Author Archives: Jay Butchko
OP-Ed Takes Aim at Faulty Intoxilyzer Technology
A recent op-ed in the Daytona-Beach News Journal took aim at Florida’s Intoxilyzer technology. This technology is often presented as evidence in court against those who are charged with drunk driving. But is the Intoxilyzer based on scientific methodology or is it a load of hooey. The answer is complicated. The technology is based… Read More »
Woman Killed and Baby Injured in DUI Crash
A seventy-year-old woman was killed and her baby grandson was critically injured in a four-vehicle crash in Sarasota on September 9th. Florida Highway Patrol said that David Buncik ran a red light at the intersection at University Parkway in Sarasota. His vehicle struck three others including the car that held the woman and her… Read More »
Man Faces DUI Manslaughter Charges After Death of Cyclist
File this one under: Intoxicated motorist flees the scene of a fatal accident. We can’t stress enough how bad of a decision this is. Police have arrested Travis Osorio, a thirty-year-old Opa-Locka man who struck and killed a bicyclist earlier this year in April. Osorio was driving on a suspended license with a BAC… Read More »
Florida Couple Charged with DUI/Having Sex in Squad Car
A Florida couple is in hot water after getting pulled over by Nassau County Police. The couple was charged with DUI but were apparently unfazed by the arrest. The two were placed in a squad car where they began copulating. The two were found riding bicycles (yes, that’s possible) without headlights when they were… Read More »
Woman Charged with Drunk Driving & Child Endangerment
A Sarasota mother is facing multiple charges after police pulled over on the first of October. The woman was caught after she was involved in an accident. Sheriff’s deputies say that there were two young children in the car when the accident occurred. Twenty-seven-year-old Kimberly Toomy was filling out paperwork regarding the accident when… Read More »
Orlando Eye Doctor Charged with DUI
A Brevard County eye doctor is facing DUI charges after he refused to take a breath test, authorities said. Locals called police to report a reckless driver when police found Dr. Nicholas Pefkaros and pulled him over. Police asked him to perform several field sobriety tests which they claim he failed. Pefkaros then refused… Read More »
Nearly Two Years Later, Orlando Man Charged with DUI Manslaughter
In terms of DUI, DUI manslaughter is just about the stiffest penalty a Florida resident can face. However, it generally doesn’t take nearly two years to charge someone. Twenty-four-year-old Michael Ramos is now being charged with DUI manslaughter 1.5 years after the accident occurred. When he was pulled over, he was discovered to have… Read More »
Did a DUI Charge Stop Another Mass Shooting?
Bizarre Florida Man, Richard Clayton was pulled over by police in 2018. He was charged with possession of marijuana, unlawful possession of a concealed firearm, and DUI. Clayton pleaded no contest to the DUI charge and was ordered by a judge not to possess any weapons until his one-year probation came up. Clayton then… Read More »
Police Use Stop Sticks to Catch Fleeing Driver
Police said that they “had” to use stop sticks to stop a fleeing driver who was driving nearly 100 mph. The driver was later caught after the stop sticks were deployed where the police conducted a field sobriety test. According to police, the driver failed a field sobriety test and a urine sample was… Read More »
Do I Have to Take a Field Sobriety Test in Florida?
The short answer is no, you are not required by law to take a field sobriety test in Florida. Implied consent laws cover blood tests, breathalyzers, and urine tests. Field sobriety tests are largely considered nonsense by the scientific community and as defense attorneys specializing in DUI charges, they are designed to fail. There… Read More »
