GLAD
GLAD YOU4@ ASKED. THE VERIFY TEAM HAS THE ANSWER.
NEWS 11:00 STARTS RIGHT NOW.
>>> FIRST A STORY TO MAKE YOU
WANT TO LOOK PULL YOU LOVED
ONES A LITTLE CLOSER.
THE FATHER MONTGOMERY COUNTY
POLICE OFFICER WANTS TO MAKE
SURE OTHER FAMILIES NEVER HAVE
TO FEEL HIS PAIN.
OFFICER NOAH LEOTTA LOST HIS
LIFE TO A DRUNK DRIVER.
HIS DAD HELP TO PASS A LAW TO
MAKE IT HARDER FOR DUI
OFFENDERS TO MAKE THE SAME
MISTAKE BUT HERE'S THE PROBLEM,
EVEN THOUGH MARYLAND HAS ONE OF
THE TOUGHEST DRUNKEN-DRIVING
LAWS ON THE BOOKS, SOME PEOPLE
ARE SLIP INTO THE CRAFTS.
AND HIS DAD IS ON A MISSION TO
BE A VOICE FOR THOSE WHO DON'T
HAVE ONE.
HAVE ONE.
HAVE ONE. ♪ ♪.
♪ ♪.
♪ ♪. >>
♪ ♪. >> YOU KIND OF DON'T KNOW WHAT
TO EXPECT WHEN YOU GO INTO A
COURTROOM.
COURTROOM. >> Reporter: ONCE A WEEK NOAH
LEOTTA'S FATHER, RICH4@ PACKS U
AND HEADS TO DISTRICT COURT
MARYLAND.
MARYLAND.
MARYLAND. >> TYPICALLY COURTROOM 413 HAS
THE MOST DUI CASES.
>> Reporter: KEEPING TRACK 4@OF
HOW JUDGES RULING DRUNK DRIVING
CASES.
CASES.
CASES. >>
CASES. >> I GET THERE BY 9:00, I
TYPICALLY GET IN THERE SECOND
ROW BEHIND THE PROSECUTOR. 4@BU
TYPICALLY GET IN THERE SECOND ROW BEHIND THE PROSECUTOR. 4@BU@
THEY KNOW WHO I AM.
>> Reporter: EVERYONE KNOWS RICH
LEOTTA BECAUSE OF HIS 24 4@
-YEAR-OLD SON, NOAH AND THE LAW
NAMED IN HIS MEMORY.
>> AS HE WAS WALKING OUT THE
DAY BEFORE HE WENT ON HIS
SHIFT, I JUST SAID HAVE A GOOD
DAY.
DAY.
DAY. I
DAY. I DIDN'T SAY I LOVE YOU.
I DID NOT TELL HIM THAT BECAUSE
I DIDN'T WANT TO BRING
ATTENTION TO THE DANGERS OF HIS
JOB.
JOB.
JOB. AND
JOB. AND THAT HURTS ME. EVERY TIME.
>> Reporter: IN 2015, LESS THAN
TWO WEEKS4@ BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
RICH AND HIS WIFE MARCY LOST
THEIR ONLY SON4@. THE MONTGOMER
COUNTY POLICE OFFICER
VOLUNTEERED TO WORK A SPECIAL
DUI ASSIGNMENT.
DUI ASSIGNMENT. WHILE STOPPING VEHICLES, A
DRUNK DRIVER PLOWED INTO NOAH
AND IS PATROL CAR.
4@HE DIED A WEEK LATER.
>> IT'S HARD.
>> Reporter: THE MAN WHO KILLED
NOAH HAD THREE PRIOR ALCOHOL-
RELATED ARRESTS.
RELATED ARRESTS. >> ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE HAVE
DIED OR BE4@EN INJURED BY THE
HAND OF DRUNK DRIVERS NEED A
VOICE.
VOICE.
VOICE. AND GUESS WHAT, NOAH 4@IS THE
VOICE.
VOICE.
VOICE. NOAH'S DAD4@ FOUGHT4@ HARD TO
STRENGTHEN DUI LAWS IN THE
STATE AND HELP GET THE DRUNK
DRIVING REDUCTION ACT OR4@ NOAH
LAW PASSED IN 2016 BUT THREE
YEARS LATER NOAH'S LAW IS BEING
TRAMPLED ON BECAUSE OF A
LOOPHOLE.
LOOPHOLE.
LOOPHOLE. >> INTERESTING WHAT HAPPENED
WITH NOAH'S LAW.
WE HAVE THE LOOPHOLE NOW4@. BUT
THAT LOOPHOLE WAS NOT IN
INITIALLY.
INITIALLY. >> Reporter: NOAH'S LAW
REQUIRES ANYONE CONVICTED OF
DRUNK DRIVING TO GET AN
IGNITION INTERLOCK. 4@4@
BASICALLY A BREATHALYZER IN
YOUR CAR.
YOUR CAR.
YOUR CAR. YOU BLOW INTO IT AND IF YOU'RE
DRUNK, IT PREVENTS THE CAR FROM
STARTING BUT SOME CONVICTIONS
NEVER HAPPEN.
NEVER HAPPEN. HERE'S HOW IT WORKS.
IN SOME CASES A 4@PERSON CAN BE
FOUND GUILTY BUT ASK THE JUDGE
FOR PROBATION BEFORE JUDGMENT,
BASICALLY LIKE ASKING FOR A
SECOND CHANCE.
SECOND CHANCE. THE JUDGE CAN STRIKE THE 4@GUIL
FINDING AND OPTED INSTEAD TO
GET THE PERSON PROBATION WITH
CONDITIONS, LIKE YOU CAN'T
DRINK AND YOU HAVE TO GO TO
COUNSELING THE 4@JUDGE CAN AT
THAT POINT ALSO MAKE AN
INTERLOCK A CONDITION BUT THEY
DON'T HAVE TO BECAUSE THE LAW
DOESN'T REQUIRE IT.
REMEMBER, ONLY REQUIREMENT WHEN
THERE IS AN OFFICIAL
CONVICTION.
CONVICTION. IGNITION INTERLOCKS HA4@VE
STOPPED 2.3 MILLION DRUNK
DRIVING ATTEMPTS IN THE PAST
TEN YEARS NATIONWIDE.
IN MARYLAND, INTERLOCKS HAVE
STOPPED 16,565 ATTEMPTS SINCE
NOAH'S LAW WAS ENACTED IN THE
4@FALL OF 2016.
>> WE NEEDED TO SEE WHAT WAS
HAPPENING. 4@
HAPPENING. 4@ WE NEEDED TO SEE DATA.
WE NEEDED TO S4@EE THAT IS WHAT
IT STARTED THE COURT MONITORING
TO HELP WHAT OUR4@4@ JUDGES ARE
DOING.
DOING.
DOING. >>
DOING. >> Reporter: 4@OVER THE LAST YE
WHICH MONITOR 205 DUI CASES.
OF THOSE, HE SAYS, 135 PEOPLE
GOT PROBAT4@ION BEFORE JUDGMENT
65 WERE ISSUED INTERLOCKS AS A
CONDITION OF THE PROBATION. AS
FOR WHO GOT ONE IN WHO DIDN'T?
IT ALL CAME DOWN TO JUDICIAL
DISCRETION.
DISCRETION. WHEN WUSA 94@ DOUG TEACHER INTO
RICH'S NUMBERS WE FOUND HE
MONITORED 16 JUDGES.
THREE ORDERED INTERLOCKS MORE
THAN 70% OF THE TIME BUT EIGHT
OF THE JUDGES ORDERED
INTERLOCKS IN LESS THAN HALF OF
THEIR CASES.
THEIR CASES. ONE JUDGE NEVER ISSUED A SINGLE
INTERLOCK.
INTERLOCK. >> Reporter: HOW DOES THAT MAKE
YOU FEEL?
YOU FEEL?
YOU FEEL? >> 4@I WALK OUT OF THERE WANTIN
TO SCREAM.
TO SCREAM. >> Reporter: THE MONTGOMERY
COUNTY STATES ATTORNEYS OFFICE
IS PROSECUTORS ALWAYS REQUEST
INTERLOCKS HOWEVER, IT DOESN'T
TRACK OR HAVE STATS ON JUDGES 4@
RECORDS.
RECORDS.
RECORDS. THE JUDICIARY SENT THE
STATEMENT SAYING, IN EVERY CASE
A JUDGE4@ REVIEWS THE UNIQUE
FACTS, CIRCUMSTANCES AND
EVIDENCE, APPLY THE LAW AND
SENTENCE DEFENDANTS ACCORDINGLY
.
.
. >>
. >> Reporter: WHAT DO YOU MISS
MOST ABOUT HIM?
>> YOU KNOW, FOR ME, I SEE THE
PICTURES FROM IT BRINGS BACK
THE MEMORIES BUT THERE ARE NO
NEW MEMORIES.
NEW MEMORIES. HE MAY NOT BE HERE, IN BODY,
BUT HE IS ALWAYS WITH ME HE HAD
THIS ON HIM WHEN HE WAS STRUCK
STRUCK.
STRUCK.
STRUCK. IT IS PART OF HIM.
EVEN THOUGH HE WAS ALONE4@ HE I
WITH ME NOW AND FOREVER.
>> LET'S PUT THIS INTO CONTEXT.
ON ANY GIVEN DAY YOUR FAMILY
SHARES THE ROAD WITH 2 MILLION
DRIVERS WHO HAVE HAD THREE OR