep up with the flow of traffic, said study author David Strayer, a psychology professor at the University of Utah. If you commute by car an hour a day, it could all add around 20 hours a year to your commute, Strayer said. "The distracted driver tends to drive slower and have delayed reactions," said Strayer, whose study will be presented later this month to the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. "People kind of get stuck behind that person and it makes everyone pay the price of that distracted driver." Strayer's study, based on three dozen students driving in simulators, found that drivers on cell phones are far more likely to stick behind a slow car in front of them and change lanes about 20 percent less often than drivers not on the phone. Overall, cell phone drivers took about 3 percent longer to drive the same highly traffic-clogged route (and about 2 percent longer to drive a medium congested route) than people who were not on the phone. About one in 10 drivers is on the phone so it really adds up, said Strayer, whose earlier studies have found slower reaction times from drivers on the phones and compared those reaction times to people legally drunk. Combine those factors and Strayer figures distracted drivers are adding an extra 5 to 10 percent of time to your commute. It's simply a matter of brain overload. Your frontal cortex can handle only so many tasks at one time, so you slow down, Strayer said. Generally the study makes sense, but what happens to students in a simulator may not translate to real world conditions, said Anne McCartt, senior vice president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Further, she said the study itself points out how distracted drivers are slower, but is short on calculations on just how it affects other drivers. Wireless phone companies encourage people not to talk on the phone in bad traffic, said Joe Farren, a spokesman for the cellular phone industry's trade association. But he said he couldn't comment on the study because he had not had a chance to go over it. | |||
|
| Member |
'Somebody has to do something' Officer's death may provide surge to pass cell phone limits By SARAH VIREN Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Tollway tragedy spawns questions The way Lisa Dawn Norling sees things, she lost the love of her life to a cell phone. The driver of a sport utility vehicle that hit and killed Harris County Precinct 5 Deputy Constable Jason Norling on the busy Westpark Tollway on Monday morning may have been distracted by a phone call, prosecutors say. That detail has stuck with Norling as she prepares for today's funeral and watches the TV reports about her husband's death. "I lost my husband because of a man on a cell phone," she said before his wake on Wednesday. "Things like that keep happening, and somebody has to do something." She and others close to the deputy constable, who had been writing a ticket at the time of the crash, may become a force in a future battle to limit cell phone use on Texas roadways. Although such bills have failed to gain momentum in the past, Jason Norling's niece, Delta Humphreys, has started a campaign on MySpace to change the law, and Lisa Norling says she will petition lawmakers if that could make a difference. That kind of emotional currency could be what's needed to shift public opinion in a state like Texas � where folks cling tightly to individual rights � said state Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, who plans to introduce a bill on the matter in the next legislative session. His proposal, which has failed before, would limit drivers' cell phone use to headsets or other hands-free devices. "If we had passed this last time, maybe this wouldn't have happened," Coleman said. | |||
|
| Member |
Dallas committee says no to cell phones in school zones 06:52 PM CST on Monday, February 4, 2008 By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News Also Online 11/13/2007: Highland Park bans cell phone use while driving near schools Using a mobile phone or text messaging in a Dallas school zone is primed to become illegal, as the City Council�s public safety committee agreed in principle Monday to ban the practice. But the committee decided to review the matter again in two weeks before formally voting and sending a final recommendation to the full council. Members said they expect the ban to ultimately pass at the council level. �It�s a matter of appropriate behavior,� said Mayor Pro Tem Elba Garcia, the public safety committee�s chairwoman. �I don�t think we�ll be expending the police department to be writing tickets all the time. But the message here is safety � when you take your eyes off the road, you�re going to run into trouble.� As conceived, a person convicted of using a mobile phone or texting in a school zone would pay a $200 fine. That�s significantly higher than the $75 fines paid by violators in Highland Park and University Park, which already restrict handheld cellphone use within school zones during certain hours. These municipalities have not, however, enacted text messaging ban for school zones. Since Dallas wouldn�t consider cellular phone use in a school zone a moving violation, a conviction under the law wouldn�t appear on the offender�s driving or insurance record, the ordinance proposal states. The proposal would also allow mobile phone use in school zones under certain circumstances. They include when a person is: �Using a �hands-free device,� such as a Bluetooth headset or wired microphone. �Communicating with a 911 dispatcher, fire department, law enforcement agency, physician�s office or health clinic �regarding a medical or other emergency situation.� �Attempting to �prevent injury to a person or property.� �Operating an �authorized emergency vehicle and using the mobile telephone in the course and scope of the person�s official duties.� Additionally, the law would only be in effect on official school days and during official school zone hours � typically a few hours during the early morning and mid-afternoon. If the council passes the cell phone ban in school zones, the law would be enacted 90 days later, council members said. Council member Mitchell Rasansky prompted the issue last month, when he and four other council members petitioned their colleagues to address mobile phone bans in school zones at an upcoming meeting. In a related matter, the committee shot down an ordinance proposal by the City Attorney�s Office to ban text messaging citywide � be it reading, writing or sending. Council members balked, in part, because the proposal allowed taxi and delivery drivers to text while in the course of their jobs. �If we�re prohibiting reading in cars, we should be prohibiting reading in cars,� council member Ron Natinsky said. �I don�t know if the FedEx or taxi driver is any more trained to read in the car. We�re applying it inequitably. It�s OK for a truck driver but not for a citizen?� Council member Dave Neumann rhetorically questioned whether people should be allowed to eat, smoke or apply makeup while driving. �These other things � they�re of equal distraction,� Mr. Neumann said. | |||
|
| Member |
"Operating an ?authorized emergency vehicle and using the mobile telephone in the course and scope of the person?s official duties.?" Hmmmm, would this cover prosecutors? Of course most prosecutors get a pass on traffic enforcement anyway, but it has been my experience that most attorneys (be they prosecutors or defense) seem to live on the phone. Would not being allowed to use the phone in your car impact your job? (particularly if you, for example, travel between different offices/courts) I recently heard that a Federal Probation office, in an effort to improve office 'contact' stats, implemented a policy that while driving to remote locations POs were expected to make 'follow up phone calls' while on the road. Naturally the employees objected (for safety's sake of course). I also recall seeing a case where an attorney who was on the phone, had an accident, and was sued for negligence --- argued vicarious liability against her law firm because she was expected to conduct business on the phone while in the auto. Making phone/text use in vehicles illegal (for better or worse) could have profound consequences even if law enforcement didn't bother writing citations. | |||
|
| Member |
As long as we're talking new laws, what about requiring auto insurance companies to amend their policies to exclude coverage for damage done while on the phone? | |||
|
| Member |
Crackdown on cell phones on public transit ignites debate 09:16 AM CDT on Friday, April 18, 2008 Associated Press VIENNA, Austria � The world has never been more connected, but in some corners, it's developing a real hang-up over the ubiquitous cell phone. Taking a cue from France's national railway, which offers phone-free "zen zones" on high-speed trains, Austria's second-largest city this week began ordering public transit commuters to keep their phones on silent mode. The crackdown in the southern city of Graz has triggered a noisy debate between advocates of free speech and people who say they're simply fed up with having to listen to annoying ring tones and intrusive cell phone chatter. "I know I insulted the cell phone goddess a little," Graz Mayor Siegfried Nagl said. Details. | |||
|
| Member |
Austin man charged after refusing to hang up cellphone during Southwest Airlines flight 11:17 PM CDT on Monday, May 12, 2008 By SUZANNE MARTA / The Dallas Morning News An Austin businessman was charged with disorderly conduct after he allegedly refused to stop using his mobile phone on a flight Monday from Austin to Dallas Love Field. Dallas police met the plane after the pilot radioed ahead to the Love Field tower. They cited Joe David Jones, 50, president of an Austin-based environmental start-up company called Skyonic Corp., with the Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500. Details. | |||
|
| Member |
State considers a ban on texting while on the road By Paul Davenport THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Tucson, Arizona PHOENIX -- Arizona legislators are debating whether to ban texting while driving. Supporters say it would "send a message" about safety while critics call it overkill when other distractions such as eating and changing the radio aren't prohibited. Rest of story. | |||
|
| Administrator Member |
quote: Just as long as it doesn't text that message from behind the wheel, of course. | |||
|
| Member |
A new offense of Driving While Distracted would cover all the bases. | |||
|
| Member |
If there's a fatal car accident, a violator of the hand-held ban could face a felony charge, some experts say. By Ralph Vart abedian, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer June 19, 2008 The threat of a $20 fine may not sway every California driver from using a hand-held cellphone when a state ban takes effect July 1, but a motorist who ignores the law and causes an accident could face huge civil judgments or even jail if fatalities result. "If you cause a fatal accident and you are running a stop sign, speeding or crossing a double line, any additional violation would add to the possibility a manslaughter charge could be filed," said W. Scott Thorpe, chief executive of the California District Attorneys Assn. "It all goes to state of mind and your recklessness." Rest of article. | |||
|
| Member |
Houston enclave creates toughest driver cell phone ban West U bans all cell phone use near its one school during school hours. By Ana Ley ASSOCIATED PRESS Monday, August 11, 2008 HOUSTON - The Houston enclave of West University Place has banned all cell phone use for drivers, the most stringent measure of its kind in the nation. The ban, which applies within a three-block radius of the city's elementary school during school hours, is the latest in a long line of similar laws. Still, none go so far as to punish drivers for using hands-free sets. Details. | |||
|
| Member |
quote: I was told by a law enforcement official in California last week that texting is not included in that law. Also, you can use a bluetooth or other device to talk as long as you are not holding the cell phone to your head. Now what good is a cell phone driving ban when the driver can still be distracted by using a bluetooth or a wired headset (and doing his dialing) or for the texting driver?  | |||
|
| Member |
Texting behind the wheel is more dangerous than driving while under the influence of alcohol or cannabis, researchers said Thursday. [What about texting while DWI?] Details. | |||
|
| Powered by Social Strata | Page 1 2 3 4 5 ... 11 |
 | Please Wait. Your request is being processed... |
|
© TDCAA, 2001. All Rights Reserved.
