Alcohol Plus Auto Equals Arraignment

Albert Graham, age 18, unmarried, occupation student, charged driving while intoxicated. Graham was arrested after neighbors complained about him racing a motorcycle up and down the streets at 2 a.m. Trying to elude the officers, he spilled the motorcycle in his passenger.

He said it was the first time he'd ever been drunk. Charles Buddy Vogel, 39, married, one child, occupation salesman, charged DWI, driving while intoxicated. Global was arrested after police spotted him weaving in and out of traffic.

Global told police that he was urgently trying to get somewhere, but when they asked him where, he couldn't remember. Agnes Sella Larkin, 55, married two children, occupation housewife, charged DWI, driving while intoxicated. Mrs. Larkin swerved into a parked car to avoid hitting a child.

She hadn't even seen her until it was almost too late. Each of them was found guilty of misdemeanor drunk driving, then offered a suspended sentence if they would attend a series of special classes. The purpose of these classes wasn't to teach driving skills.

It was to help the students realize that they all had at least the beginnings of a serious drinking problem, then to help them discover why they did, and what they could do about. The first step in this was to have them write down all the things that led up to their arrests.

I've been planning to have this party for a couple of weeks. Ever since my mom and dad decided to spend that weekend with my aunt and uncle who live way upstate. Everybody was supposed to ring their own liquor, but since the party was at my place, everybody was giving me drinks. I'd had beer before, but never a mixture of hard stuff like I had that night.