Dad Was Arrested For DUI, After Crash Killed His Three Kids

Not even a year after the tragedy on the Taconic Parkway this past summer, a horrific accident just occurred in the central valley of California. A dad was arrested for DUI, after a crash killed his three kids in southwest Madera County on Tuesday afternoon. There has not been a whole lot of information released at this point; we know from Sheriff Officials that on Tuesday afternoon Aref Kareem Mohammed of Firebaugh drove his mini-van head on into another vehicle. The other car had four passengers inside, all of which suffered both major and minor injuries; the fate of the three children who were not wearing seat belts in Mohammed's vehicle would not be so fortunate.

The thought of any parent driving while intoxicated with their children aboard is mind boggling, after hearing about the Taconic Parkway massacre this summer; when Diane Schuler drove the wrong way down the parkway crashing head-on with an SUV killing eight people including herself. Shock waves were felt around the world, people asking how or why an accident like this can take place. Parents began to question who they let drive their children when car pooling. Sadly, months later the Schuler story seems to be forgotten and history repeats itself once again.

Mohammed who was not seriously hurt will have to live with knowing that he killed his 6-year old twin sons and his 3-year old daughter Fatima. No punishment mankind could impose upon him could ever out-weigh the punishment of knowing that your actions resulted in the death of all your children. The AP reported that, "34-year-old Mohammed faces multiple charges, including DUI with gross negligence, child endangerment and driving under the influence of a controlled substance". There has not been any talk of vehicular manslaughter charges as of yet, but, it seems likely that more charges will be filed.

Rip Torn Heading To Rehab After Arrest

There is nothing humorous about the disease of addiction, as funny as circumstances may sound - at the bottom of every drunk-a-log is an alcoholic suffering. Long before Rip Torn decided to break into a Connecticut bank his life had begun spiraling out of control, an alcoholic history had been established. He has had DUI arrests in the state of New York and just last year he was given probation in Connecticut for another drunk driving case. The icing on the cake when it comes to Torn's rap sheet came when the "Men in Black" actor broke into a Litchfield Bancorp branch in Salisbury; court records stated he was carrying a loaded gun when he committed the crime, Torn was so intoxicated he thought he was home, which is why he took off his hat and boots placing them by the door upon entering the bank. Torn smelled like alcohol when he was asking the State Troopers arresting him why they were taking him out of his home. What seems almost comical is just another example of the loss of control that comes with alcoholism. Rip Torn may be heading to rehab after this arrest!

"Officers found a loaded .22-caliber revolver in Torn's pocket, according to court records, and a breath test showed his blood-alcohol content as 0.203 percent - more than twice the 0.08 legal limit for driving in Connecticut", the AP reported.

Rip Torn's list of charges:

• criminal trespass
• carrying a gun without a permit (His permit to carry a firearm in Connecticut had expired in October 2007)
• carrying a gun while intoxicated
• burglary
• criminal mischief

A. Thomas Waterfall, Torn's attorney said, "The history here is clear that there's an alcohol issue that needs to be addressed", to Bantam Superior Court Judge John W. Pickard on Monday. Waterfall couldn't be more on point, Rip Torn is in desperate need of treatment. It seems like that will be part of his sentence along with heavy fines, community service, and even some possible jail time. It seems pretty clear from the reports that Torn had no malicious intent when committing the crimes that he probably doesn't remember anything about. Torn is scheduled to return to Litchfield Superior Court on Feb. 17; the 78 year-old actor needs help and maybe this event will encourage him to surrender - finally.

Mainer Gets Seven Years After Tenth DUI

What happens to a person who cannot keep from driving while they are intoxicated? The answer is they get a DUI and have to pay several fines and attend alcohol information classes which require a certain amount of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Unfortunately, sometimes that is not a big enough deterrent and people drive drunk again; the second DUI and third DUI are not as fun, usually requiring jail time, loss of license and very expensive fines. Sadly, people still continue to risk their life and the lives of others and are not concerned about their DUI history. A man from the State of Maine was sentenced to seven years in prison for driving drunk for the 10th time, operating after the revocation of his driver's license for the 11th time and for violating his probation. Stephen F. Faulcon, 51, "told Superior Court Justice William Anderson that he needed long-term in-patient treatment for alcoholism and counseling, not more time in prison. He asked to be released to Derek House, a faith-based, in-patient treatment center associated with Manna Inc. in Bangor after he serves his prison term. He also asked that his probation be continued", according to the Bangor Daily. Faulcon is clearly an alcoholic that needed help a long time ago for his addiction, treatment would be the right place for him but he cannot get out of his sentence.

Faulcon will have to serve at least five years before being released to a treatment center could even be considered. The State of Maine passed a law in 2006 named after Tina Turcotte, who died in an accident caused by a driver who had 63 prior driving convictions and had been in a fatal accident before he killed Tina. The Tina Turcotte Law is a great law and definitely helps keep the streets safe from repeat offenders. Faulcon had three DUI's in the last ten years which is completely unacceptable and hopefully seven years in prison will change his behavior in the future. The hope is that he finds a 12 step program in prison that will help him change his life for the better.