By Noe Herrera
SANTA BARBARA – Judge Clifford Anderson heard two separate cases of minors with DUI this Monday. While he found both guilty for the same crime, there was a disparity between their penalties.
Both Porter Rayne Stock and Tyler Joshua Miller were detained for allegedly Driving Under the Influence (DUI) among other charges. According to Judge Anderson, because they were charged with infractions and not misdemeanors or felonies, they had a “right to an attorney if [they] wanted to hire an attorney” but they were not entitled to one.
Stock was cited for driving with a blood alcohol level higher than .05 as a minor, failing to use specified lanes, and driving without a license. Stock said she “didn’t think [she] will hire an attorney”. She was given the opportunity to argue for herself as well, but she declined.
Stock pleaded guilty.
Judge Anderson dismissed the lane change failure and unlicensed driving charges and only convicted Stock for the DUI infraction. Stock was penalized with a license suspension for one year and was fined $289.
Later in the day, Judge Anderson heard Miller’s case involving four infractions. Miller was accused of driving with a blood alcohol level higher than .01 and a separate charge for a blood alcohol level higher than .05. He was also charged with speeding over the 65 mile-per-hour speed limit and driving with a suspended license.
It is unclear as to why Miller was charged with two counts for DUI while Stock was charged with only one.
Miller also immediately pleaded guilty and did not offer any argument.
Judge Anderson found Miller guilty for driving with a blood alcohol level of .05 but dismissed the other charges. Miller also had his license suspended for one year, however, he was only charged $189.
While it is possible to be fined more for second offenses, there was no mention of repeated offenses for either case.
