Pennsylvania pro football fans might be interested to learn that cornerback Jeremy Lane was taken into custody on charges of driving under the influence on Jan. 14. Lane plays for the Seattle Seahawks, and the incident occurred in King County.
The player was released on his own recognizance that morning a few hours after being booked. The Seahawks have not commented on the matter. According to a tweet that Lane posted the following day and later deleted, when he took a Breathalyzer test, his blood alcohol content was .03 percent.
In the tweet, Lane asked why he was detained if the legal limit in Washington is .08 percent. However, according to state law, while .08 percent is the legal limit, people can face drunk driving charges if they merely appear to be impaired.
Penalties for a DUI conviction could include fines, jail time, being required to attend a class on safety, and license suspension. The severity of these penalties depends upon whether the person has prior convictions as well as the offense itself. However, a DUI can also have repercussions in some career fields. For example, an athlete could face a temporary suspension from the team after a DUI conviction. Being detained for DUI does not automatically mean that a person will be convicted. There may be several options for a person’s defense, and an attorney might also look at whether the person was legally stopped and taken into custody. If the person’s rights were violated, a case could be dismissed. A person might also have the option of a plea bargain. This is a deal with the prosecution in which the person does not go to trial but pleads guilty and usually gets a lighter sentence.
Source: USA Today, “Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane charged with DUI“, Tom Schad, Jan. 15, 2018
