Daily Briefs

Guilty plea in crash that killed state trooper


IONIA, Mich. (AP) — A woman has been convicted in a drunken driving crash that killed a Michigan state trooper last summer.

Thomasina Jones pleaded guilty Thursday in Ionia County Circuit Court to second-degree murder, operating a vehicle with a high blood-alcohol content causing death, operating a vehicle while intoxicated, and driving on a suspended, revoked or denied license.

Trooper Caleb Starr, 33, was driving east of Grand Rapids in Boston Township in July 2020 when a vehicle crossed the center line from the opposite direction and smashed into his patrol car, police said.

Jones’ blood-alcohol level was 0.23, about three times over Michigan’s legal limit, another trooper testified during her preliminary hearing in December.

Her vehicle was traveling 100 mph (160 kph) at the time of a crash, according to authorities.

Jones is from the Four Corners region in southern Utah, but she had been staying in Ionia County at the time of the crash.

 

Whitmer signs legislation keeping legal blood alcohol content at 0.08%
 

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer last Friday signed Senate Bills 616 and 617, which together accelerate the effectiveness of changes made by House Bills 4308 and 4309 by maintaining the legal limit for blood alcohol content (BAC) at 0.08%, keeping Michigan drivers safe, and saving the state millions in federal dollars. 

Senate Bill 616 and 617 together accelerate the effectiveness of changes made by House Bill 4308 and House Bill 4309 to amend the Michigan Vehicle Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure to maintain the state’s legal BAC limit at .08. This legislation prevents the Michigan BAC legal limit from increasing to .10 on October 1, 2021, keeping Michigan drivers safe and saving the state millions in federal funding.

 

License renewal now open for 2021-2022
 

It is time for all attorneys to renew their licenses through the State Bar of Michigan.

All attorneys in the state of Michigan are required to annually complete disclosures and renew their license.?The new license year begins on October?1, 2021, and ends on September?30, 2022.

Official renewal notices were emailed last week to all licensed attorneys. The State Bar of Michigan uses an online renewal system to make it fast and convenient. Section memberships also can be added during the license renewal process.

For additional information or assistance, contact the State Bar at sbmforu@michbar.org or call 800-968-1442 for general questions or sbm-fee-billing@michbar.org or call 517-346-6377 for questions about license fees specifically.

The State Bar receives a large volume of calls during the license renewal period. It recommends leaving one voicemail and allowing until the end of the next business day for a staff member to return a call.



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