1...2...3...6 Strikes. How many is it going to take?

Not 1 or 2...but 6...that's how many "second chances" an Amherst woman has received. Now she's headed to prison for the next 1-3 years. The judge in the case called her "a DWI fatality waiting to happen" Here's a link to The Buffalo News article. After reading it, I agree with the judge.

Before I go on with this blog, why did I say six "second chances"? Because every time someone drives drunk, they are taking lives in their hands. I look at the DWI arrest as a "second chance" because no one was hurt or killed. Sure it costs money - fines, court fees, insurance goes up, etc. but no one was seriously hurt or maimed in the crash.

Deborah Mitchum, a 44 year old restaurant manager, received the sentence earlier this week after she was charged with her sixth DWI in nine years. She was also fined more than $1,800. It boggles my mind how someone can be so irresponsible. She really is a threat to everyone on the roads, because she hasn't learned her lesson...and keeps doing it over and over again.

Mitchum's attorney wanted her to go to counseling and spend weekends in jail. I'm glad the judge didn't give her that "slap on the wrist". In court, she claimed "she's too old for this now", yes Deborah, you are.

And you've been given a second chance that you can think about in jail.

Former Prosecutor & DWI

It's a case that CAID is watching very closely. Anne Adams, a former prosecutor is in the midst of a legal battle of her own...charged with aggravated DWI. She appears to be getting special treatment by our local courts.

Let's go back to all this started...
At the beginning of September, Adams, 46, was arrested by Hamburg police after she was stopped and on Route 5 in Hamburg. When police stopped her red Ford Thunderbird convertible (it was weaving from lane to lane and nearly struck a guardrail), she failed all four roadside sobriety tests and her BAC registered at 0.19 percent. She pleaded not guilty during her arraignment.

Two weeks ago, during her last court appearance, Adams' defense attorney and former Leonard Krawczyk said that Erie County District Attorney Frank Clark broke a “gentlemen’s agreement” in the case by leaking witnesses’ affidavits contained in a defense motion to get the case quickly dismissed. Meanwhile, Clark said he didn't break the agreement, saying he made the affidavits public at the arraignment. "They thought they would get this done under the radar, get it disposed of quickly and walk away. That’s not the way it’s done.”

This has definitely not been your typical DWI court case. A State Supreme Court justice, a police lieutenant and a doctor all filed legal papers saying Adams wasn’t drunk that night, and on the opposite side of the courtroom, three district attorneys were in the Hamburg courtroom, and Adams’ case was handled by two prosecutors who do not normally handle misdemeanor charges there.

Adams claims she had two glasses of wine and a water with lime at Shanghai Red's restaurant that night.

Here's a link to The Buffalo News report on Adams' most recent court appearance.

What are my thoughts on this case? I feel that if Adams did indeed drive drunk that night, she should be penalized like anyone else who's convicted of DWI. She doesn't deserve special treatment, and her case should not be treated any differently.

We'll be following this case, and what happens in the courtroom and we'll keep you updated.

Deanna

CAID Fall Update: Reaching out to Teens

Here's an update on what CAID has been up to in recent weeks...we're reaching out to teens in unique ways.

I've been working on an interesting project that will share Karen's story with more students in our area. Denis Foley is curator of "Friends Exhibit/Last Call" at the Lewis Henry Morgan Institute at the SUNY Institute of Technology in Albany. "Friends" is a traveling exhibition. Its funding is provided through the Governor's Traffic Safety Council, New York State Stop DWI Coordinators' Foundation, The Sheldon & Ruth Goldstein Foundation and the New York State Press Association Foundation.

So what is it? Here's a description taken from the Friends website:
The exhibition focuses on the lives of the victims prior to the crash, emphasizing individual histories through photos, possessions, interviews of victims’ friends and families, and audio and visual recordings. A timeline traces the events of the victims’ last day, including a detailed account of the crash itself. Along with the text of the timeline, quotes and artifacts that pertain to the crash are part of this section. The aftermath that the families, friends, police and community were left with is included as well. The combination of these elements creates an emotional reaction in observers, with the goal of behavioral change. This approach creates a powerful message that may deter students from driving after consuming alcohol.

The exhibit featuring Karen's story will travel to high schools across the county and it's going to be very impacting. I spoke with Denis about in depth about what type of person Karen was and what exactly happened on Friday night, March 6. It will include the things that meant the most to her and really defined what type of person she was. It'll also have letters, newspaper clippings, and the timeline of the crash. As always, we don't expect all teens to be impacted by this exhibit, but if one girl or guy takes a look at the exhibit and makes the choice not to drink and drive, then it'll be worth it.

STOP DWI and CAID are also working on producing a video PSA that will be distributed to all schools to use as part of their morning announcements. This will give students a weekly report of arrests, crashes, and incidents tied to drinking and driving in Erie County and how lives are impacted. We're also working on a video contest with Fox 29 where teens will be able to produce their own anti-DWI video PSA. We'll keep you posted on these projects as they develop.

The mission of CAID is to educate and we're moving full steam ahead in that mission and hopefully we'll save lives in the process.


Deanna

Kids Call Cops on Drunk Parents

It's a story that has me shaking my head in wonder...kids really are amazing. Even when their parents make stupid decisions, the youngest of children make the smart choices.

Check out this video and you'll see what I mean.

So what should happen to the drunk mom who tried to force her son to blow into the interlock device? How about public humiliation - like putting her name and picture on a billboard? How about taking her car away from her once and for all? That doesn't stop some people. The drunk driver who killed my sister wasn't even driving his car. Some people should not be driving at all.

Bad choices, it's what costs lives. Lives like my sister.

Kudos to kids and teens who make smart choices and call 911 when they witness their parents drinking and driving. Just goes to prove how kids are sometimes smarter than their moms and dads.


Deanna

More Pictures from the Tournament!

It's been two weeks since CAID's first annual softball tournament, and now that things are getting back to "normal", I'm happy to say we have more pictures from the event!

Here are some snapshots...and there are more pictures from the diamonds on the events page. Check out my Buffalo.com/YourHub blog too for some "behind the scene" stories.

Thanks again for supporting Crusade Against Impaired Driving, Inc.!

Deanna

Swing, a hit and a success!

Awesome!

I can't begin to say how pleased I was with the turn-out for CAID's first annual softball tourney that was held on Saturday at Sunshine Park in West Seneca.

To call it a success just seems like such a cliche. Not only did the weather cooperate for a terrific day, but everyone had a terrific time at the event.

It was a "one-pitch" tourney, and for many people that was a new thing. How it works is that the batter gets one pitch to swing at, and if he misses he's out. The "one pitch" really moved things along, and kept the games exciting too. It prevented teams from playing until 7, 8, or even 9 at night....and because of the timing of the rain on Saturday...it kept everyone dry too.

The Junkyard Dawgs beat the Best Buy team by a score of 7-2. We also had teams from The Buffalo News, Buffalo.com, a couple teams that were put together by Karen's friends, and a team of teens that was organized by my brother-in-law. A special thank you to all the teams for coming out and entertaining us all with great games of softball.

Our silent auction was also a success. One of the most popular prizes...a large stuffed dog was won by a very ecstatic young girl, and her twin sister won a sports prize with just one ticket!

Support from the volunteers, community, teams, and sponsors all contributed to make it a very successful event.

We raised over $3,000 to fight drunk driving on our roads, and that's not the final tally. Crusade Against Impaired Driving, Inc. is a young organization, and to have everyone rally behind our cause in the memory of my sister Karen really brought tears to my eyes.

I did a lot of the pre-planning for the tournament, but I couldn't have done it without the support of all the sponsors, teams, and a volunteers who helped in the days leading up to and on the day of the event. THANK YOU to everyone for all their help.

If you have suggestions, comments, or would like to play in next year's tournament, email me.

I look forward to a bigger and better tournament next year!


Until next time...

Deanna

Promoting the CAID Softball Tournament on Daybreak

I put on the softball gear and woke up bright and early Wednesday morning to talk about the CAID Softball Tournament on Channel 2's "Spot 2 Be" on Daybreak.

Let me say on the record, that meteorologist Chesley McNeil is just as nice off the air as he is on TV. We wake up watching Daybreak every morning.

My friend and tournament "helper" Cindy Henning and I were on the segment, and CAID appreciates everything WGRZ-TV does to help promote community events like the softball tournament. "Spot 2 Be" is a great segment.

Seven teams will be taking part in the "one-pitch" tournament on Saturday at Sunshine Park on East and West Road in West Seneca. The first game gets underway at 10am, and the championship game is scheduled for 4pm. A silent auction will be held with lots of great prizes and gift baskets. All proceeds go to Crusade Against Impaired Driving, Inc. For those who want to make this an "all-day" event, refreshments will also be sold.

Come enjoy some great softball, take a chance on some awesome prizes, and support a great cause!

Go to our events page to learn more and see the tournament brackets.

You're all invited!

Thanks,

Deanna