Drink driving

He was also facing fines for breaching the State of Emergency Orders by being on the streets during the curfew hours when arrested on Thursday.

The acting Police Commissioner Auapa'au Logoitino Filipo said the mayor was stopped at a police checkpoint but drove off.

He said Tuiletufuga was chased by police before crashing into street lights in Vaimoso, after which he was breath tested, charged and taken into custody for the night.

But Tuiletufuga said he was not chased by police, and that he had stopped at the checkpoint for a period, before driving off.

Deputy Police Commissioner Auapa'au Logoitino Filipo told Radio Polynesia close to 30 people were arrested, and majority were drunk drivers and the rest were drunk and disorderly in public.

Auapa'au said the Ministry continues to appeal to members of the public to consume responsibly, and not to get behind the wheel when under the influence of alcohol.

He said checkpoints will continue throughout the holidays as one form of deterrent, and police are continuing to collaborate with village councils in pushing the message that drink driving is dangerous.

Papalii Niko Lee Hang told the Samoa Observer that intoxicated and impaired drivers were a very real danger for both drivers and passengers on the roads.

The current penalty for drunk driving is up to 5 years in prison and or a fine.

Papalii said drunk driver can cause an accident anytime, anywhere.

He said police and the Land Transport Authority are working to address the problem but the solution ultimately lies with the drivers themselves.

The 34-year-old was charged with driving with excess breath alcohol on Victoria Street in Petone on 15 July.

The 2011 World Cup star tweeted that he was due in Hutt Valley Distric Court this morning and would plead guilty.

He has since done so and was fined $600 and disqualified from driving for six months.

Weepu had initially fought for name suppression.

The former Hurricanes star played 73 tests for the All Blacks from 2004-2013.

Tupou's plea was entered by his lawyer, Donald Kerslake, before District Court judge Alalatoa Rosella Papali'i.

During the proceedings, prosecuting lawyer Vaisala Afoa revealed that Tupou, who was suspended from all rugby for two weeks, had an outstanding warrant of arrest from 2016 for a separate charge of assault.

The Samoa Observer reports Judge Alalatoa granted an application by the defence counsel to cancel the warrant of arrest against Tupou and referred the matter to the Family and Violence Court.

Sentencing has been set for next Friday.

The 30 year old was charged by police in the early hours of Sunday morning, before the team left the country for the final two World Series tournaments in London and Paris.

Tupou, who has two test caps for Manu Samoa, will front a disciplinary hearing upon his arrival back in the country.

"SRU expects high standard of conduct from all players and management representing our country with a zero tolerance of any misconduct within any Manu Samoa team," said SRU High Performance Unit General Manager Zane Hilton.

According to USA Today, which cited online court records, Rodman pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges following his January arrest on charges of driving under the influence in Newport Beach, Calif.

As part of the plea deal, Rodman will have to complete a nine-month alcohol-education program and pay $390 in fines.

The Los Angeles Times reported that when Rodman, 56, was pulled over on January 11th he was more than two time over the legal alcohol limit.

The 35-year-old two-time World Cup winner who plays at Paris club Racing 92 was arrested in February on charges that can carry custodial sentences of two years.

Carter, who played 112 Tests for New Zealand, lost a sponsorship with Land Rover over the incident, which dented his image as one of rugby's most marketable players.

The athlete was pulled over and breathalysed in Paris' chic 17th arrondissement and returned a reading showing a level of 0.87mg/l, which would see a driver lose six points from their licence.

Rooney apologised for his "unforgivable lack of judgement" in a statement issued after he entered his guilty plea at Stockport Magistrates' Court, near Manchester in northwest England.

The 31-year-old was arrested in the early hours of Sept. 1 while driving over the limit in the north-western county of Cheshire.

Television footage showed him arriving at court wearing a dark suit.

In addition to the two-year driving ban, Rooney was ordered to perform 100 hours of unpaid work as part of a 12-month community order.

RNZ reports Ranger appeared at the Waitakere District Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to charges of careless driving and drink driving.

He was convicted, and disqualified from driving for seven months, fined $800 and ordered to pay court costs.

Blues Rugby Chief Executive Michael Redman said that it was disappointing Ranger had found himself in this position.

"We are disappointed in the poor choice that Rene made, especially for a player of his experience.