We wrote recently about the domestic violence accusation against Real Housewives of Orange County participant Simon Barney, who was ultimately not charged with a crime. Now, a different Real Housewives husband has caught the attention of our Corona DUI criminal defense attorneys -- but for drunk driving instead. According to an Oct. 15 article in the Orange County Register, Matt Keough of Coto de Caza was sentenced the day before to a year in prison for felony drunk driving. He will also serve three years of probation. The conviction came after Keough pleaded guilty to DUI in July and served 90 days at the men's prison in Chino, where he was evaluated for eligibility for probation. He has credit for 194 days due to his stay in Chino and is expected to serve three to four months in jail.
Keough was a pitcher for the Oakland A's when they won the 1981 ALDS, but his later career was cut short by a flying bat to the head that nearly killed him. He is currently separated from his wife, Real Housewives player Jeana Keough. He also has a history of problems with alcohol, including a 2005 DUI conviction and a 2008 probation violation after being caught drinking in Newport Beach. In the most recent drunk driving incident, no one was hurt, but police found that Keough had a blood-alcohol concentration of .30, well over the .08 legal limit. Keough was coming home with some beer when an officer spotted him failing to make a complete stop at a stop sign and pulled him over. Evaluators in Chino were split on whether Keough should get probation, but Jeana Keough told the judge he was not a threat to society and has a support system at home including their two college-aged sons.
As Laguna Beach drunk driving criminal defense lawyers, we're interested in the fact that Keough was charged with felony DUI for what appears to be a second offense with no penalties. Under the law, an ordinary second DUI with no injuries would usually be a misdemeanor without a guarantee of jail or prison other than the county's short mandatory minimum. However, there were several circumstances behind Keough's arrest that likely resulted in enhancing his sentence, including a prior DUI conviction in the last 10 years and a BAC of 0.15 or higher. Keough may also still have been on probation, or arresting officers also may have believed he was driving recklessly, which would also increase the penalties. In short, this case shows how even a victimless DUI can lead to serious penalties, especially if you already have a history of DUI or related problems.
Howard Law, P.C. works hard to keep clients' criminal records free of drunk driving or related convictions for precisely this reason. Of course, the best way to avoid DUI penalties is to avoid driving drunk -- but when mistakes happen, we help our clients ensure that those mistakes won't haunt them forever. Our San Clemente intoxicated driving criminal defense attorneys review every case for flaws and mistakes by law enforcement. Officers make mistakes, and some of the tools they use to find drunk drivers, such as field sobriety tests, are notoriously unreliable. We also help our clients through the separate but important process of appealing the automatic suspension of their driver's licenses, which can cause serious problems with getting to work on time and other important obligations.
If you are charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in California, Howard Law, P.C. can help. To learn more or set up a free consultation, call us toll-free at 1-800-872-5925 or send us a message through the Internet today.
