Louisiana State Police News V1

LSP Article Full View

Source: http://lsp.org/news_detail.html?id=6917

id cleanReleaseDate troopName title
6917 2011-09-19 Statewide I-12 Pursuit Leads to 7th Offense DWI
HEADQUARTERS NEWS RELEASE
 September 19th, 2011
I-12 Pursuit Leads to 7th Offense DWI

St. Tammany Parish, LA – Following a pursuit along Interstate 12 through Tangipahoa and St. Tammany Parish, troopers arrested Donald Murphy Jr., (W/M age 24) of Hammond, LA, on charges of Reckless Operation of a Vehicle, Aggravated Flight from an Officer, 7th offense DWI, Driving on a Suspended License, and Refusal of a Chemical Test.

At approximately 2:30 pm this afternoon, troopers responded to numerous reports of a silver dodge pickup truck driving erratically in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 12. As troopers caught up with the eastbound dodge pickup driven by Murphy, they observed the vehicle swerving from lane to lane and activated their emergency lights and sirens to conduct a traffic stop. Murphy then accelerated away from the pursuing units and attempted to cross into the westbound lanes of I-12 through a median crossover at the Tangipahoa / St. Tammany Parish line. Upon crossing the median, Murphy began to travel against oncoming traffic in the westbound lanes for a short distance before crossing the median again and proceeding east in the eastbound lanes. As Murphy continued eastbound, troopers successfully deployed a tire deflation device forcing Murphy to slow down and drive the Dodge pickup into a ditch alongside the LA 1085 over pass.

Upon being in custody, troopers immediately detected signs of impairment from Murphy and requested he submit to a breath alcohol test, which he refused. Due to his refusal and prior DWI convictions, troopers obtained a search warrant and collected a blood sample from Murphy to be submitted to the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab for analysis.

The consequences of drinking and driving can be costly no matter how many drinks you have consumed. Driving while impaired and lack of seat belt use continues to be contributing factors in a large majority of fatal crashes across the nation. Last year across our state, 303 of the 720 people killed on our highways (42%) were involved in alcohol related crashes. The task of stopping impaired drivers is a joint effort of law enforcement agencies and the public. By never allowing an impaired driver to get behind the wheel of a vehicle and reporting dangerous drivers to law enforcement, the public can play an important role in the reduction of crashes.

To report impaired drivers or unsafe roadway conditions, you may dial *LSP (*577) from your cellular phone to reach the State Police office closest to you.

Contact Information:
TFC Nick Manale
Louisiana State Police
Public Affairs Unit Troop L
Office: (985) 893-6250 Ext:628
Nicholas.Manale@dps.la.gov
www.LSP.org

No attachments for this article.