Thomas Patrick Houston: ‘Cheater’ wins DUI case, claims he drove drunk as angry wife and lover chased him
UKIAH, CALFORNIA: Thomas Patrick Houston, a Californian, won his DUI case by arguing that he had to drive drunk in order to "escape two angry women" when his wife discovered his infidelity. Houston, 60, of Ukiah, was charged with two DUI offenses in August 2022, and on Friday, February 3 he appeared before the Mendocino County Superior Court.
Houston's lawyer, Albert J. Kubanis, allegedly stated in court documents that it was a "necessity" for Houston to be driving at a 0.11 BAC as he was "being attacked by two angry women, one of whom was his wife," as reported by DailyMail. Houston and his wife Lara were "temporarily living apart due to marital difficulties," according to court documents obtained by DailyMail. When Lara, 61, saw him in bed with their next-door neighbor Ann Landauer, a fight broke out. Landauer had been sheltering her llamas on the couple's property, known as the McNab Ranch.
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How did Lara learn of Thomas' infidelity?
On the day of the incident, Landauer had contacted Lara to say that "she would want to visit to check on her llamas," which Lara arranged through her husband, as reported by DailyMail. When Landauer arrived at the ranch, she recommended going to Hopland to buy some alcohol for her and Houston. They drank themselves silly on the drive back to the ranch and began engaging in sexual activity.
Lara had access to the home's CCTV footage on her phone, which she checked regularly. She initially observed on the video that Landauer and her estranged husband were both drinking, but she didn't give it much thought. She watched the video again and observed that the house seemed unusually silent. After that, she drove to the house, where she discovered the two were "engaged in sexual activity" in the guest bedroom.
'Forced to leave his residence under duress'
Court documents stated that Landauer was "completely nude," while Houston was caught with his "head between Ann's legs" while wearing a "t-shirt and boxer shorts," as reported by DailMail. When the two saw Lara enter the room, they "jumped out of bed." In a fit of rage, Lara started "pummeling Tommy with her hands."
Houston hastily exited the room and headed for his pickup. Later, both women were furious with Houston and hurried outside, where Landauer started tossing pebbles at him and his truck. Kubanis stated that Houston drove while intoxicated because he was "forced to leave his residence under duress, causing him to drive while intoxicated," as reported by DailyMail.
Houston continued driving for another 200 yards before coming to a stop and falling asleep. After a few hours, the Sheriff's Office and California Highway Patrol arrested him for appearing "intoxicated" at 2.10 am. In September, Thomas entered a not guilty plea; after a four-day jury trial, he was found not guilty.