Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk Arrested for a DUI
Carlton Fisk was arrested for a DUI after police found him passed out in his pickup truck.
The Hall of Fame catcher had apparently driven his Ford F-150 pickup truck into a ditch in an Illinois farm field.
When police arrived at the scene, the 64-year-old Fisk was allegedly sleeping behind the wheel of the truck and the vehicle's engine was still running. Police say that Fisk was disoriented when officers woke him, and he declined a blood-alcohol test.
An open 1.75-liter bottle of liquor also was in the car, reports the Chicago Tribune.
Fisk was treated at a local hospital and released after posting bail. Along with the DUI charge, Fisk also faces charges for improper lane usage and illegal transport of alcohol, reports the Tribune.
If Fisk wasn't currently driving and asleep when police found him, you may be wondering how the police could charge him with driving under the influence.
In many jurisdictions like Illinois, you don't have to be caught actually driving to be charged with a DUI. If you have "physical control" of the car, that may be enough to charge you with the crime. Physical control can mean sitting in your car drunk, so long as you have access to the keys. A person could be passed out, and the car doesn't even have to be turned on, and that person could still be charged with a DUI.
In Carlton Fisk's case, a good DUI defense attorney will likely have to try a different tact to his defense than simply arguing that the Hall of Famer was not driving at the time of arrest. Instead, Fisk's best defense may be to play up his celebrity status in Illinois (he played 13 seasons with the White Sox) and hope that he receives a favorable plea deal.
Related Resources:
- Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk arrested in DUI (Los Angeles Times)
- DUI Law (FindLaw)
- Mets Catcher Eric Langill Arrested in DUI Rollover Crash in Fla. (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)