Yet again, an area man, already convicted six times of driving under the influence, finds himself accused of DUI and this time a judge wants to make sure he doesn't have a chance to get another possible DUI anytime soon.
Delaware County Common Pleas Judge George Pagano revoked bail for Upper Darby resident James Duggan after he was arrested last week for suspicion of being under the influence during a crash.
Duggan, 54, had only posted bail just a few days earlier after his arrest on a March DUI.
Police say this time, Duggan was driving a Nissan out of the parking lot of R.P. McMurphy’s, a bar on the 2600 block of East MacDade Boulevard in Ridley Township, Thursday night shortly after 9 p.m. Witnesses say a woman riding on a motorcycle was traveling on MacDade as Duggan was backing out. MacDade allegedly failed to yield to the motorcycle and collided with it, sending the rider, an unidentified woman, flying into the air and crashing onto the roadway.
After the accident, witnesses say Duggan got out of his car and ran inside the bar. The woman suffered a broken pelvis and other injuries, according to the Delaware County Times.
Investigators say responding officers went inside the bar searching for Duggan. Police say they found him inside the bathroom cleaning up. Duggan told the officer he had “messed himself” and apologized, claiming he didn’t mean to hurt anyone, according to a police affidavit.
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Police say Duggan’s eyes were bloodshot and that he smelled of alcohol. He was taken to police headquarters where he underwent sobriety tests and failed them all, according to investigators. He was arrested and charged with DUI, reckless driving and other related offenses. His bail was originally set at 10 percent of $75,000 for this case.
He posted $1,000 bail on July 9 following a March 9 DUI arrest, according to court records. On Thursday, that bail was revoked likely meaning that he will remain behind bars until at least his Aug. 12 preliminary hearing.
Police say Duggan had six previous convictions for DUI prior to Thursday’s arrest and four more arrests. Investigators also say his driver’s license expired back in April 1994 and that his driving privileges were suspended due to his previous DUI arrests.
The registration for his Nissan was also expired, according to investigators.
