Submitted by Aiken Jacobsen on
We have often posted about the dangers which drunk drivers pose to all of us on the road. Drunk driving car accidents often cause severe injuries or death to motorists who fall victim to the bad choices of a drunk driver. These accidents also result in serious criminal charges for drunk drivers.
A recent drunk-driving criminal case involving a Glenn County man illustrates the exact wrong way for someone to avoid punishment. The man showed up intoxicated to his pre-trial hearing to contest DUI charge. Officials aren't sure if the man drove himself drunk to court that morning, but it hardly matters.
When his trial did go to court the jury took only six minutes to find him guilty of felony DUI. The original incident took place last march when the defendant ran his vehicle off the road and crashed into a barbed-wire fence. Thankfully no other drivers were hurt in the accident.
California Highway Patrol reported that the man had a BAC which was four times the legal limit. The man has several prior DUI convictions already, and on the day of the accident, he was driving on a suspended license.
Officials say that his intoxication during the pre-trial hearing was cited as evidence against him when his case came to trial. This reported behavior, along with his previous convictions, made it easy for jurors to convict him of felony DUI.
Thankfully there were no injuries in this case, but if he had not been caught it would only be a matter of time before he caused another car accident. Repeat DUI offenders almost always continue to drive drunk until caught or until they cause a serious accident. It is important to crack down on repeat DUI offenders and to take them off the road.
Source Contra Costa Times online, "Man who showed up drunk for pretrial hearing found guilty of DUI," Greg Welter, 25 February 2011
