Does anyone know what happened on Ball Road Saturday Night?

[kwillia]

I'm not so sure about the 2nd part. I don't know the details but the parents could've taken him off their insurance policy and made him get his own since he was 18. After having the DUI on his juvie record his insurance would've hit the roof. He never should've gotten his license back as a juvenile. When he turned 18 he may have been able to get his license re-issued, but he'd have to be working to pay for the truck and his insurance. I don't know if that's the case or if his parents helped him in that department.

If my sons (they don't drink) got a DUI I'd yank them off my policy and take my keys back. They'd never drive one of my cars again.

That's what I was thinking while putting the bits and pieces together. How come he keeps having a vehicle to drive?

 

[cattitude]

If he only had one DUI and he was a juvie, it is possible it was never put on his record. He could have had his own insurance and been paying for it.

Without going into a long litany, I've lived some of this. Otter and I are good parents, with good kids. We kept tabs on our children, certainly more than most parents. Sounds cliche, but things happen. Kids do really, really stupid things. Hell, I did. I have been in situations with son #2 that I would have sworn would NEVER have happened to this child and I certainly didn't have blinders on when we were raising him.

My heart aches for all of the people involved in this tragedy.

 

[somdsofttail]

This should play out quite interesting....First off, the boy is the first cousin to the infamous mike vito of the yellow mustang accident. The unnamed boy in that case was only convicted of "reckless" driving when he passed on the shoulder to go around cars that were going into CRE. The state tried to railroad that kid because of the vito boys recklessness.....after it was all over, the vito family really were out for blood, and his mother has even gone so far as to call for stiffer penaltys for reckless teens. So lets see how this one plays out...from the sounds of things, its just another vito driving wild and crazy in calvert !

 

[Sharon]

If he only had one DUI and he was a juvie, it is possible it was never put on his record. He could have had his own insurance and been paying for it.

Under 18 drivers are on a provisional license.

Violations:

Q - What happens if I get a moving violation?
A - Any violations or a Probation Before Judgment [(PBJ), a ruling by the court that does not result in a conviction, but is reported to the MVA] will mean the eighteen (18) month provisional period has to be restarted. Drivers must hold the provisional license for eighteen (18) consecutive months with no moving violations, including a Probation Before Judgment (PBJ) ruling, to be eligible for a full license. Provisional drivers, who have previously received a Probation Before Judgment (PBJ) are ineligible for a PBJ ruling.

Convictions or "Probation Before Judgment" (PBJ) for moving violations while holding a provisional license will require the completion of a driver improvement program and/or the suspension/revocation of your driver's license. Convictions also restart the 18-month minimum waiting period.

http://mva.state.md.us/DriverServ/ROOKIEDRIVER/FAQs.htm
http://mva.state.md.us/DriverServ/ROOKIEDRIVER/bgeneralprovisional.htm

 

[Geek]

If he only had one DUI and he was a juvie, it is possible it was never put on his record. He could have had his own insurance and been paying for it.

Without going into a long litany, I've lived some of this. Otter and I are good parents, with good kids. We kept tabs on our children, certainly more than most parents. Sounds cliche, but things happen. Kids do really, really stupid things. Hell, I did. I have been in situations with son #2 that I would have sworn would NEVER have happened to this child and I certainly didn't have blinders on when we were raising him.

My heart aches for all of the people involved in this tragedy.

well said

 

[cattitude]

Under 18 drivers are on a provisional license.http://mva.state.md.us/DriverServ/ROOKIEDRIVER/FAQs.htm
http://mva.state.md.us/DriverServ/ROOKIEDRIVER/bgeneralprovisional.htm

Assuming he was convicted which may not have been the case.

 

[itsbob]

If he only had one DUI and he was a juvie, it is possible it was never put on his record. He could have had his own insurance and been paying for it.

Without going into a long litany, I've lived some of this. Otter and I are good parents, with good kids. We kept tabs on our children, certainly more than most parents. Sounds cliche, but things happen. Kids do really, really stupid things. Hell, I did. I have been in situations with son #2 that I would have sworn would NEVER have happened to this child and I certainly didn't have blinders on when we were raising him.

My heart aches for all of the people involved in this tragedy.

I'm not sure about MD law, but in PA any traffic violation to include DUI were Adult offenses no matter the age of the offender and weren't given the same protections of privacy as other law violations.

 

[cattitude]

I'm not sure about MD law, but in PA any traffic violation to include DUI were Adult offenses no matter the age of the offender and weren't given the same protections of privacy as other law violations.

You have to be CONVICTED or at least have a PBJ. All I'm saying is that not all are convicted or given PBJ on their first offense. I certainly don't agree with that but it happens.

 

[Tina2001aniT]

Kinda but I was talking to my sister last night, she is 19, she knew both of those boys (went to school together and grew up in the same area) she is going to one of the funerals friday and will just attend the viewing for the other boy. What is VERY disturbing to me is that this will be her 7th, yup 7th funeral in the past 12 months. One of those were my grandmother, the rest were KIDS around her age......WTF is wrong with people?? WTF is happening down here??

 

[kwillia]

......WTF is wrong with people?? WTF is happening down here??

It seems to be the norm for folks to drive like they are in a video game... except there is no "reset" button IRL...

 

[Sharon]

Assuming he was convicted which may not have been the case.

He got something for it, PBJ? and driver improvement. If he was under provisional rules he'd have to start over on a PL. He turned 18 late February this year.

You must be 17 years, 9 months to obtain a full driver’s license

There's a tiny window in between late Nov. and late Feb. where he could've had a FULL license unless his first DUI took place before that under the provisional rules.

Either way, we don't know what his driving record was but it's been stated that last two DUI's weren't his first.

Someone dropped the ball on this kid, either the court, his parents, or both. The fact that he pled guilty to DUI last year means that he was tried in a court case.

 

[Sharon]

Let me add...if this happened as a juvenile his parents most certainly KNEW about it since he turned 18 this year.

 

[cattitude]

Perhaps these things just hit home for me. We most certainly didn't drop the ball on our son.

As I told a forumite earlier, but for the grace of God go I.

I'm just thankful that we are finally seeing the child we knew we had. He has a very good job and is going to school, all of which he did on his own.

 

[Sharon]

One more thing

vehicular manslaughter
n. the crime of causing the death of a human being due to illegal driving of an automobile, including gross negligence, drunk driving, reckless driving or speeding. Vehicular manslaughter can be charged as a misdemeanor (minor crime with a maximum punishment of a year in county jail or only a fine) or a felony (punishable by a term in state prison) depending on the circumstances. Gross negligence or driving a few miles over the speed limit might be charged as a misdemeanor, but drunk driving resulting in a fatality is most likely treated as a felony. Death of a passenger, including a loved one or friend, can be vehicular manslaughter if due to illegal driving.

Why hasn't he been charged with two counts of VM in the death of his friends?

 

[cattitude]

Why hasn't he been charged with two counts of VM in the death of his friends?

Article in the Post said more charges are possible. Fact of today's society..don't want to charge unless you can make it stick..they are probably just getting their ducks in a row. Takes a while to get toxicology reports back, they just don't use the breathalyzer for evidence.

 

[Sharon]

Perhaps these things just hit home for me. We most certainly didn't drop the ball on our son.

Good Lord woman, my posts were about the circumstances of this thread topic. If you took them personally that was NOT my intention.

 

[cattitude]

Good Lord woman, my posts were about the circumstances of this thread topic. If you took them personally that was NOT my intention.

Oh no..I didn't take your posts personally..just the whole subject is upsetting to me because I know the agony that these parents must be feeling.

 

[dck4shrt]

If he only had one DUI and he was a juvie, it is possible it was never put on his record. He could have had his own insurance and been paying for it.

Without going into a long litany, I've lived some of this. Otter and I are good parents, with good kids. We kept tabs on our children, certainly more than most parents. Sounds cliche, but things happen. Kids do really, really stupid things. Hell, I did. I have been in situations with son #2 that I would have sworn would NEVER have happened to this child and I certainly didn't have blinders on when we were raising him.

My heart aches for all of the people involved in this tragedy.

Kids do really stupid things, but I don't think its unreasonable for parents and society to let a drunk driver get away with it any more than once. DUI is a horrendous offense in my mind. An offender is basically kicking all of society in the balls, telling everyone that you could care less about their safety, let along their own. A reasonable parenting strategy and a societal norm should be that underage DUI offenders (and others, too) get caught and you lose your license, indefinitely. Parents of offenders should be unwilling to help out with paying for a vehicle, paying insurance, etc (I'm speculating that is the case here). My kids would be taking the bus and riding a bike if they put themselves in such a dangerous situation, the first time.

It seems obvious that his parents and family structure were fostering a culture that drinking (and driving) is 'ok'. They were leading by example and they didn't lay down the law when he got caught the first time.

 

[willie]

Why hasn't he been charged with two counts of VM in the death of his friends?

He has been charged with negligent Homicide.

The part that makes you wonder about our judicial system is just how many DUI's did he have? This statement by DA Wells makes you think there were several more since his last guilty plea:
From the article:
Officials are testing blood samples taken from Vito to determine whether he was intoxicated. The citations from other alcohol violations were found in the truck that crashed, Wells said.

 

[Booboo3604]

Secondly, isn't DUI no matter how many offenses, a traffic offense, and handled by traffic court? Just mentioning this because I haven't seen any speeding tickets on anyones records from that site.

Both mine and my sisters are both on there!