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It was a sad day last Friday for the Arizona Diamondbacks and for sports fans around the state, when announcer Mark Grace was arrested for aggravated DUI and other charges. Grace is also a former major league baseball player, who played first base for the Chicago Cubs, and later played for the Diamondbacks in their World Series win in 2001.
According to Fox News, Grace was stopped by the police at about 9 p.m. as the result of expired registration tags. The arrest followed the administration of field sobriety tests at the scene. He submitted to a blood sample, the results of which have not yet been reported.
This is the second such charge for Grace, who was convicted of DUI in Scottsdale last year. The precise reason for the charge of aggravated DUI was not spelled out in the report we read, although it may have been the result of Grace’s operation of a motor vehicle without the required use of an ignition interlock device, a condition imposed as the result of the 2011 conviction. In that regard, A.R.S. 28-1383A4 states that aggravated DUI includes driving under the influence “[w}hile the person is ordered by the court or required pursuant to section 28-3319 by the department to equip any motor vehicle the person operates with a certified ignition interlock device.”
Aggravated DUI under these circumstances is a class 4 felony. This means that Grace may be looking at prison time if convicted. We’ll watch this case as it unfolds. In the meantime, we note that Grace’s DUI from last year involved a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of .128, well over the legal limit of .08. He has taken an indefinite leave of absence from his job as the announcer for the Diamondbacks.
According to a post on a website entitled “MarkGrace.com,” Grace has had “issues with alcohol” for several years, and has a reputation as a “party boy.” The writer of the post expressed some frustration that the 2011 DUI did not serve as a wake-up call for the popular sports figure.
If you have been charged with DUI, contact an experienced Phoenix DUI lawyer today.
Law Offices of David A. Black
40 North Central Avenue #1850
Phoenix, AZ 85004
(480) 280-8028
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