San Diego Criminal Attorneys Blog

Early morning on Monday, July 19, 2011, San Diego was shocked by the murder of a veteran police detective, Donna Williams 52, and her teenage daughter, Briana Williams 18. Both women were stabbed to death early Monday morning in their Rancho Penasquitos home. Residents in the area said they were startled by screams, at 1 a.m. Monday morning. Witnesses said screams were originating from the Williams home which pierced the silence. One witness who heard the screams of pain was so startled that she was scared to look outside to see what was happening.

Donna Williams, was a veteran Police Detective who had been working for the San Diego Police Department for over 30 years. She also worked as a child abuse investigator and recently on a high profile case of the 2002 murder of Danielle Van Dam. Co-workers and friends of Donna Williams stated that she was a very caring person with a warm welcoming heart.

Briana Williams know as Bree just graduated from Mt. Carmel High School and planned to continue her education at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco this fall. She also played softball for the San Diego Renegades a traveling softball team, and was a very talented athlete. Don Portugal her couch described her as a caring, hard working and talented athlete.

Mrs. Williams was found dead when police arrived on the scene. Police found Bree Williams outside on a walkway appearing to have fallen or was pushed from the second story. Bree also received severe wounds from a knife. When police entered the home they also found Donna Williams who had been stabbed to death. Arriving paramedics were unable to save Bree Williams who was dying when police arrived on the scene.

The primary suspect of the murder is Brian Williams, 24, who is the son of Donna Williams and brother of Bree Williams. He was found sitting calmly next to his dying sister when police arrived on the scene. He was arrested for suspected murder, and was taken peacefully and without resistance. Police commented that Brian Williams did not appear to be under the influences of any drugs during arrest.

Source:
RANCHO PENASQUITOS: SDPD veteran, Mt. Carmel grad identified as stabbing victims, North County Times

Del Mar opening day nets numerous DUI arrests including hall of fame jockey Mike Smith! Wednesday, July 20, 2011, was opening day at San Diego's Del Mar racetrack, however, it wasn't just the horses and jockeys who took the spotlight. San Diego police cooperating with several north county police departments, including Oceanside PD, patrolled the racetrack area from 3 p.m. to midnight. Police patrols stopped a total of 349 vehicles, a large number given the small area they were working in.

Police arrested a total of 15 people on suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol. In addition to these 15 arrests, 2 more individuals were arrested on suspicion of drug possession and 4 other for driving with a suspended license. In addition to these 21 arrests, 35 traffic citations were issued during the course of the patrols. Traffic citations include parking tickets, illegal u-turns, speeding, running a stop sign or red light, and many more. These citations are payed with a fine or traffic school in some situations. Police totaled 56 arrests and citations during the course of the nine hour period.

One of the 15 arrested on suspicion of DUI (driving while under the influence) was Mike Smith a Hall Of Fame Jockey. Mr. Smith blood alcohol level content (BAC) was not released by police and is still questionable. We know that Mr. Smith drank three glasses of wine before getting in his car and driving home. He was arrested on the 13900 block of Via Abertura in Carmel Valley around midnight, about 5.5 miles away from the racegrounds. Mr. Smith stated that he blew a little over however he was not speeding or driving recklessly, he was just going home after a good day at work. Police stated that they pulled him over because he was slightly weaving between lanes at a very slow speed.

Sources:
349 Motorists Stopped Near Del Mar Racetrack; Mike Smith's Arrest Not Part Of DUI Crackdown In Area, 10 News

DEL MAR: 15 motorists nabbed in racetrack DUI crackdown, North County Times

DEL MAR: Hall of Fame jockey arrested on DUI charges, North County Times

San Diego police held a driving under the influence or DUI checkpoint Saturday night in the 2100 block of El Cajon Blvd. along with their usual DUI patrols in the North Park and Hillcrest areas to net more DUI drivers. At the DUI checkpoint, 404 vehicles were inspected by San Diego Police searching for valid drivers licenses, DMV registration, and proof of insurance. Of the 404 vehicles inspected 13 were pulled over into secondary inspection for further investigation of the driver's sobriety. A total of seven DUI arrests were made of these 13 drivers.

The DUI patrols also arrested eight additional drivers for driving while under the influence of alcohol and or drugs. The night resulted in a total of 16 arrests with 15 of the vehicles being impounded. Two of the 404 drivers stopped by the checkpoint were cited for driving with an expired drivers license.

Sadly on Saturday morning Bryan Larman, 28, died from a drunk driving collision in the Linda Vista area. Officers reported that Mr. Larman lost control of his vehicle, a white Mitsubishi, as he attempted to pass a slower moving vehicle. Crossing into the wrong side of the road he collided with a Nissan Frontier carrying four passengers, two of which were children. The passengers in the Frontiers were hospitalized suffering moderate to major injures. No more details have been released on the condition of the passengers or the extent of their injures.

Mr. Larman, however,suffered from severe head injuries and was declared dead once arriving at the hospital. Police say that after investigation that Bryan Larman was driving under the influence of alcohol when the collision early Saturday morning occurred.

Sources:
DUI Checkpoint, Patrol Net 15 Arrests, NBC San Diego

Driver killed in Linda Vista DUI crash ID'd, 760 KFMB AM Talk Radio

Oceanside Police Officials have stated that there will be a DUI checkpoint somewhere in Oceanside today Friday July 15th, 2011. The DUI and drivers license checkpoint location has not been released due to security reasons. However, we know that it is scheduled to take place from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. This checkpoint is intended to prevent drunken drivers from being on the road and to provide overall road safety.

Article can be found:
OCEANSIDE: DUI checkpoint set for Friday, North County Times