Comedian Artie Lange who was involved in a minor Ocean County car accident last July recently pled guilty in Toms River municipal court to drug DUI charges, according to news reports. The comic, who has made frequent guest appearances on Howard Stern’s radio show, admitted to driving under the influence of a habit-producing drug in a minor traffic accident. The accident happened about 40 miles southeast of Trenton, NJ.
Whether it’s DWI or drug DUI, it is always important to have an experienced New Jersey drunk driving defense lawyer at your side. In Lange’s case, he admitted to being under the influence of legal prescription sleeping pills that he had taken the night prior to the wreck. Municipal court judge, James Ligouri, revoked the comic’s driving privileges for seven months.
The events leading up to this point were covered extensively in the media. Essentially, Toms River police arrested Lange for DUI after the 2009 Nissan Sentra he was driving ran into the back of a Pontiac Grand Am during in the afternoon of July 16.
News reports at that time said that Lange was on his way to a promotional event for his best-selling book, “Too Fat to Fish.” While it well known that Lange has had trouble with substance abuse over the years, from prescription medicines and alcohol to heroin, the crash was not especially serious and resulted in no injuries, according to reports. Officers on the scene did note Lange’s odd behavior following the incident and decided to arrest him anyway.
At the time, Lange had passed an Alcotest breath test, which ruled out alcohol but said nothing about his possible impairment due to drugs in his system. Now with Lange’s guilty plea, he has been prohibited from driving for the next seven months.
The professionals at The Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall have a wide range of experience representing clients charged with both drug DUI and DWI, as well as breath test refusal. As a former prosecuting attorney myself, I understand the techniques employed by the state and local authorities in cases such as this, which is why individuals seek my firm’s services time and time again.
Comic Artie Lange Pleads Guilty To DUI In NJ, AccessHollywood.com, October 1, 2009