According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average drunk driver operates a motor vehicle while intoxicated over 80 times before he or she is arrested for the first time. In a story out of Greenley, Colorado, one man was just convicted of his eighth DWI. It isn’t too far of a stretch to wonder how many times the man has driven drunk in the past 23 years since he was arrested the first time for driving drunk.
The 53-year-old man was sentenced to 10 years in prison after his conviction for driving under the influence. His blood alcohol concentration, according to the arresting officer was .227. Four of the man’s convictions for driving drunk have been with BACs of over .2 or higher.
The Weld County district attorney said, “Not only is a .227 BAC past the point of drunk, it’s getting very close to the point of death. If he’s not willing to put community safety first, then we’ll do it for him. He should never be behind the wheel of a car again.”
It was 1994 when the man was first arrested for driving under the influence. This arrest came after an officer found the man sitting in his vehicle with his head down. The vehicle was parked on a county road. He later told the officer that he was headed to a party but got lost.
The man has spent time in jail before on DUI charges, but the district attorney said, “Prison is the only option at this point to keep the public safe.”
Drunk driving is dangerous, but there are times when people make mistakes. If you are facing a DUI charge, don’t despair. An experienced attorney can help you develop a strong defense case or work to get a fair plea deal.
Source: 9news.com, “Man convicted of eighth DUI has been driving drunk for at least two decades,” Krystyna Biassou, May 04, 2017
