According to reports, an actor from “CSI: NY” was arrested last month for allegedly driving drunk. Athens residents usually hear of celebrity DUI arrests within a few hours or days of the incidents taking place since celebrity arrests are often highly publicized and involve some sort of outlandish behavior, but the “CSI: NY” actor’s arrest, which occurred about two weeks ago, was fairly uneventful.
Carmine Giovinazzo, who plays forensic scientist Danny Messer on the hit television series, was arrested on Jan. 21 after a traffic stop in Arizona. Giovinazzo was initially pulled over by an officer because the officer claimed that he saw the actor’s car swerving on the road. After being pulled over, the actor told the officer that he was lost and he was trying to use his GPS to figure out where he was when his vehicle swerved on the road.
Many drivers in Athens have probably gotten caught up in reading directions or looking at maps on their smartphones when driving in unfamiliar areas. They have also probably been lucky to not have caused an accident or caught the attention of a police officer when doing so. When the actor told the officer that he was trying to figure out where he was driving, the officer apparently didn’t buy the driver’s explanation for swerving and the officer proceeded to ask Giovinazzo if he had been drinking.
According to the arresting officer’s report, the actor told the officer that he only had a couple of drinks before driving. The officer then administered a breath test, and the results of the test revealed that the actor’s blood-alcohol level was above the legal limit if 0.08. The actor was arrested and a blood test was administered shortly after the arrest. The blood-test result was 0.149. The actor now faces DUI charges, but police did note that Giovinazzo was very polite while he was being investigated and arrested for allegedly driving drunk.
Although the actor’s polite behavior may be taken into consideration and work in his favor as he proceeds with his criminal case in court, he still faces serious offenses for allegedly driving drunk. Whether an individual cooperates with officers or not during a DUI arrest, it is still advisable to consult an attorney when defending DUI charges.
Source: AZfamily.com, “‘CSI: NY’ actor cooperative, polite during DUI arrest in Scottsdale,” Catherine Holland, Feb. 4, 2013
- Our Athens, Georgia, firm provides counsel to those who have been charged with drunk driving and other alcohol-related offenses. To learn more about our firm and practice, please visit our firm’s page on defending DUI charges in Georgia.