Anyone who has been accused of drunk driving or a similar infraction should be aware of one’s full rights in a court of law. There are many defense strategies that can lead to reduced charges or the dismissal of charges. The son of former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka was briefly jailed Nov. 20 after a judge determined he failed to follow a prohibition on drugs or alcohol while awaiting trial on a drunk driving charge.
A judge ordered Ditka’s son, who is facing his fourth DUI charge (which this blog previously reported on), to be detained and raised his bond from $25,000 to $50,000. The defendant, 49, allegedly tested positive for an opiate in his system last month. He produced a letter from a local dental clinic showing that he had been prescribed Vicodin as recently as November 2011, but the judge did not consider that sufficient to explain the positive result. A lawyer for Ditka’s son persuaded another judge to lower the bond, and the defendant was released from custody later that day.
The judge said he had “grave concerns” about the ability of Ditka’s son to comply with the court’s directives. In reducing the defendant’s bail to $30,000, the second judge noted that Ditka’s son was awaiting trial on a different DUI charge when he was charged in October with aggravated DUI and possession of a controlled substance, and that the defendant should avoid drugs and alcohol.
Ditka’s son was twice before charged with DUI; he was acquitted in one case and charges were reduced in the other. Perhaps some form of treatment should be in order for the man. It’s clear that being arrested hasn’t served as a deterrent, so would jail do anything? Treatment may be the best option.
Source: Chicago Tribune, “Ditka’s son briefly jailed after failing drug test,” Ruth Fuller, Nov. 20, 2012
