Austin DWI Attorney Blog

Austin TV station weekend anchor wrecked his car before being arrested for drunk driving in Lakeway, Texas.

Lakeway Police charged a KXAN news reporter with driving while intoxicated after finding his car stuck in a drainage ditch. David Michael Torbi, who uses the name Davis Scott on the air, was uncooperative and swore at the police as they approached his vehicle. Police detected alcohol on his breath and found a mixed drink in an open container in his car.

According to the arrest report, Torbi admitted to having had too much to drink. He refused to submit to a field sobriety test and was booked on charges of misdemeanor DWI. The criminal defense lawyers at my law firm believe that under Texas law, a motorist suspected of driving while intoxicated has the right to avoid self-incrimination through breath, blood or urine evidence. This action does not void law enforcement's ability to seek an arrest based on additional information gained from a potential DWI investigation.

KXAN, the NBC affiliate in Austin, has not issued a statement. Instead, through its website has declined comment on "private, personal matters."

Shock jock Howard Stern's sidekick Artie Lange was arrested Friday afternoon for suspicion of driving while intoxicated in New Jersey. Lange was involved in a minor auto accident in Toms River New Jersey. During an accident investigation, law enforcement officers elected to charge Lange with DWI.

Lange was one of the original cast members of the comedy television show MADtv. He replaced Jackie Martling on the Howard Stern Show, and has been known to talk about his challenges with drug abuse on the show. Many of his stories were compiled in his best-selling book 'Too Fat to Fish'.

Eddie Mekka, best known by his character Carmine Ragusa - aka The Big Ragoo - on the television sitcom Laverne & Shirley, was arrested for drunk driving in Las Vegas over the 4th of July holiday weekend. Mekka was reportedly in an auto accident around 12:30 pm last Friday. During their investigation, police administered field sobriety tests and then charged Mekka with driving under the influence in Nevada. Thankfully there were no injuries as a result of the accident.

Considering the recent DUI arrest of Joyce DeWitt form 'Three's Company', there seems to be a trend here of old sitcom stars getting arrested for drunk driving. Even as celebrities, they should get their day in court, and hopefully their drunk driving defense lawyer will help them through the process.

Last weekend Joseph Thomas drove off the road and crashed through the bedroom wall of a unit in the Willshire West Apartments off of Airport Blvd. Sleeping in that bedroom was a 17 month old child and his parents. The impact of the collision threw the two adults several feet and left the infant stuck under the truck. Thankfully the infant was saved by the mattress he was sleeping in. Thomas was arrested for Austin DWI and taken to the hospital because of his injuries, and then later "unarrested." Austin Police Department (APD) Spokesperson Scott Perry said "We have in our policy certain situations where officers are given the discretion with supervisor approval, to unarrest somebody. In the cases of misdemeanor crimes, which are while still important crimes still, are less severe than felony crimes."

The family that was nearly killed and whose apartment was destroyed by the accident are furious that the APD has asked them to be patient because it could one or two months before a warrant is actually issued for Thomas' arrest. According to myfoxaustin.com Thomas called their reporters and admitted to drinking that night, that he knew what he did was wrong, and that he doesn't remember the crash. Police expect to charge Thomas with a misdemeanor driving while intoxicated charge.

Jani Lane, the lead singer and songwriter for the glam band 'Warrant', was arrested for drunk driving in LA last night. According to Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department reports, Lane ran into a parked car around 9:30 pm Wednesday night. When cops arrived at the scene they suspected intoxication. After failing the field sobriety test, Lane was booked in at the Van Nuys Division station for misdemeanor DUI. His bail is currently set at $30,000.

Lane, who is now 45, lead the glam-rock group in the late 80's and into the 90's. Together they created the hits 'Heaven' and 'Cherry Pie'. He left Warrant in 2002 to start a solo career and but after releasing his solo album, he entered a rehab program due to exhaustion from alcohol and drug use. He later rejoined the band, only to leave again and was replaced as lead singer. Lane was recently interviewed about his new-found sobriety, but apparently that did not last long. As with many celebrities it may take getting arrested for DUI or DWI to finally make them straighten up.