Last week, former University of Tennessee quarterback and radio host Erik Ainge was dismissed. Ainge had been charged with a DUI, "violating the implied consent law and a roadway lane violation," in July of 2013 by the Knoxville police. At the time of the arrest, a Knoxville police officer had noticed the pickup Ainge had been driving was swerving in traffic on I-40 early on a Sunday morning.
Former UT quarterback's DUI charges dropped
TN man charged with public intoxication, not DUI, after incident
People generally assume that prosecutors bring drunk driving charges based on some amount of evidence. Whether that evidence is valid or sufficient to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt is a matter for a court to decide, and every defendant has a right to challenge the prosecution's evidence. After all, police and prosecutors do make mistakes, and no one should be penalized with fines or jail time based on false allegations.
Proposed legislation calls for stricter first-time DUI penalties
The state of Tennessee already imposes some of the most punitive penalties for individuals convicted of drunk driving. In fact, even first-time convicted DUI offenders in Tennessee lose their driving privileges for one year.
