1.
• The Detroit News | Monday, December 26, 2011 | 14ANEWS
SUNDAY’S CROSSWORD ANSWERS
drivers dropped 4.9 percent last
year to 10,228, compared to
10,759 in 2009, according to re-
port released Dec. 8 by the Na-
tional Highway Safety Adminis-
tration.
“The number of drunken
driving incidents always spikes
around holidays like Christmas,
New Year’s Eve and the Fourth
of July,” Sutfin said. “There are
more people on the road and
people are celebrating.”
The Michigan Drunk Driv-
ing Audit found that the num-
ber of alcohol-related injury
crashes has dropped over the
last 10 years in Macomb, Oak-
land and Wayne counties.
In Macomb County, alcohol-
related injury crashes dropped
more than 31 percent to 274 in
2010from401in2001,according
to the data.
In Oakland County, alcohol-
related injury crashes fell 42
percent to 388 in 2010, from 667
in 2001, according to the data.
In Wayne County, alcohol-re-
lated injury crashes also fell 42
percent to 574 in 2010, from 993
in 2001, the data showed.
Deadly consequences
Lori Bernth’s son, James
Hojnack, is among those statis-
tics when at age 16 in 2006, he
was killed in a crash in Livonia
caused by a drunken driver.
“His death is still hard on us
to this day,” said Bernth, 45, of
Dearborn Heights. “We still get
together every year for a memo-
rial for him.”
Safety experts attribute
much of the decline to the
spreading message about what
can happen when motorists
drink and drive.
“Losing your license or get-
ting a restriction on it for 90
days and having it on your re-
cordfortherestofyourlife—all
of it makes an impression and
could impact your livelihood,”
said Gail Peterson, executive di-
rector of the Traffic Safety Asso-
ciation of Macomb County.
Jonathan Hannah was con-
victed of a drunken driving of-
fense — operating a vehicle
while intoxicated — causing
Hojnack’s death. Hannah, now
24, is serving a 15-year prison
sentence. He was both drunk
and high on marijuana, accord-
ing to police.
Hannah was speeding as he
drovethroughtheparkinglotof
a Meijer store on Middlebelt
near Interstate 96. The SUV
flipped twice, knocked over a
treeandejectedHojnack—who
wasn’t wearing a seat belt — 40
feet out the rear passenger win-
dow. He died in a hospital emer-
gency room on Nov.19, 2006.
Bernth said she’s glad about
the declining number of drunk-
Crashes
Continued from Page 1A
Macomb
Oakland
Wayne
Michigan
27
38
74
419
9
14
49
264
Metro Detroit drunken driving
The number of alcohol-related traffic crashes resulting in death and injuries
has fallen in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties over the last 10 years,
according to statistics. However, the number of drug-related traffic crashes
in Metro Detroit and statewide has risen.
Alcohol-related
Fatal crashes
County 2001 2010
Percentage
change
-66.7%
-63.2%
-33.8%
-37.5%
Macomb
Oakland
Wayne
Michigan
401
667
993
6,268
274
388
574
3,623
Injury crashes
County 2001 2010
Percentage
change
-31.7%
-41.8%
-42.2%
-42.2%
Macomb
Oakland
Wayne
Michigan
2
7
9
38
5
6
8
65
Drug-related
Fatal crashes
County 2001 2010
Percentage
change
150%
14.2%
11.1%
71.1%
Macomb
Oakland
Wayne
Michigan
26
28
49
226
36
55
83
454
Injury crashes
County 2001 2010
Percentage
change
38.5%
96.4%
69.4%
100.8%
Source: Michigan State Police The Detroit News
DUIs are down
Metro Detroit drunken driving
accidents are on the decline.
0
300
600
900
1,200
1,500
’10’09’08’07’06’05’04’03’02’01
Source: Michigan State Police The Detroit News
*Numbers include accidents that involve
both alcohol and drugs.
Alcohol-related
fatalities*
Drug-related
fatalities
Total
fatalities
419
1,206
868
264
6538
Tim Summers / The Detroit NewsSources: Pentec Inc., Detroit News research
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab,
Underwear bomber
Timothy McVeigh,
Oklahoma City bombing
A native of Nigeria,
the so-called
underwear bomber
attempted to blow
up Flight 253 from
Amsterdam to
Detroit on
Christmas Day
2009.
He pleaded guilty to
eight charges, including attempted
murder, attempted use of a weapon of
mass destruction and conspiracy to
commit an act of terrorism.
The 25-year-old Nigerian and
self-described al-Qaida operative
faces up to life in prison when
sentenced Jan. 12.
The U.S. Army
veteran killed 168
people on April 19,
1995, when he
detonated a
homemade bomb,
destroying the
Alfred P. Murrah
Building in
Oklahoma City,
Okla.
He was convicted of several crimes,
including conspiracy to use a weapon
of mass destruction, and first-degree
murder, and was executed on June 11,
2001.
Ted Kaczynski,
Unabomber
A mathematician
who engaged in a
mail bombing
campaign from 1978
to 1995, Kaczynski
-- dubbed the
Unabomber -- killed
three people and
injured 23 others.
In 1995, he mailed a 35,000-word
handwritten manfesto calling for a
“revolution against technology.” After
attempting to hang himself in 1998, he
pleaded guilty to murder and making
bombs, and is serving a life sentence in
federal prison.
Floating bar:
Indicates the connec-
tion with mother and
father. Separation
shows a disconnect
from parents at a
young age.
River: Wide spaces
between words
indicates a person
who is emotionally
isolated, pushing
people away.
Rebellion: Letters
aren’t connected,
don’t conform to
typical style. Person
is stubborn, goes
against the norm.
Intelligent: Simplifica-
tions such as connecting
letters or print and script
combination, represent
intelligence.
Tilting: Moving
forward is
subjective or
“action” writing.
Tilting backward
is introspective.
Terrorists Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, Timothy McVeigh and Ted Kaczynski share character traits that are evident in their handwriting, according to forensic
handwriting examiner Ruth Holmes. Comparing a 16-page handwritten manifesto written by Abdulmutallab to handwritten documents from McVeigh and Kaczynski,
Holmes says the three men’s penmanship reveals isolation, intelligence and focus.
Small handwriting:
Focus, singularity and
singlemindedness, made
up his mind about what
he was going to do.
Terrorists’ handwriting analysis
rorists, she added.
Holmes also was quick to note
that testimony about an individ-
ual’s physical or mental condi-
tion based on handwriting is not
allowed in court.
Word spacing, letter slant,
slope and pen strokes are caused
by neurological impulses that
start in the brain and are carried
bynervestothehand,shesaid.So
emotions and personality are re-
vealed.
Her clients, including police
departments, Fortune 500 com-
panies and attorneys, often hire
her to determine the personali-
ties of job applicants or potential
jurors, she said.
When handwriting experts
scrutinize the penmanship of
criminals, it is important to see
their writing before incarcera-
tion, said Arlene Leachman, a
Commerce-based handwriting
expert. Once a person conforms
to the confines of prison, their
writing is less likely to reveal the
essence of the individual.
Leachman in 2005 read a five-
page handwritten letter ad-
dressed to The Detroit News
from confessed serial killer Coral
Eugene Watts in which he
claimed Michigan authorities
framed him for two murders.
“His handwriting was basical-
ly controlled, but he had been in
jail for years,” said Leachman,
who analyzed the letter for a
News reporter at the time.
Watts, considered one of the
country’s most notorious killers
who was believed to have mur-
dered as many as 80 women, died
of prostate cancer at 53 in a Jack-
son hospital in 2007.
Abdulmutallab, a 25-year-old
Nigerian native, sewed explosive
chemicals into his underwear be-
fore boarding Northwest Airlines
Flight 253 from Amsterdam. He
described the bomb as a “blessed
weapon.”
Abdulmutallab’s penmanship
is a mixture of print and script,
which Holmes called a “high
form level of writing” that de-
notes rebellion.
“I think I was most astounded
at the intelligence (shown) in this
handwriting,” Holmes said. “We
find in this writing spacing be-
tween the lines, which is a sign of
good judgment. Whatever his
cause might be, it’s still an indica-
tion that the person has a way to
decide exactly what he’s going to
do.”
Other characteristics, she
said, are apparent in a Dec.12 let-
ter by Abdulmutallab, who asked
federaljudgeNancyEdmondsfor
a new attorney to represent him
at his Jan.19 sentencing.
Holmes said Abdulmutallab’s
small letters and word spacing
reveal a focus on his mission.
“Any time we find small writ-
ing, you’re talking about what I
like to refer to as the eye of the ea-
gle; it’s the eagle that circles
around and knows exactly what
he wants to get. The writing is ve-
ry, very purposeful, and it’s very,
very focused.”
Referring to McVeigh and
Kaczynski, Holmes said: “In gen-
eral, we think the people who are
doing these terrible things are
crazypeople,andIthinkthescar-
ier thing is that they are not.”
Adding:“Theyarepeoplewith
veryfixedideasaboutwhatneeds
to be done in their opinion.”
ghunter@detnews.com
(313) 222-2134
Detroit News Staff Writer Serena
Maria Daniels contributed.
Bomber
Continued from Page 1A
en driving crashes in Michigan
“It’s a great thing, and I’m
glad to hear it,” she said. “But,
unfortunately, it still happens
on a daily basis.”
Nancy Cain, a spokeswoman
for AAA Michigan, said aware-
ness of consequences also has
played a role in the decline.
“People are also more aware
ofthecostofdrunkdriving,”she
said. “It can cost you thousands
in fines, court costs, not to men-
tion what it does to your insur-
ance rates.”
Stiffer penalties
In Michigan, operating a ve-
hicle while intoxicated — hav-
ing a blood-alcohol content of
.08 or more — is punishable by
up to 93 days in jail, a suspend-
ed license for 180 days, 360
hours of community service,
fines up to $500 and six points
on a driver’s license.
Under a new “super drunk”
law, which went into effect in
October, drivers with blood-al-
coholcontentsof.17ormorecan
be punished with up to180 days
in jail and greater penalties.
Despite the downward
trend, drunken driving remains
a problem. Deaths from crashes
involving alcohol still account
for about one-third of all traffic
fatalities, Sutfin said.
Last year, Michigan record-
ed more than 860 fatal crashes,
down from 1,206 in 2001, ac-
cording to the audit.
Frank Harris, the Washing-
ton-based state legislative af-
fairs manager for Mothers
Against Drunk Driving, said the
decline in drunken driving
crashes is encouraging but
more work needs to be done.
“There’s been a downward
trend in the number of fatalities
caused by a drunk driver, but
there were still 11,000 people
who died in drunken driving ac-
cidents last year,” Harris said.
“One death from drunk driving
is one too many.”
cramirez@detnews.com
(313) 222-2058
Walker, Mich. — Stem cells
could help an old dog learn new
tricks.
A veterinarian in the Grand
Rapids area performed stem cell
therapy this month on a dog
named Boris, a $1,500 treatment
that could relieve discomfort in
the11-year-old’sarthritichipsand
legs.
“It’s a lot of money, no doubt
about it,” owner Paul Bultinck
said. “But the dogs become one of
your family. If you can swing it,
youdo.Alovedoneinyourfamily
certainly takes a very high prior-
ity.”
James Kelley said it’s the first
time he’s performed it on a dog at
his Walker clinic after investing
more than $10,000 in equipment
and materials to process the stem
cells.
Kelley used an enzyme to re-
move stem cells from a portion of
Boris’ fat. The cells were mixed
with plasma from a blood sample
and injected into hip and knee
joints. Advocates say the cells
help the animal’s body heal.
“Thestudiesgooutthreeyears
now, and the animals, after three
years, are OK,” said Kelley, who
believes Boris could start feeling
better in two months.
The dog, an 80-pound Chow
mix, doesn’t run and jump like he
did in his younger years. He al-
ready is given anti-inflammatory
medication and undergoes soft-
tissue laser therapy every three
weeks. If the stem-cell procedure
works, those treatments may be-
come unnecessary. More stem
cells can be frozen for future use.
“I’m very optimistic about it,”
Bultinck said. “I hope this will
help his hip.”
Boris isn’t the only dog in the
family getting special attention.
His sister, Natasha, is scheduled
to undergo the same treatment
next week. She has had arthritis
even longer and had hip surgery
about five years ago.
Expensive stem cell therapy may
ease discomfort for arthritic dog
Associated Press
Boris awaits a stem-cell injection Dec. 13 at Kelley’s Animal Clinic in
Walker, Mich. The $1,500 treatment is worth it for owner Paul Bultinck.
Katie Greene / The Grand Rapids Press