18-Year-Old Man Charged With Vehicular Homicide
An 18-year-old New Jersey man pleaded guilty to several charges including assault by auto and vehicular homicide stemming from an incident that occurred in March. Michael Woehrle, then 17 years old, was originally charged as a juvenile but had his case transferred to criminal court in the Superior Court in Freehold, New Jersey. Woehrle pleaded guilty to the charges in connection to the homicide of 22-year-old Tyshon Thorpe.
In addition, Woehrle was charged with at DWI and violating the graduated driver’s license rules in the state of New Jersey. The initial incident occurred on March 21st when Woehrle was driving a Hyundai Elantra and collided with a BMW 328. Thorpe was the passenger in the Elantra. Thorpe died at the hospital just one hour after the accident initially occurred. Woehrle suffered a serious head injury in the accident and is currently in custody in a county jail waiting for sentencing.
DUI and DWI laws vary from one state to the next. In the state of Arizona, the DUI laws depending on a person’s blood alcohol level are as follows:
DUI w/blood alcohol level 0.08 or higher
This charge carries a minimum of 10 days in jail with a possibility of a license suspension of 9 days following the completion of alcohol education. A $250 fine plus supplement charge (totaling $600 or more) will be charged. A maximum sentence carries a 6-month jail term with a $2500 fine including supplemental charge, a penalty of 3 years probation will also occur.
DUI w/blood alcohol level of 0.15 or higher
Minimum of 30 days in prison with possibility of 20 days suspended following completion of alcohol education. A fine of $250 will also be charged including other additional fees totaling $750. A maximum sentence carries a 6-month jail term plus $2500+ fee and 3 years probation.
In this incident in the state of New Jersey, Woehrle could possibly receive a sentence of five years in prison and ineligibility for parole for four years. This sentence will be handed down if the Superior Court judge accepts the prosecutor’s recommendation for this sentence. If this type of accident results in a fatality, the person responsible should be held responsible for their actions and brought to justice.
Driving while intoxicated with any substances; not just alcohol, can dramatically reduce a person’s reaction time and cause extremely serious injuries to victims in the streets, sidewalks or in other vehicles. This incident demonstrates the severity of driving while intoxicated as the sentence that Woehrle is facing amounts to five years in prison, which is one of the minimum sentences under the law. Everybody is well aware of the dangers of driving while intoxicated with any substances. Nobody should put themselves or others in a position to be seriously injured or killed simply because of a lack of good judgment trying to operate a vehicle while intoxicated.
