Portland Timbers defender Liam Ridgewell was arrested for a DUI in October, but he reportedly shouldn’t have been in trouble.
According to the Oregonian, Ridgewell’s attorney contends that police had no grounds to ask his client for a field sobriety test the night he went to pick up teammate Jake Gleeson after the goalkeeper crashed his car.
The attorney states that Ridgewell was neither involved in the accident nor was he a witness, therefore he should have been allowed to leave freely.
The accident involved Gleeson, who then called Ridgewell to pick him up from the site of the crash, according to police. Both players were arrested on DUIs in October, while Gleeson was convicted.
Actually most states allow deputies to determines who the intoxicated individual is. In this case, Ridgewell presented himself to the deputy to pick up his teammate Gleeson and the deputy became suspicious of Ridgewells sobriety either through voice, actions or senses (smell) and determined that there was probable cause to test Ridgewell. You do not have to be a party to the Gleeson incident NOT to be tested, all you have to do is present probable cause to the Deputy.
The exact same scenario happened to me as a young man. I was in Ridgewell’s shoes. Friend wrecked. He called me. He was drunk. I had a few beers earlier went and snagged up from the scene. Officer gave me a breathalyzer. I blew a .082. Both of us were arrested. I could have fought it. I could have conceivably argued procedures by officer were incorrect. But you know what? I was legally above limit. NOTHING changes that. According to the law I should not have been driving. The law is the law. I broke the law. I took my lumps. I learned “buzzed” drinking is drunk driving. I learned a valuable lesson. I received a $500 fine and a suspended license for 90 days. Small price to pay for a stupid mistake. Ridgewell needs to man up. The breathalyzer indicated he was drunk. Take you lumps, like I did, and move on and learn a lesson.
Yea, that’s nice in theory but the true element that “shouldn’t have taken place” was Ridgewell driving while intoxicated (and his teammate) endangering innocent people on the road.
Whether Ridgewell was directly involved does not preclude a police officer from accessing characteristics of someone intoxicated (scent of alcohol, bloodshot eyes, lack of equilibrium, slurred speech, etc). They’re absolutely doing their jobs of protecting the general public if their reasonable suspicion led to probable cause which led to his arrest. That’s what they’re trained to do – that’s what they’re paid to do, and they executed it as they should.
The asshole lawyer, more or less advocating drunk driving and putting others at risk, needs to acknowledge his client was already exhibiting poor decision making by simply arriving at a crime scene while under the influence. Ridgewell made about every wrong decision imaginable and has only himself to blame. I’m beyond tired of the ongoing narrative in this country of everyone blaming law enforcement for their own self-inflicted problems.
Yup–we’ve disagreed over appropriate police conduct in the past but I’m completely with you here.
The “asshole” attorney here isn’t advocating for drunk driving, he’s advocating for his client. In other words, he’s also doing his job, which is to protect his client’s interests, and to do what he can within the law to clear his client of charges. You think Ridgewell’s attorney should “acknowledge [that] his client was… exhibiting poor decision making”? Should he make such a statement to reporters? At a press conference? Interesting legal strategy. If there ever comes a time where you similarly exhibit poor decision making and consequently run afoul of the law, please remember to tell your “asshole” attorney to acknowledge and publicly state (on your behalf) that, like Ridgewell, you too were exhibiting poor decision making.
Don’t worry. I’ll never find myself in a similar circumstance for I value my life, the lives of others on the road and lack the distinction of being an absolute idiot.
The rest of your diatribe was as nonsensical as you taking my obvious hyperbole literally.