Van Wyhe, a DUI Detective who's also involved with Mothers against Drunk Driving, would like to see tougher laws for the first DUI. He said, "Everybody views DUI as a social crime. This misdemeanor can take the life of somebody and ruin plenty of lives in a matter of seconds."
Van Wyhe says time after time Swengel thumbed his nose at the law. Two weeks ago Fresno Police got an anonymous call that the former deputy had been drinking at a bar and, once again, got in his car and drove. Police tried to pull him over at a drive thru, but they say he took off and headed south on Maroa. The detective said, "They estimated 70 to 80 miles an hour. Stop signs or stop lights, he would just continue right through them."
Officers stopped the pursuit worried someone would get hurt. But Van Wyhe found him a few days later through the GPS on Swengel's cell phone. He's relieved to have gotten him off the road before anyone got hurt or even killed. He said, "It's scary for all of us. You and me traveling to work and doing our daily routines. It's scary."
Fresno Police say they were able to get Swengel off the road with the help of an anonymous caller. And they encourage others to do the same by calling 621-4DUI. Swengel is scheduled to be in court February 11th for his latest charges.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
abc30 News Links:
Links to other news sections on our website.
- HomePage
- Top Headlines
- Fresno Local News
- State News
- National/World News
- Entertainment News
- Business News
- Politics News
- Sports News
- Health Watch
- Consumer Watch
- Mr. Food
Breaking News Alerts:
Click Here to Sign-Up for Breaking News E-Mail Alerts
Receive Breaking News alerts in your email inbox.
Click Here to Sign-Up for Text Message Alerts
Receive Breaking News alerts right on your cell phone.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
