Despite the fact that it doesn’t look like he’s learned from his past mistakes, a Hennepin County District Judge granted former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson a pretty favorable sentence stemming from his DUI arrest last April in Minneapolis.
We covered the story back in April when news broke that Peterson had once again had a run in with the law. According to the police report, Peterson was stopped at 3:20 a.m. by a state trooper after being clocked at 83 miles per hour in a 55 mile per hour zone. Peterson had attended a Minnesota Vikings draft party earlier in the evening, and clearly had some alcohol prior to getting in the vehicle, as a preliminary breath test following his arrest revealed he had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.14%, nearly twice the legal driving limit.
Lenient Sentence
Peterson was granted a pretty lenient sentence all things considered. Here’s a look at some of the run-ins Peterson has had with law enforcement over the years:
- In 2009, Peterson was stopped for going 109 mph in a 55 mph zone in Edina.
- In 2010, Peterson was stopped for going 53 mph in a 35 mph zone in Eden Prairie.
- In 2011, Peterson was cited for not wearing a seat belt during Minnesota’s “Click It Or Ticket” campaign.
While the incident following the draft party was his first traffic issue involving alcohol, it wasn’t his last. Prior to the conclusion of that case, Peterson was arrested for suspicion of DUI in Texas after police found him asleep at the wheel at a gas station with the engine running. We also covered that incident on our blog. Peterson had a BAC of 0.15% in that instance, and he’s due back in court on April 21 for that case.
As for the outcome of his Minnesota DUI, Peterson pleaded guilty to misdemeanor DUI and was sentenced to 90 days in jail, of which 85 were suspended for a year (meaning he won’t spend any of this time in jail if he can abide by the terms of his probation). He was given credit for one day in jail, and instead of spending the other four days in jail, Peterson was ordered to perform 32 hours of community service. Additionally, he was ordered to participate in a victim impact panel, a step he has already completed. In other words, if he can stay out of trouble and spend a few hours bettering the community, nothing else will come out of this DUI arrest, which is a pretty solid deal. Here’s hoping Peterson can follow his probation and make better choices in the future.
We’ll keep tabs on how his Texas DUI case plays out, and in the meantime, if you or someone you know needs help with a drunk driving case or criminal matter of their own, reach out to Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm today. Give us a call at (952) 224-2277.
