Chicago DUI attorney comments on a brother going to jail for a DUI he didn't commit

This Chicago DUI attorney has posted here and here about an array of families with DUI’s.  She’s never heard of a family member going to jail when they weren’t charged with a DUI.

May 14, Braden River, FL

James Hunter must spend three months in jail for refusing to testify against his brother in a DUI manslaughter case, Circuit Judge Donna Berlin ruled this morning.

 Berlin balanced Hunter's reasons for protecting his brother, former Braden River High football coach Josh Hunter, with a need for the state to pursue the truth about what happened the night Josh Hunter's F-150 overturned and killed friend and fellow coach Doug Garrity.

“It's clear James hunter is loved and respected, and you're doing what you feel is right, and that is something that is personal and dear to you,” Berlin said after hearing from witnesses who spoke on his behalf, including Garrity's father.

Berlin could have sentenced James Hunter up to six months in jail. After he serves the jail time, he will be on probation until October and will have to perform 50 hours of community service and pay a $500 fine.

James Hunter, 39, once again tearfully described why he refused to testify in the trial, even though he had twice told prosecutors prior to the trial that his younger brother was behind the wheel when the accident happened.

“I would have a problem getting out of bed in the morning if I had testified, walking into my bathroom,” James Hunter said, pausing several times to hold back his sobs. “Looking at myself in the mirror, thinking, that something I may or may not have said put him in prison.”

There’s a lot to be said about fidelity and loyalty with these folks.  Even the father of the gentleman that died testified on James Hunter’s behalf.