• TX man gets life for DWI
    185 replies, posted
[QUOTE]By EMILY FRIEDMAN Aug. 13, 2010 The ninth conviction was the breaking point for one Texas judge who earlier this week sentenced a habitual drunken driver to life in prison. Bobby Stovall, 54, was driving his truck in Round Rock, Texas, in early July when he weaved through several lanes of traffic and hit another vehicle, injuring the driver. It was later determined that Stovall had a blood alcohol concentration of .32, four times the legal limit in Texas. And while that DWI was certainly enough to get Stovall in trouble with the law, when the judge found out the defendant had eight prior DWI convictions across several different counties in Texas, he ordered up a life sentence for Stovall. "This is someone who very deliberately has refused to make changes and continued to get drunk and get in a car and before he kills someone we decided to put him away," said Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley. Bradley said that in addition to the multiple DWI convictions , Stovall also had a extensive rap sheet for other crimes, including burglary, credit card abuse and supplying alcohol to a minor. "He basically walked through the penal code for the past twenty years without any regard for safety or society," said Bradley. "In every single one of his cases he had an opportunity to change." But some argue that Stovall's sentence was too harsh and that the court should have considered his struggle with alcoholism. "This guy has a disease, he is an alcoholic and this isn't the kind of situation where he's acting with malice to hurt people," said Lawrence Taylor, a DUI lawyer and author of "Drunk Driving Defense." "He has a serious problem and I hope the days are past where we think alcoholism is something you choose," said Taylor. Taylor said that he does not agree with the judge's sentencing of Stovall and would have preferred more "rehabilitation" than "ending his life." "You're essentially doing just that, ending this man's life, at the expense of taxpayers," he said. But Bradley says that it's better to lock up a man like Stovall –– and prevent him from hurting someone in the future –– than give him yet another chance. "I think that the ninth time you get caught and punished for [drunken driving] you would have found some way of not getting in that car," said Bradley. "It's a big dodge to focus on the disease and not the crime," said Bradley. "It's a huge social excuse for dangerous conduct." Williamson County, Bradley said, has long had a reputation for handing down harsh sentences to those who commit violent felonies or who are repeat offenders. About two people per year receive sentences for repeat drunk driving convictions, said Bradley. "The point is to prevent crimes," said Bradley, who added that the county boasts one of the lowest crime rates compared to other Texas counties of similar size. "If this guy was using a shotgun to shoot lights randomly around his neighborhood I doubt we'd be [getting criticized] for the sentencing," he said. "In this case he's simply using his truck as his weapon." Stovall would be eligible for parole in five years, but depending on his conduct in prison and other factors, that could be as long as 10 to 15 years. A phone message left with Stovall's lawyer wasn't immediatley returned.[/QUOTE][URL="http://abcnews.go.com/US/texas-man-life-sentence-ninth-dwi/story?id=11395058"] Source[/URL]
Ouch, bit severe
Thats a tad extreme
Nine times, and he still didn't learn his lesson. I would go extreme for that, but not life.
Texas is huge on traffic violations, DWI's, DUI's, insurance violations, speeding. Everything really, I'm surprised this guy even had 8 chances.
Texas :ms:
[QUOTE=The mouse;24093727]Texas :ms:[/QUOTE] Good job reading that there article.
Title's misleading, I thought it was Life for just a basic DWI. 9th conviction is a bit more reasonable
I don't have sympathy for repeat offenders. He should have straightened out his life the first time he got a DUI.
Even for a 9th DWI, this is downright cruel and unusual punishment. A solution would have been mandatory rehabilitation, a ban from operating vehicles, and perhaps house arrest for a while at the beginning.
[QUOTE=ZekeTwo;24093969]Even for a 9th DWI, this is downright cruel and unusual punishment. A solution would have been mandatory rehabilitation, a ban from operating vehicles, and perhaps house arrest for a while at the beginning.[/QUOTE] This.
[QUOTE=ZekeTwo;24093969]Even for a 9th DWI, this is downright cruel and unusual punishment. A solution would have been mandatory rehabilitation, a ban from operating vehicles, and perhaps house arrest for a while at the beginning.[/QUOTE] That should've been mandatory after the third time. By your ninth....there's no goin' back. Would rather he get death row? He can still get parole...So technically...it rehabilitation.
Yeah seriously, this guy won't last in prison. Take away his rights to driver forever, but don't lock him down in the same bracket as murders and rapists.
[QUOTE=Swilly;24094116]That should've been mandatory after the third time. By your ninth....there's no goin' back. Would rather he get death row? He can still get parole...So technically...it rehabilitation.[/QUOTE] Prison isn't equipped to rehabilitate an alcoholic.
[QUOTE=ZekeTwo;24093969]Even for a 9th DWI, this is downright cruel and unusual punishment. A solution would have been mandatory rehabilitation, a ban from operating vehicles, and perhaps house arrest for a while at the beginning.[/QUOTE] Rehab would have been better. After re-reading the OP it seems he has a "rap sheet" of other crimes too, so that just adds onto this repeat offenders sentence. He'll probably be out in 5 years for good behavior. It would be silly to keep a drunk in prison for life. Should have been sentenced to a few years in jail and rehab me thinks.
i'm gonna call up the eight amendment which states: [quote]Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.[/quote] just depends on how you define unusual or cruel
[QUOTE=OvB;24094191]After re-reading the OP it seems he has a "rap sheet" of other crimes too, so that just adds onto this repeat offenders sentence.[/QUOTE] Taking into account that someone is a repeat offender is silly, unless it can be proven that the person actually got away with it. They served their time and repaid their debt to society, let them get on with their life.
[QUOTE=ZekeTwo;24094242]Taking into account that someone is a repeat offender is silly, unless it can be proven that the person actually got away with it. They served their time and repaid their debt to society, let them get on with their life.[/QUOTE] I'm just saying [B]he needs to be rehabilitated [/B]and punished for this or he's going to end up killing someone. Life is to long though.
[QUOTE=OvB;24094301]I'm just saying he needs to be rehabilitated and punished for this or he's going to end up killing someone. Life is to long though.[/QUOTE] looking at how the guy is a 50 yo alcoholic, he probably only has another 10 years going for him anyway
Not saying I support this, it does seem excessive, but saying rehab alone is a better option than jail seems messed up. The guy isn't in jail for being an alcoholic, he's in jail for 9 DWIs. He can't choose to be an alcoholic, but he can sure as hell choose not to get behind the wheel 9 times while drunk. EDIT: Jail + rehab is the best path here, he should have gotten the help he needed but he should also not shown such poor judgment.
[QUOTE=OvB;24094301]I'm just saying he needs to be rehabilitated and punished for this or he's going to end up killing someone. Life is to long though.[/QUOTE] Rehabilitation, not punishment. I don't see any indication that it has even been attempted. But this is the Texas justice system we're talking about here.
excessive punishment to be honest the system failed him. if he was convicted 9 times on drunk driving charges then he should have been sentenced to rehabilitation for a pretty long time. obviously he's never received the help he needs. this is exactly what is wrong with the american justice system
[QUOTE=JDK721v2;24094423]the system failed him. if he was convicted 9 times on drunk driving charges then he should have been sentenced to rehabilitation for a pretty long time. [/QUOTE] You don't know that he wasn't. Rehab doesn't work for everyone. I guess we don't know whether he was or wasn't but I would imagine after the fifth or sixth his license was suspended and forced to enter rehab. If he fucks up a ninth time I don't have any problem with locking him up for good as long as there's a parole option.
[QUOTE=JDK721v2;24094423]this is exactly what is wrong with the american justice system[/QUOTE] Primarily the Texas justice system.
Actually according to Texas law his license was suspended for two years and he was forced to go to a DUI class after the third offense
I know that is quite harsh, but think it this way; Would you rather see a thread in news section titled "Habitual drunken driver drives over 5 children and their mother"?
[QUOTE=Raiskauskone;24094780]I know that is quite harsh, but think it this way; Would you rather see a thread in news section titled "Habitual drunken driver drives over 5 children and their mother"?[/QUOTE] itt: false dichotomy
[QUOTE=ZekeTwo;24094184]Prison isn't equipped to rehabilitate an alcoholic.[/QUOTE] You're not allowed to have alcohol in prison. :sadddowns: IN this case it would be cold turkey:EXTREME EDITION.
Justified, but completely overdone. Twenty years probation, and mandatory rehab would be best in this case. [QUOTE=Swilly;24094974] IN this case it would be cold turkey:EXTREME EDITION.[/QUOTE] Sounds like a game show.
I don't understand this. Instead of sending an obvious alcoholic to prison and not solving anything, why doesn't the law force him to go to rehab?
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