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Drunk Driver Sentenced

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Topic: Drunk Driver Sentenced
Posted By: StormyKnight
Subject: Drunk Driver Sentenced
Date Posted: 22 May 2013 at 11:42am
If you'll all recall, I got hit by a drunk driver January 2nd this year.  He plead guilty last month.  Today was the sentencing.  I wanted to give a statement before sentencing and the Prosecutor was very enthusiastic about it.  He told me to tell the Judge what had happened and how it affected me.

They led the guy and another jail inmate in.  I stared at him.  He'd look up at me but would quickly avert his eyes when he noticed I was gazing not so lovingly at him.  The first guy gets called up.  CSC guy.  Likes kids between the ages of 13-15 years old.  Lawyers do their spin.  He gets prison time.  I look over to the guy that hit me and he just became visibly nervous.  Knee bouncing, looking down at his lap.  Wouldn't even look at his mother that was in the bench in front of me.

He gets called up.  His attorney goes into the whole, "This is his first felony, he has been doing well during the last 4 months in jail.  Attending AA meetings, getting a sponsor, etc. etc.etc.  Dude got a chance to address the court and said he was sorry for what he did to the "victim".  Couldn't even say my name.  "Victim", indeed.  Said he was doing well and he had a long road for recovery ahead of him, but had the support of his family and sponsor.  Then the Prosecutor has his turn.  Starts naming all the convictions.  Turns out this technically isn't his 3rd drunk driving, but his 4th!  He blew a .26 the night he slammed into me.  He told the judge that I was present and wanted to give a statement.  So, I told the judge what happened and how it made me feel.  I also explained that I could've been killed.  Mentioned that I had two small children that could have potentially lost a father.  "Who would raise them then?", I asked haltingly.

Judge must have bought it.  She sentenced him 23-48 months in State Prison.  At that, the quiet sobbing that was being issued by the dude's mother turned into wailing.  I felt it was time to exit the courtroom with the escort from the Prosecutor's Office.  As I got to the aisle, the mother turned to me with a gutteral growl, "Nice act!"

So, at the elevator, I was thanking the assistant from the Prosecutor's Office for all their help when the Defense Attorney came out of the courtroom with Mommy Dreadful in close pursuit.  She was screaming, "You promised he wouldn't go to prison!!!"  Then something about, "...Son-of-a-b!+@&!!!", while pointing at me.  Dude's sponsor put his arm around her to lead her down the hall.  She stopped before turning a corner yelling, "NICE ACT!  NICE ACT!"  I turned, cocked my head to the side a bit, raised my eyebrow in false confusion and said, "Act, huh?"  She said something I didn't hear as she was gently dragged around the corner out of sight.

I'm glad it's over.  I'm not overjoyed, just satisfied.  He won't be sliding into a family of 6 at 60 miles an hour anytime soon and that is what I wanted.  I do feel that a weight has been lifted, or that just could be the feeling that more of my tax dollars will be taken to feed, house and give medical care for this guy for up to the next 4 years.  Eh.  I can live with it, I guess.


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Replies:
Posted By: procarbinefreak
Date Posted: 22 May 2013 at 12:52pm
Nice act?  She's the one who raised a kid who is now in prison for having been caught 4 times for drunk driving.  Lord knows how many times he's gotten away with it.  

Glad it's over for you.  


Posted By: tallen702
Date Posted: 22 May 2013 at 12:55pm
SOB got off easy if you ask me. That many repeat offenses, I'd have given him at lest 5 years to sit in the pen and think about it with no time for good behavior.

If that'd been me and happened in my home state, I'd have pointed out to the bailiff that there's a $10 fine for cursing in public for each curse word and sent him after the mother. =D

Glad it feels like there's a weight off your chest, and glad you helped put this guy where he belongs, behind bars instead of at them.

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Posted By: usafpilot07
Date Posted: 22 May 2013 at 5:00pm
Originally posted by procarbinefreak procarbinefreak wrote:

Nice act?  She's the one who raised a kid who is now in prison for having been caught 4 times for drunk driving.  Lord knows how many times he's gotten away with it.  

Glad it's over for you.  

I don't know how true it is, but we were told that the average DWI drives drunk something like 200-300 times before being caught.


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Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo


Posted By: StormyKnight
Date Posted: 22 May 2013 at 5:05pm
Originally posted by procarbinefreak procarbinefreak wrote:

Nice act?  She's the one who raised a kid who is now in prison for having been caught 4 times for drunk driving.  Lord knows how many times he's gotten away with it.  

Glad it's over for you. 
Agreed.  Just hope she doesn't suffer from some kind of "Crazy Lady Syndrome" as they know my address from the police report...
 


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Posted By: StormyKnight
Date Posted: 22 May 2013 at 5:16pm
Originally posted by tallen702 tallen702 wrote:

SOB got off easy if you ask me. That many repeat offenses, I'd have given him at lest 5 years to sit in the pen and think about it with no time for good behavior.

Sentencing guidelines are a pain and they're getting worse. The state has already been accused of holding on to convicts long past their early release date so they're not inclined to be overly punitive by throwing the book at every Tom, Dick and Harry that trapse into the courtroom. As it stands, my state doesn't have good time credits (for now). Truth in Sentencing is the bane of the GOP lawmakers here.
Originally posted by tallen702 tallen702 wrote:

If that'd been me and happened in my home state, I'd have pointed out to the bailiff that there's a $10 fine for cursing in public for each curse word and sent him after the mother. =D

We were outside the courtroom when this happened, so no biggie.  She was understandably upset.  What unbalanced white trash double-wide livin' woman wouldn't be?
Originally posted by tallen702 tallen702 wrote:

Glad it feels like there's a weight off your chest, and glad you helped put this guy where he belongs, behind bars instead of at them.
I'm sure my somewhat emotional statement added some weight since the Judge quoted me in her sentencing.  I did say matter of factly that he could have killed me and left my children without a father.


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Posted By: impulse418
Date Posted: 22 May 2013 at 6:31pm
Well, they have AA in prison. Hopefully he uses his time wisely, and by the time he reaches his 9th step, you will receive a proper amends.

The mother sounds like she needs to go to Al-Anon.

Glad everything is behind you Stormy.


Posted By: deadeye007
Date Posted: 22 May 2013 at 7:05pm
So is 23 months the mandatory minimum, or will he be paroled at 10 months due to overcrowding?

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Face it guys, common sense is a form of wealth and we're surrounded by poverty.-Strato


Posted By: little devil
Date Posted: 22 May 2013 at 8:29pm
Originally posted by deadeye007 deadeye007 wrote:

So is 23 months the mandatory minimum, or will he be paroled at 10 months due to overcrowding?
 Including the time already served, 19 months. At least in Canuckistan.


Posted By: SSOK
Date Posted: 22 May 2013 at 8:55pm
Somewhat related to drunk driving...

I'm surprised by the amount of people that I know who do drink and drive. It bugged me out the one time I had a beer with dinner and drove home.

It's really more common than I thought it would be. Kinda makes me happy you have to be 21.

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Posted By: stratoaxe
Date Posted: 23 May 2013 at 5:01am
The guy's mother sounds like a piece of work.

I could care less about a 4 time DWI offender-he's proving himself immune to rehabilitation and putting lives on danger.

Of all people I'm sympathetic to addiction issues (aside from a few beers one night I'm almost five months sober now :D ) but drunk driving is a choice you make to endanger innocent people who had no say in the matter. Good riddance.

In Texas I do believe he'd be looking at a pretty long prison sentence.

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Posted By: StormyKnight
Date Posted: 23 May 2013 at 7:57am
Originally posted by deadeye007 deadeye007 wrote:

So is 23 months the mandatory minimum, or will he be paroled at 10 months due to overcrowding?
It would be the minimum.  There are no "Good Time Credits" in my state.  Now, if he keeps his nose clean and doesn't get any disciplinary action(s) while he's in prison, he should get paroled at 23 months, less the amount he stayed in the county jail before sentencing.


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Posted By: DaveEllis
Date Posted: 24 May 2013 at 12:18pm
Originally posted by StormyKnight StormyKnight wrote:

 As I got to the aisle, the mother turned to me with a gutteral growl, "Nice act!"


Well there is clearly zero doubt as to who his enabler is.


Posted By: procarbinefreak
Date Posted: 24 May 2013 at 1:15pm
No kidding.  I would expect my parents to applaud the judge for sending me to prison if it were me in that situation.  


Posted By: Mack
Date Posted: 25 May 2013 at 10:47am
Originally posted by StormyKnight StormyKnight wrote:

 As I got to the aisle, the mother turned to me with a gutteral growl, "Nice act!"



The appropriate response to this is "Nice parenting."


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Posted By: gerrywilson
Date Posted: 24 July 2013 at 7:27am
It is good he has been convicted. This must be lesson to all drunk drivers.



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