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Cordell Pemsl OWI

Blair Sanderson

Blair Sanderson

Editor
Apr 8, 2003
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Pemsl Cited For OWI

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Iowa redshirt junior Cordell Pemsl was arrested by law enforcement early Friday morning in Iowa City for operating while intoxicated (OWI).

UI athletics department officials are in the process of gathering facts in regards to the incident. Pemsl will be suspended from all basketball related activities indefinitely and is subject to the rules and regulations of the UI Student-Athlete Code of Conduct and the rules and regulations of the basketball program.

Pemsl, a native of Dubuque, Iowa, has played in 67 career games, averaging 7.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
 
Random thoughts.

All the players whining about getting paid....how exactly would this situation play out with being suspended but also expecting to be paid?

Sounds like he had enough money to spend in IC Thursday night, so he cant be THAT broke.

DWI is serious business and its something that potential employers check for when hiring someone. This goes beyond basketball.
 
Certainly not a good look for Pemsl or Iowa basketball, but we need more details in my opinion. He's 21 years old right? He can at least legally drink, and how do we know he wasn't just barely over the limit after a tame evening with friends? I don't know that it would "matter" much in the eyes of the law, but for purposes of discussing it and punishment, I think it matters. To be perfectly clear, I think there can be (and should be) degrees of DUI or something beyond just an arbitrary "you're over the limit, screw you!"
 
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Pepperman said:
This isn't the thread to get into the topic, but I disagree and think you're crazy if you believe a person at .08 is truly intoxicated to the point where they're dangerous on the road.

I've never had a DUI by the way, so that's not what motivates my view.
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Agreed.
Blowing just over .08 for most people is not much worse than driving tired, driving at night, driving in the rain, having rowdy kids in the car, texting, or just normal driving for some people who generally don't pay attention.

Remember that the legal limit used to be 0.1.

How alcohol affects people can be very different. What might kill one person, a different person might be functioning "normally" or very slight impairment.

This is not to defend or minimize his actions, only that context is important.
 
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Come Cordell, you're better than this. Whatever the punishment is going to be, work through it, and get yourself right with with the coaches and your teammates. Learn from this mistake and move forward.
 
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Pepperman said:
To be perfectly clear, I think there can be (and should be) degrees of DUI or something beyond just an arbitrary "you're over the limit, screw you!"
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Judges who hear theses cases understand the difference between blood alcohol level at .08 and .16 so it can make a significant difference at sentencing. Also, depending upon the jurisdiction, 1st offenders who register at or barely above the legal limit are frequently offered plea deals which allow for a reduced charge. The differentiation really comes into play when you are dealing with repeat offenders. The weight of the gavel typically comes down harder on 2nd offenders, harder still on frequent offenders.
 
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Pepperman said:
Certainly not a good look for Pemsl or Iowa basketball, but we need more details in my opinion. He's 21 years old right? He can at least legally drink, and how do we know he wasn't just barely over the limit after a tame evening with friends? I don't know that it would "matter" much in the eyes of the law, but for purposes of discussing it and punishment, I think it matters. To be perfectly clear, I think there can be (and should be) degrees of DUI or something beyond just an arbitrary "you're over the limit, screw you!"
Click to expand...

0.151, very dangerous territory. Hopefully he learns and may have prevented a later tragedy.
 
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Maybe I told this tale before, idk. Anyway...I lived in a county in upstate NY years ago. A woman early in the evening ran a stop sign in a residential area near where I lived. A guy t-boned her. Neither was speeding and the accident didn’t look like much except by some freakish means her 3 year old boy riding in the back was killed. Although the driver who had right of way was not technically at fault, he had about a 0.03. That was well below any threshold for a DWI or DWAI/UBAL type of charge. However, the DA charged him with a felony reckless driving or some such based on the theory the alcohol may have slowed the guy’s reaction time. Rather than take any chance at trial, the guy agreed to accept 5 yr probation. As unfair as that seemed, the DA went on record saying anyone in his county who is drinking at all and involved in a fatal accident will be charged with something.
Since that incident of about 25 years ago, I have never driven after even a single sip of alcohol. I can’t say it has done me any real harm.
 
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Pepperman said:
This isn't the thread to get into the topic, but I disagree and think you're crazy if you believe a person at .08 is truly intoxicated to the point where they're dangerous on the road.

I've never had a DUI by the way, so that's not what motivates my view.
Click to expand...
The early drunk driving laws had no presumptive level of intoxication. The first presumptive level was .15 and through the years it has been reduced to .08. That amount of alcohol in a person's system is the equivalent of 5+ beers or equivalent alcoholic beverages. I would not ride with a person at that level of intoxication because their reflexes are impaired. Drunk driving kills too many people and the level should be lowered if anything.
 
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farfaraway said:
Maybe I told this tale before, idk. Anyway...I lived in a county in upstate NY years ago. A woman early in the evening ran a stop sign in a residential area near where I lived. A guy t-boned her. Neither was speeding and the accident didn’t look like much except by some freakish means her 3 year old boy riding in the back was killed. Although the driver who had right of way was not technically at fault, he had about a 0.03. That was well below any threshold for a DWI or DWAI/UBAL type of charge. However, the DA charged him with a felony reckless driving or some such based on the theory the alcohol may have slowed the guy’s reaction time. Rather than take any chance at trial, the guy agreed to accept 5 yr probation. As unfair as that seemed, the DA went on record saying anyone in his county who is drinking at all and involved in a fatal accident will be charged with something.
Since that incident of about 25 years ago, I have never driven after even a single sip of alcohol. I can’t say it has done me any real harm.
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Wow. Screw that. This is kind of like me without a seatbelt, I feel naked and vulnerable just pulling out of a driveway, and I know that one time I'm not wearing it, could be my last mistake.

I don't drink and drive either. But that's not because I wouldn't, but because I don't own a car. And I don't own a car, because I'm an alcoholic. I've never had a DUI or caused a crash, etc, and I am fully licensed to drive but, I don't trust myself.
 
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justinjdry said:
.... I don't drink and drive either. But that's not because I wouldn't, but because I don't own a car. And I don't own a car, because I'm an alcoholic. I've never had a DUI or caused a crash, etc, and I am fully licensed to drive but, I don't trust myself.
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Justin, I appreciate your honesty, resolve and your courage to come here and talk about it
 
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hawkguy77 said:
The early drunk driving laws had no presumptive level of intoxication. The first presumptive level was .15 and through the years it has been reduced to .08. That amount of alcohol in a person's system is the equivalent of 5+ beers or equivalent alcoholic beverages. I would not ride with a person at that level of intoxication because their reflexes are impaired. Drunk driving kills too many people and the level should be lowered if anything.
Click to expand...
I would take a person on the road with a .08 before I would anybody that can't read road signs or lives on their cell phone. Every day of the week and twice on Sunday's.
 
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Good kid who did something really stupid. He does not come from a wealthy family by any means, so someone else (relative) will have to pay his fine. His grandpa, Dave Pemsl of Dubuque, recently said that he was 150% this year. Now he's at the bottom of the roster and has to fight his way back up. Probably a good life lesson for him, and he's going to have to bust his tail to get back in the good graces of Fran. But every last big on the team just moved ahead of him, if they weren't already ahead.
 
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EastIowaHawk said:
Good kid who did something really stupid. He does not come from a wealthy family by any means, so someone else (relative) will have to pay his fine. His grandpa, Dave Pemsl of Dubuque, recently said that he was 150% this year. Now he's at the bottom of the roster and has to fight his way back up. Probably a good life lesson for him, and he's going to have to bust his tail to get back in the good graces of Fran. But every last big on the team just moved ahead of him, if they weren't already ahead.
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IMO, his actual play in games will determine his minutes and his entry into games, this is a blip on the radar as long as he has been in good standing with the staff previously.

He's been in Iowa City for a while now, he has some history with the staff, that should count for something.
 
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Carlton said:
Justin, I appreciate your honesty, resolve and your courage to come here and talk about it
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Thanks, I appreciate you saying that. I'd rather kill myself drinking than kill someone else because of my drinking. I can't sit here and say I believe it's a disease but it's really hard to quit once you've reached a certain level. There's a big difference in those who go out and drink for a good time and those who drink to numb themselves.
 
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23 so far said:
IMO, his actual play in games will determine his minutes and his entry into games, this is a blip on the radar as long as he has been in good standing with the staff previously.

He's been in Iowa City for a while now, he has some history with the staff, that should count for something.
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I've never not liked Cordell, and as much as I hate saying it, I don't think he was looking at much playing time anyway. He's ok, but he's certainly not someone that makes me say, "whew, thank God they have Pemsl out there now". He has definitely worked his butt off though, I'll give him that.
 
justinjdry said:
I've never not liked Cordell, and as much as I hate saying it, I don't think he was looking at much playing time anyway. He's ok, but he's certainly not someone that makes me say, "whew, thank God they have Pemsl out there now". He has definitely worked his butt off though, I'll give him that.
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He's not Akeem The Dream by any stretch of the imagination, but he also doesn't have multiple All-Americans in front of him to get playing time either.
 
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It's unfortunate for Pemsl but in the scheme of things this isn't a big deal to me. Players getting paid, handlers getting paid, academic fraud, etc., going on all over the place. If this were Joe Blow or Sally Jones people just read a name in the paper. Because he plays hoops the scrutiny is greater but he is still a kid in college. By all accounts he is a high character person so this is just one of those poor decisions I suspect all of us have made more than once. He just happened to get pulled over and cited for his.
 
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Varying degrees of DUI?

So if he blew above the limit, it shouldn't matter. Plus a cop isnt going to pull you over unles you did something to provoke it, such as swerving, driving excessive fast or slow or running a stop sign/light.

If he hit someone while impaired, it would have been much worse.


QUOTE="Pepperman, post: 6881162, member: 3224"]Certainly not a good look for Pemsl or Iowa basketball, but we need more details in my opinion. He's 21 years old right? He can at least legally drink, and how do we know he wasn't just barely over the limit after a tame evening with friends? I don't know that it would "matter" much in the eyes of the law, but for purposes of discussing it and punishment, I think it matters. To be perfectly clear, I think there can be (and should be) degrees of DUI or something beyond just an arbitrary "you're over the limit, screw you!"[/QUOTE]
 
This OWI will cost whoever is paying his auto insurance the next 3-5 years or however long it takes.

Ihawkhoops said:
It's unfortunate for Pemsl but in the scheme of things this isn't a big deal to me. Players getting paid, handlers getting paid, academic fraud, etc., going on all over the place. If this were Joe Blow or Sally Jones people just read a name in the paper. Because he plays hoops the scrutiny is greater but he is still a kid in college. By all accounts he is a high character person so this is just one of those poor decisions I suspect all of us have made more than once. He just happened to get pulled over and cited for his.
Click to expand...
 
mtdew_fever said:
Varying degrees of DUI?

So if he blew above the limit, it shouldn't matter. Plus a cop isnt going to pull you over unles you did something to provoke it, such as swerving, driving excessive fast or slow or running a stop sign/light.

If he hit someone while impaired, it would have been much worse.


QUOTE="Pepperman, post: 6881162, member: 3224"]Certainly not a good look for Pemsl or Iowa basketball, but we need more details in my opinion. He's 21 years old right? He can at least legally drink, and how do we know he wasn't just barely over the limit after a tame evening with friends? I don't know that it would "matter" much in the eyes of the law, but for purposes of discussing it and punishment, I think it matters. To be perfectly clear, I think there can be (and should be) degrees of DUI or something beyond just an arbitrary "you're over the limit, screw you!"
Click to expand...
[/QUOTE]I don't know what La-La Land you live in, but Cops most definitely will pull you over without doing something to "provoke" it.

I've been pulled over for a license plate bulb being out on basically a brand new car while obeying every road law known to mankind.

And a couple of occasions for a brake light bulb being out even though I had about 20 other bulbs working just fine. The key is that it was dark outside. That's it. They hope they find a drunk at the wheel when they stop you. That's how the "System" gets to stay employed. Cops, Lawyers, Judges, etc. Anyone that tells you otherwise is full of shit.

First thing they say is "do you know why I pulled you over?" Of course I do, it's dark out and you were hoping I was over the drinking limit. I wasn't speeding, swerving, or breaking any road laws, so I must have a light bulb that went out somewhere.

The second question is typically "have you been drinking?" Sorry Officer, you just wasted your time. Better luck on your next witch hunt.
 
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I don't know what La-La Land you live in, but Cops most definitely will pull you over without doing something to "provoke" it.

I've been pulled over for a license plate bulb being out on basically a brand new car while obeying every road law known to mankind.

And a couple of occasions for a brake light bulb being out even though I had about 20 other bulbs working just fine. The key is that it was dark outside. That's it. They hope they find a drunk at the wheel when they stop you. That's how the "System" gets to stay employed. Cops, Lawyers, Judges, etc. Anyone that tells you otherwise is full of shit.

First thing they say is "do you know why I pulled you over?" Of course I do, it's dark out and you were hoping I was over the drinking limit. I wasn't speeding, swerving, or breaking any road laws, so I must have a light bulb that went out somewhere.

The second question is typically "have you been drinking?" Sorry Officer, you just wasted your time. Better luck on your next witch hunt.[/QUOTE]

They are not 'cops', they are police officers and my son is one. Don't make excuses for drinking while driving by saying its the police officers fault or a witch hunt. 99% of the time a person is driving either way too slow, way too fast, driving without their headlights on at night or swerving in the lane and these are indications that a person is driving while impaired. This is why people who drive drunk get pulled over and not because a license plate bulb is out. And btw, get your license plate bulb fixed!
 
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