Quinzy Fraser was the driver in last Friday's bike fatality. Officers reportedly smelled alcohol on his breath. Pulled up from the comments.
Maryland public court records shows priors: DUI, DUI, Driving While Impaired by Alcohol, Failure to Control Speed to Avoid an Accident - and some reference to motor vehicle bodily injury and failure to appear for sentencing that resulted in a warrant request. Charges for this most recent case include resisting arrest and assaulting a law enforcement officer.
If this is all accurate, then it's unfortunate that this man never got the help he needed.
And here is more information from the Gazette.
Fraser, 34, refused a Breathalyzer test at the scene and was taken to a hospital for a blood sample, according to Starks. Fraser resisted attempts to draw blood at the hospital and got into an altercation with police. Results of the test are expected within several weeks.
Maryland law allows police to require a blood test after a fatal traffic collision if there is reason to believe the driver is under the influence of alcohol, Starks said.
Update: Fraser is a former University of Maryland football player
It's also unfortunate that he repeatedly finds his way back behind the wheel. I would gladly trade prison terms and fines for long-term (lifetime?) revocations of driving privileges, and harsh penalties for subsequently driving. The car-free lifestyle is suitable for felons, too.
Posted by: darren | June 29, 2010 at 08:50 AM
How did this guy still have a license after all that? If he did, the state has to share equal blame for this latest tragedy. But blame is cheap; life, on the other hand...
Utterly unbelievable. What does it take? Seriously, WTF?
Posted by: Blue-eyed Devil | June 29, 2010 at 09:09 AM
Yes: the state, that is the social structure we have in place, of course is a contributory factor.
Why this is so hard for people to see in understandable in the USA, with the cult of the atomic, asocial "individual" at the core of its belief system.
Punishing the driver is as stupid as punishing a small child for wanting to put his finers in electrical outlets: you can yell and constantly monitor, or you can plug the outlets and solve the problem.
Ask Police Chief Manger, and he'll utter some platitude about it being lack of "personal responsibility' that SINGULARLY explains abberant behavior. Likewise, he;ll expain that ere si no structural racism...just as black folk are disporportionately represented in prison because they, as individuals, have made "bad choices." Nevermind that human beings as social beings first and foremost -- which also, oh the rtiony, explains why Manger cant see outside his proscribed role as a suburban based Police MAN.
Posted by: mike | June 29, 2010 at 09:44 AM
Basically, the head of the House of Delegates Judiciary Committee Mr. Vallario is also a defense lawyer specializing in DUI cases....so strangely no laws punishing drunk drivers seem to make it out of his committee
Funny coincidence that!
Posted by: think a little | June 29, 2010 at 10:55 AM
Some of the posters at GGW seem to treat this as the fault of the cyclist for being in the road. Unbelievable.
Posted by: SJE | June 29, 2010 at 07:40 PM
Mike, get over yourself. when I open MY eyes in Germantown, Gaithersburg, Rockville, etc. I see higher concentrations of given races hanging out with nothin' to do. These are areas of concentration. Both of citizens and police. Perhaps the police should go shopping for certain other races of kids, making "bad choices" so it looks better to you liberals when they have even numbers in jail.
Posted by: Pete | July 01, 2010 at 07:30 PM