According to a recent article by the DeSoto Times-Tribune, Desoto County, MS drunk driving arrests made over the New Year’s Holiday were relatively low. Only 30 alcohol related arrests were made during New Years Eve and Day for the entire county of over 150,000 residents. However, to many including local law enforcement, it is still unacceptable. “I know the county is growing so all of our numbers are increasing but it’s still a little much,” said Southaven, MSPolice Chief Tom Long. “For New Years Eve and Day, that’s not extraordinary but for any other night it would be.” Long said any number of DUIs is too high. “There is just no excuse for it,” Long said. “At this day and age, you can get rides. Why would you jeopardize you or your families safety?”
Increased drunk driving education, extra patrols and inclement weather during the holidays contributed to the number being lower than expected. “You have to realize it was raining until midnight pretty hard,” said Horn Lake, MS Police Chief Darryl Whaley. “I think that put a stymie on it a little bit. The other thing is, we put a lot of emphasis on not drinking and driving and a lot of times people will really watch that on holidays.” Overall, there were 57 DUI arrests for the entire week of New Years and 62 total alcohol related arrests for all of DeSoto County.
We applaud law enforcement in their efforts to make our roads safer, and encourage everyone to abstain from drinking and driving. Unfortunately, people make mistakes and sometimes people are wrongfully charged with driving under the influence by overzealous law enforcement. Anyone charged with a DUI in Mississippi has it in their best interest to fight the charges against them, or face severe penalties, fines, and possible jail time. It is extremely important to find a highly skilled North Mississippi DUI lawyer with the resources and experience required to aggressively fight for the best possible outcome in your drunk driving case.
Leave a Reply