When the Sacramento Kings open the season in Minnesota, the reigning rookie of the year will not be on the floor.

Tyreke Evans was suspended one game by the league after his reckless driving incident this summer in Sacramento.

That was one of three fines handed down by the league Friday.

Indiana’s Brandon Rush was suspended five games for violations of the league’s drug policy. To earn a suspension you have to have failed a test three times (the first two lead to counseling).

Kenny Hasbrouck of the Miami Heat was suspended two games after pleading guilty to a DUI. This happened in New York before he signed with the Heat.

One could argue that driving under the influence is a bigger risk to society than doing drugs, but these are pretty much the standard NBA suspensions for these kind of violations.

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SACRAMENTO, CA – The Sacramento County district attorney’s office is investigating arrests made by a 25-year-old Sacramento police officer after discrepancies were discovered between the officer’s written reports and arrest video from his patrol car’s camera in two cases.  Those two DUI cases have now been dismissed.

The officer, who has been on administrative leave since January for brandishing a gun during an off-duty incident, has been with the Sacramento Police Department for three years. He was assigned to DUI enforcement in October 2009.

In one of the two cases,  the officer wrote he pulled over a silver car on 16th Street in downtown Sacramento on Jan. 9, 2010, for a broken license plate light. The officer wrote the 24-year-old driver appeared intoxicated, failed a field alcohol screening test and was uncooperative. Jan. 9, 2010 DUI arrest documents

The attorney for Alem Kajmic says the patrol car video shows Kajmic was cooperative.  Alan Donato also says the video clearly shows the officer did not perform a test he claimed to have administered. Read the rest of this entry »

A man suspected of driving drunk and causing a fatal South Sacramento car accident that claimed the lives of a mother and her infant son is due in court today.

The Sacramento Police say the suspect was speeding when he hit 23-year-old the victim and her eight-month-old son Joshua at the intersection of Orange Avenue and Stockton Boulevard in South Sacramento on Sunday.

Investigators arrested Her on charges of driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter. He is being held on $250,000 bond.

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SACRAMENTO, CA – A Sacramento man stopped for speeding and arrested for DUI last December believes he may be part of the case against a Sacramento police Officer.

The deputy is under investigation for allegedly falsifying reports in at least two DUI cases. Those cases have been dismissed by the Sacramento County district attorney, and the suspect’s other arrests are now being investigated.

Josh Houlton watched the patrol car camera video of his Christmas Eve stop and arrest in the offices of his attorney Philip McCarthy Tuesday afternoon.

” The officer testified that he paced my client for three blocks on Capitol Avenue at 50 miles per hour,” said McCarthy. “I asked what he meant by pacing. He said that meant he was two-car lengths behind my client for three blocks at 50 miles per hour. Clearly the tape shows that he’s nowhere near two-car lengths behind my client.”

McCarthy says he found several discrepancies between the video and the written police report.

“He said there was no one else in the car, no other witnesses, but clearly on the tape you see the officer as he speaks to the three other fellows in the car and he asks them to exit the vehicle,” McCarthy said.

Chemical tests later revealed Houlton’s blood alcohol was .10. which is above the legal limit of .08.

Still, McCarthy calls the credibility of the officer into question.

“Whether my client was under the influence or not, if there was an improper stop and arrest in the case, the case should be thrown out,” he said.

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SACRAMENTO — Seattle Seahawks running back Quinton Ganther of Richmond was arrested Saturday morning on suspicion of DUI in Sacramento.

Ganther, a John F. Kennedy High of Richmond graduate, was booked into the Sacramento County main jail at 6:50 a.m., according to the Seattle Times. The California High Patrol arrested Ganther around 3:15 a.m. in downtown Sacramento.

Ganther, who turns 26 on July 15, joined the Seahawks as a free agent during the offseason after playing last season with the Washington Redskins. The Oakland-born Ganther is expected to compete for a role as a backup running back and special teams player. Ganther spent his first three seasons with the Tennessee Titans as a role player.

His best performance as a pro came Dec. 13, 2009 while returning home to Oakland. Ganther rushed for a career-high 50 yards and scored the first two touchdowns of his career during the Redskins’ 34-13 victory over the Raiders.

The Seahawks released a statement on his arrest: “We are aware of the situation, and in the process of gathering information. No further comment at this time.”

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A man was arrested early Monday on suspicion of drunken driving after a crash in Sacramento, police said.

The wreck occurred shortly before 2:30 a.m. near the intersection of La Riviera Drive and Howe Avenue.

The car left the roadway and rolled down an embankment.

The driver, whose name was not released, suffered minor injuries. He was the only person in the car.

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Driving under the influence may have played a role in a two-vehicle wreck that killed one person in Sacramento early Friday, police said.

The crash, which also injured two other people, was reported at about 1:25 a.m. near the intersection of Fruitridge Road and 60th Street.

A Toyota Tacoma pickup and a Chevrolet Caprice were involved in the crash.

The 22-year-old pickup driver is under investigation for DUI, but remains hospitalized and has yet to be arrested, police said.

A 28-year-old man driving the Chevrolet died, but his name has not been released.

A 21-year-old man who was a passenger in the Toyota was also hurt.

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Cinco de Mayo has become a traditional time for many to celebrate California’s rich cultural history. But it is also a night out with expected dangers when someone chooses to drink and drive. Party hosts, bars and restaurants this year must be sure to plan and promote designating sober drivers in advance – before the ‘Fiesta’ begins.

The “Avoid the 8″ will be deploying additional Roving DUI patrols into the communities of West Sacramento, Davis and Woodland in an effort to lower deaths and injuries with so many local establishments offering discounted drink offers in conjunctions with Cinco de Mayo promotional activities.

DUI related crashes have dropped in California thanks to increased sobriety checkpoints and special DUI enforcement campaigns. However, the number one killer on our highways remains impaired driving, with 1,029 dead in 2008 and another 28,457 injured in alcohol involved collisions.

“Communities everywhere will see special events and night spots celebrating Cinco de Mayo this year,” said Chief Black, Davis PD. “Do your part this year and make your celebration memorable by designating non-drinking drivers before the first Margarita is ever mixed.”

Yolo County Avoid the 8 DUI Taskforce will be deploying overtime patrols onto city streets while CHP will be saturating the freeways and into unincorporated communities looking for the signs of a drunk driver:

• Weaving out of the lane

• Wide turns

• Failing to go on a green light

Driving below the speed limit

• Aggressive, reckless driving

• Drivers who appear drunk behind the wheel

Officers will be stopping errant drivers and checking for the signs of intoxication, conducting field sobriety tests, arresting those who are intoxicated and impounding vehicles of those with suspended or no license.

“Drunk driving is simply not worth the risk. Not only do you risk killing yourself or someone else, but the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for impaired driving can be significant,” said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. “Violators often face jail time, the loss of their driver’s license, higher insurance rates, attorney fees, time away from work, and dozens of other expenses. So don’t take the chance. Remember, if you are over the limit, you are under arrest.”

Avoid the 8 DUI Taskforce funding is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento police said a man who was seen driving on a sidewalk was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Officers were hailed by someone Tuesday night on a report of a possible drunken driver on the sidewalk. After checking the area, officers found a vehicle they think was involved at a Jack in the Box drive-through at the intersection of Broadway and Stockton Boulevard.

Police initiated a stop and found that the driver, 24-year-old Ryan Benuzzi, had a 0.23 blood alcohol level and was under the influence of prescription medication.

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