Little did David Shaw, 21, realize when he made an illegal left turn, after leaving work, from the University Mall parking lot, which borders the UC Davis campus, that he’d participate in an educational drama put on for watching Davis High School students in the school gymnasium on November 6.
The case of People vs. David Shaw was tried before the student audience in the gym, to educate high school seniors about the consequences of impaired driving — an offense that doesn’t necessarily require the consumption of alcohol. “We go with the drug cases because that’s what the kids are being exposed to these days,” said Yolo County Deputy District Attorney Matt De Moura, who prosecuted Shaw in the show trial presided over by Yolo Superior Court Judge David Rosenberg. The program also features relatively young defendants — “someone the students can relate to.”
Davis police officer Jeff Vignau stated that after he pulled Shaw over for making the illegal left turn, the miscreant attempted to light a cigarette, which is a tactic many drunk drivers use to cover the smell of alcohol on their breath. Shaw also spoke with slurred speech and was “sweating profusely,” despite the cold winter weather.
Vignau said Shaw failed several field sobriety tests. He explained each test for the watching Davis High School seniors in the gym, saying each test provides clues not only about a suspect’s sense of balance and coordination but also as to their ability to follow verbal directions and multitask.
Footage from Vignau’s police car dash camera was played on a screen in the gym and showed Shaw visibly wobbling as he attempted to follow directions. Later, a blood test showed Shaw, a former Davis High School student, had consumed not only alcohol, but heroin as well.
Shaw took to the podium to testify in his own defense, saying he thought he was “fit to drive,” while acknowledging he had taken drugs on the night of his arrest, “because I was sick.” Shaw admitted that, after watching the dash-cam video, he didn’t perform the tests as well as he had thought he had at the time. Judge Rosenberg then passed a sentence including 90 days in county jail and a $3,179 fine among other punishments.
The Judge stated he hoped the students watching would think about the proceedings the next time they thought about driving while impaired, as Shaw was led away in handcuffs by a bailiff.
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