Posted on 06/09/2016 9:37:03 AM PDT by sparklite2
CONROE, Texas — A Houston man convicted of drunken driving nine times since 1980 has been sentenced to life in prison.
The Montgomery County judge who sentenced Donald Middleton on Tuesday said the 56-year-old man is a habitual offender.
Prosecutors say Middleton has already served four prison terms for alcohol-related convictions.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Good.
Either this or some kind of permanent civil commitment, but this isn’t even about punishment but about keeping the menace away from society.
Montgomery County Judge Gives Man Life Sentence After Ninth DWI Conviction
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3438043/posts
These people should be allowed to drink themselves to death without the costs of incarceration. Put him on an island with plenty of Ripple.
Relocate him to Manhattan. You don't need to drive there really.
Pruno, or prison wine, is an alcoholic beverage variously made from apples, oranges, fruit cocktail, candy, ketchup, sugar, milk, and possibly other ingredients, including crumbled bread.
Bread supposedly provides the yeast for the pruno to ferment. Pruno originated in (and remains largely confined to) prisons and jails, where it can be produced with the limited selection of equipment and ingredients available to inmates.
The concoction can be made using only a plastic bag, hot running water, and a towel or sock to conceal the pulp during fermentation. The end result has been colorfully described as a “bile flavored wine-cooler”, although flavor is often not the primary objective.
Depending on the time spent fermenting (always balanced against the risk of discovery by the officers), the sugar content, and the quality of the ingredients and preparation, pruno’s alcohol content by volume can range from as low as 2% (equivalent to a very weak beer) to as high as 14% (equivalent to a strong wine).
By the way - life in Texas in this case means eligible for parole after 7 years, 1 month, and 15 days.
Can you imagine how many drinking drivers there are who’ve never been caught driving drunk? I think we can assume that there are people who have driven drunk 100x as much as this one guy who did get caught. Is he really worse than the drivers who never get caught? How can people who never get caught be any less guilty? I guess it’s just a matter of some drivers having worse luck than the drivers who never get caught.
If he survives 7 years in prison.
That's probably why he's been caught so many times. He's worse.
Aka.....toilet wine.
Sorry, this is 'Minority Report' territory. There are murderers and rapists that get less time.
Raise the bar for convictions. But then:
Murders and rapists should be executed.
DUI second offense - you should be executed for depraved indifference.
You coddle criminals - you have lots of crime. You make the penalties extreme? Only a few dare tread there.
Can you elaborate? I'm not sure what you mean by that. (Or use FR Mail if you prefer.)
Think Judges can’t be hostile in rendering decisions . In 1984 I was sighted for a DWI ,, The officer gave me a Breathalyzer test Three times and did not get a positive result ,, he then began banging the device on the roof of his patrol car and then attempted to continue testing me . I told Him I would refuse the test until he got another device to use and he placed me under arrest right then . The Commissioner released me on my own recognizance immediately and where his signature he wrote “Commissioner Refuses to Sign” . I had only drank one beer that day . I got a Lawyer and went to court . With absolutely no prior alcohol related incidents of any kind in my past and NO points on my driving record and my privilege to drive was Revoked for 30 years ,,,, yes that’s right 30 yrs. As a result I became an outlaw not willing to give up my home , autos , family and job etc . Every 5 yrs there after I reapplied for my license and was rejected . In 2014 I got stopped for a tail light out and was ticketed with 4 charges . I got a lawyer and sued for my reinstatement and won . I drove for 31 yrs. without a license and should have been given a citation for safe driving or something . At the same time I knew an alcoholic who had 10 DWIs and still had a restricted license the entire time .
I detest drunk drivers and I also wonder how this could happen . The 5th Amendment guarantees citizens against self incrimination . One does not have to give evidence to be used against them in a court of law according to the 5th Amend, yet it happens every day . Can a state provision over ride Constitutional law ?? I don’t think so but there you have it . Some say a drivers license is a privilege and perhaps their correct but in a court that can cost one their entire livelihood it only took one judge to convict me with no real evidence . I failed with 2 appeals prior to 2014 . Can a judge be terribly wrong in his execution of the law ,,,, I say definitely . Had I not become an outlaw I would no doubt be living in a cardboard box in some alley ,, and YES Iam a Vet. of foreign war . Thank you Jesus for giving me strength to go forward .
People vary a lot, some actually are BETTER drivers with a moderate alcohol level in their blood. Of course all have a limit and when that limit is exceeded they should not drive under any circumstances but the limit is definitely higher for some than for others.
Wow, great story. Good for you. I love it when someone puts one over on the “man.” I hope karma was a bitch for that cop and the judge.
My brother lost his leg from a drunk driver plowing into him as he was pushing a car. He was with three other guys in the dead of winter and they all had horrific injuries, two others worse than my brother. The girl who hit them had several priors for DUI. Not one thing happened to her before she injured those boys and not one thing happened afterwards. It was in Minnesota.
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