Oregon Woman Arrested Twice In One Day For Repeat Offense
Last Sunday, 36-year-old Jami Ferguson Wyatt, was arrested twice, hours apart for each offense in the same day.
Her initial run-in with the Eugene Police occurred around 12:40 pm after a report was made by another motorist claiming to see Wyatt driving erratically in the area of West 18th Avenue and Garfield Street.
The witness dutifully provided authorities with the Honda’s license plate number.
Officers subsequently tracked down Wyatt at her home whereupon she was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, reckless endangerment, and reckless driving, according to the Register Guard.
It was determined Wyatt had been operating a vehicle with her husband and two kids in the car with a blood alcohol level exceeding twice the legal limit for intoxication.
Wyatt was detained and booked into the Lane County Jail just before 3 pm. She was later released from custody around 5:20 pm due to overcrowding.
Under Oregon state law, intoxicated driving suspects have their licenses confiscated by police immediately after failing a breath test. Suspects are then provided with a temporary permit, but it doesn’t become valid until 12 hours after being issued.
That means Wyatt was driving without either a valid license or permit at the time of her second encounter with police just a few mere hours later, reports KVAL.
The defiant driver was spotted once again on the road in her Honda Accord, this time in the 3300 block of West 11th Avenue, and was collared just before 8 pm and sent back to jail with a second DUI charge. Wyatt was released on bail three hours later.
Driving under the influence (DUI), driving while intoxicated (DWI), operating under the influence, or impaired driving are all common terms used to describe the act of operating a motor vehicle with blood alcohol level in excess of a legally imposed limit.
Similar regulations cover driving or operating certain types of machinery while affected by drinking alcohol or taking other drugs, including, but not limited to prescription drugs.
A DUI is a criminal offense punishable by jail time, fines, a revoked license, community service, being subjected to an ignition interlock device (breathalyzer in the car), and court ordered substance abuse counseling.
Punishments vary by the number of offenses and the severity of the circumstances – as a vehicular accident where someone is killed, due to the inebriation of one of the drivers, can result in man slaughter or murder charges.
According to Oregon’s driving laws, if you refuse to submit to a chemical blood alcohol test your license can be suspended up to one year and a fine of $500 to $1,000 can be imposed for first DUI offenders. There is also a minimum of two days in jail, unless in the case of capacity, where based on the offense a criminal can be released early.
Second and third offenses have similar fees but do not have jail time minimums and a person can lose their driver’s license for up to three years.
How to you think repeat DUI offenders should be punished? What would be the most effective deterrent in your opinion?
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