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Drunken Driving Sentence a Knee-Slapper
Driver gets three years prison, victim is victimized again and the judge makes a fool of himself — can we rethink this?
Ann C. Stelling was sentenced to three years in prison for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated with alcohol and slamming her car into Robert Splan while he was riding his bicycle. Stelling isn’t likely to serve the entire three years in prison, but she will have to serve three years of extended supervision and pay a fine plus Splan’s medical costs. It was Stelling’s third drunken driving arrest. According to news reports, her insurance company advised her not to say anything in court. Ozaukee County Judge Paul Malloy is quoted as saying, “You’re not being punished because you drank a lot. You’re being punished because you made the decision (to drive drunk again).” Is this a circus or what! First of all, one would presume a …
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Rik Kluessendorf
1:33 pm on Monday, August 29, 2011
I think that there is a definite need for reform when it comes to OWI law, no question. However, I am not certain that the other states provide a worthwhile model. Essentially, all states treat OWI in this manner (based upon Federal grants pulling the laws to a norm): Offense # 1 is a crime of x severity, Offense # 2 is a crime of slightly increased severity, Offense # 3 is a crime of increasing … more ›