Sometimes when you read headlines, they just blow your mind. This is one of them. A Pennsylvania man recently showed up drunk to a hearing in which he was set to plead guilty to a drunk driving case. Instead of pleading guilty and seeing where that went, the judge jailed him for showing up drunk.
32-year-old Jesse Ezykowsky showed up for court in Westmoreland County and given probation without a verdict sentence for a 2011 DUI. He violated that probation order in 2012. Since then, Ezykowsky and authorities began working out a deal where he would eventually plead guilty to violating his probation in order to avoid jail time and further probation. Unfortunately, Ezykowsky then showed up to court drunk when it came time to enter his plea.
Ezykowsky’s blood alcohol level tested four times the legal limits for drivers in Pennsylvania. He claimed to have been sober for the last four years and wasn’t sure why he relapsed.
It’s rather uncommon for offenders to show up in court visibly intoxicated as lawyers often do what they can to ensure it doesn’t happen. However, depending on the judge and the law, you can find a range of consequences for doing so. In this case, Ezykowsky was jailed; in others, the penalties are stiffer depending on public intoxication laws and jurisdiction.
One of the highest profile cases where an offender showed up drunk in court occurred in 2011. A woman facing her sixth DUI charge showed up drunk. Sandra Uher of Elgin, Illinois entered the court room to find her bail revoked and being sent to the hospital for further evaluation. Her last DUI charge found her running a stop sign and plowing into another car while telling authorities her “blood is basically gin now.” The judge was not amused.
