The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently considered whether police officers are permitted to testify concerning the administration of field sobriety tests (FST’s) where they suspect the driver is operating under the influence of marijuana. Unlike in cases involving alleged operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol (OUI/DUI), police officers, the state’s…
Continue reading ›Massachusetts law permits police officers to conduct OUI/DUI roadblocks, or what is legally kn own as “field sobriety checkpoints.” For OUI/DUI roadblocks to be constitutionally valid, the selection of vehicles to be stopped must not be arbitrary; safety must be assured; motorists’ inconvenience must be minimized; and assurance must be given that the procedure to…
Continue reading ›The defendant in Commonwealth v. Palacios claimed that the ambulance rec ords should not have been admitted against her at his OUI/DUI trial and that references to her intoxication should have been redacted. The Massachusetts Appeals Court, however, concluded that the ambulance records were properly admitted as records of medical services. This case began when…
Continue reading ›Richard Hasomeris, 42,of Middleboro, has been summonsed to appear in Middleboro District Court to answer a number of Massachusetts Drunk Driving Charges for allegedly crashing his motorcycle into a car and then leaving the scene. He has been charged with Operating Under the Influence of Alcohol, Leaving the Scene of an Accident Causing Personal Injury,…
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