I've never thought of it happening before, and maybe that is just because I don't ride a lot of horses, living in Seattle and all. But, if you live in a little more rural area or have friends and family living in rural areas where horses are sometimes utilized for transportation, the thought of being arrested for DUI on a horse may have crossed your mind at some point. But it doesn't make much sense from a practical standpoint, since you have to be operating a motor vehicle to be charged with Seattle DUI. But that doesn't stop some overzealous cops and overzealous prosecutor's from giving it a shot.
I came across this headline the other day and thought it was a misprint - "Charges Dropped in DUI on a Horse Case." Turns out the cops don't often think before they act, and figure arresting someone for something they think is a violation of the law is enough. Here is some of the story:
Two men charged in for driving under the influence on a horse have had their charges dropped.Eventually the charges were dropped by the District Attorney, who, as I would suspect any Seattle criminal attorney would do, after analyzing the facts against the law came to realize a horse is not in fact a motorized vehicle.
Back in April, NewsChannel9 brought you the story of two men who were charges with driving under the influence on a horse. Greg Cooley and Jeff Owen were charged after police caught them riding the horses along Highway 201 in Tunnel Hill.
The sad thing is, if this were not picked up by the local news, it may have been prosecuted by the District Attorney, who may have just been hoping the guys would plead guilty before talking to a DUI attorney and realizing the arrest was erroneous. That is why whenever you are arrested for anything you need to speak with a lawyer as quickly as possible. In this case, talking to a DUI defense attorney at the outset may have gotten the situation resolved before it went as far as it did.
The great thing about criminal lawyers in general is that we love a winning case. If we'd known about this as it was going on, we would have been all over it, talking not only to those in charge at police headquarters, but also the District Attorney's office. Seattle cops are embarrassed enough by some of the things they do (did you hear about the jaywalking ticket the general manager of the Chicago White Sox received outside SafeCo Field last week?) that are technically legal. They don't need complete lapses of judgment like this to hit the news wire.
The lesson of the day here is that it is okay to drive your horse drunk. But, just be careful. There are no seatbelts, and a fall from a horse can really hurt!
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