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Former Deputy, now new hire Deputy Bruce White, has rejoined the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department. In 2007, White, then a drug enforcement officer, careened off the road and crashed into a residence.  He was sporting a .16 blood alcohol level at the time he was tested following the collision between his motor vehicle and a home.

Fortunately, White was not working at the time.  White was forced to resign at the time.  Now that a year has passed, Sheriff Tim Daugherty has rehired White.  Daugherty pointed out that White’s insurance had paid for the damage to the residence, White had completed his mandatory court order community service, and had gotten a restricted license to drive for work.

Sheriff Daugherty noted that White had admitted his mistake and had immediately begun working hard to resolve the outstanding issues from his mistake.  The Sheriff thought that White deserved a second chance.

I am sure White deserves a second chance; we all make mistakes; but how come regular citizens don’t get a second chance even when they don’t crash into someone’s house with a .16 blood alcohol content?  Because it is a double standard; mercy for one; mercy for all.

We represent people charged with DUI and reckless driving in Elkton, Virginia; Bridgewater, Virginia; Verona, Virginia;  Harrisonburg, Virginia; Rockingham County, Virginia; Staunton, Virginia; Augusta County, Virginia; Woodstock, Virginia; Waynesboro, Virginia; and Shenandoah County, Virginia. You can find information about my firm at:  www.bobkeeferlaw.com; www.bobkeeferlaw.org; www.keeferlawfirm.com; www.duidriver.net; www.recklessdriving.net; www.keefercard.com   

This could happen in a school near you where you, your child or your grandchild attend class.Recently a bare 6-5 majority in the 9^th US Circuit Court of Appeals begrudgingly ruled that strip searching a 13 year old girl for ibuprofen violated the Constitution.  Why was this such a hard decision?  Savana Redding was suspected of bringing ibuprofen, so the school nurse ordered her to remove her outer clothing, bra and underwear.  Indeed, the nurse had Savana shake her panties to see what would fall out.This search was done on a tip from a student snitch who thought Savana might have ibuprofen in Advil or Motrin to treat cramps or headaches.Previous court decisions ruled the school did not violate the US Constitution’s Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures because officials have a legitimate interest in protecting students from prescription drugs.Justice Wardlaw wrote for the slim majority:  “Directing a 13-year-old girl to remove her clothes, partially revealing her breasts and pelvic area, for allegedly possessing ibuprofen, an infraction that poses an imminent danger to no one, and which could be handled by keeping her in the principal’s office until a parent arrived or simply sending her home, was excessively intrusive,” .The majority thought that a tip from a young student snitch did not meet constitutional muster:“The self-serving statement of a cornered teenager facing significant punishment does not meet the heavy burden necessary to justify a search accurately described by the 7th Circuit as ‘demeaning, dehumanizing, undignified, humiliating, terrifying, unpleasant [and] embarrassing’.The dissent was not bowed:  “Seemingly innocuous items can, in the hands of creative adolescents, present serious threats.“Admittedly, ibuprofen is one of the mildest drugs children could choose to abuse. But that does not mean it is never harmful.” 

When will these folks follow normal human behavior?  Unfortunately, never.We represent people charged with DUI and reckless driving in Elkton, Virginia; Bridgewater, Virginia; Verona, Virginia;  Harrisonburg, Virginia; Rockingham County, Virginia; Staunton, Virginia; Augusta County, Virginia; Woodstock, Virginia; Waynesboro, Virginia; and Shenandoah County, Virginia. You can find information about my firm at:  www.bobkeeferlaw.com; www.bobkeeferlaw.org; www.keeferlawfirm.com; www.duidriver.net; www.recklessdriving.net; www.keefercard.com