As a Boston, Massachusetts Criminal Defense Attorney, I will tell you one thing. File this post under “You always need to be careful – especially if you are rich and famous.”
I’m referring to the recent arrest of Boston Red Sox reliever Bobby Jenks. Mr. Jenks was arrested last week on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) and leaving the scene of a crash. His arrest occurred outside a Florida strip club in Ft. Myers, near the team’s spring training facility.
Mr. Jenks, who signed a two-year, $12 Million deal with the Red Sox, was arrested on Friday, March 23 at 3:43 AM in the parking lot of Babes, a strip club in Ft. Myers. Mr. Jenks apparently said that he had swallowed “too many muscle relaxers.” He also told the deputy at the scene that he hit another car at the strip club. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office says that Babe’s bouncer saw Mr. Jenks drive into a pickup truck in the parking lot, and then drive away.
In sum, Mr. Jenks was charged with leaving the scene of a crash; he also faces a DUI charge and two counts of DUI with property damage. After paying a $4,250 bond, Mr.Jenks was released. His court date is set for April 9, 2012.
What can we all learn from this? That it is important to be careful whenever you know you are going to be behind the wheel. As a Westwood, Massachusetts, DUI attorney, I’ve seen too many cases where people have been arrested for OUI because they either discounted the number of drinks they had, or foolishly thought that they could drive responsibly after imbibing too much. Mr. Jenks is very lucky that, despite “too many muscle relaxers,” or too many cocktails, that he still has his life, and only caused minimal damage to only a truck bumper and to not another person.
Whether you are rich and famous – or not – we all owe it to ourselves, and to everyone else – to drive responsibly. But I’ve never thought too much of professional ball players in general – and this news report – and the reports of many other similar “activities” engaged in by highly paid “athletes,” validates this view. Which is: Too many professional ball players are over-paid, over-hyped, over-sold and over-praised Neanderthals, who just so happen to be able to carry a ball, throw a ball or catch a ball better than you or I. Over-paid to the tune of, in Mr. Jenks’ case, $12 Million a year. … And that’s another thing: I can’t stand the words “a year” when referring to these players’ outrageous compensation packages. “A year?” Try about six months, seven if a team makes it to the playoffs.
Regardless, Mr. Jenks should be legally presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. As a Norfolk County, Massachusetts OUI/DUI attorney, I’m the first to say that. And if Mr. Jenks ever needs me for his Massachusetts DUI defense lawyer, he’ll get the best, most aggressive defense he could hope for.
He’d just pay through the nose for it.