Court in Arkansas Reverses Drunken Driving Conviction over Checkpoint

October 25, 2016

The Arkansas Supreme Court has overturned a man’s driving while intoxicated conviction, agreeing with the state Court of Appeals that it resulted from an unconstitutional sobriety checkpoint.

Justices reversed Jeremy Whalen’s 2014 conviction that followed his arrest at an Arkansas State Police checkpoint in 2012.

Justices ruled that the state failed to show there was a pre-existing plan for the checkpoint and that officers had unfettered discretion to establish and conduct the checkpoint.

DUI_signThe attorney general’s office asked justices to review the Appeal Court’s December ruling striking down Whalen’s conviction, saying the decision would set a precedent for law enforcement agencies to deal with more red tape in setting up sobriety checkpoints.

Topics Personal Auto Arkansas

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Latest Comments

  • October 26, 2016 at 9:29 am
    Jack Kanauph says:
    "Checkpoints are unreasonable searches" So say someone kidnaps your child and they put up checkpoints around the scene of the kidnapping to try and catch the bad guys/girls, a... read more
  • October 25, 2016 at 7:40 pm
    okt0ber says:
    It's called entrapment, which is unconstitutional. Someone who is driving perfectly well after having a few beers is much less risky than someone who is, say, texting and driv... read more
  • October 25, 2016 at 4:06 pm
    QueenCity#1 says:
    I'm being cheeky here. Rules are made to be broken. But what does it matter now? Seriously, if a person is driving while intoxicated, they are putting others in danger. Wh... read more

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