[fabsroman]

Okay, 45 days in the slammer for a violation of probation on a reckless driving charge/DUI charge is about standard. Here, the standard is 30 days if it is the first or second DUI. She also has the right to appeal it because the judge didn't make the sentence effective imemdiately.

A previous client of mine just plead guilty to his 3rd DUI and the judge gave him one year with all but 3 months of it suspended. So, he will be serving 3 months, but the sentence doesn't begin until 6/30/2007. The Judge told him to attend a DUI program and that he would review the sentence come June 30 and see if he would reduce it. This is the guy's 3rd DUI in 10 years. In his second one, he ran over his girlfriend's leg and broke it and hit a tree across the street. In his 3rd one, he ran through a red light and a stop sign. He has also been charged with driving on a revoked license 4 times as the result of having it suspended from the DUI's. I know that this guy continues to drive even though he doesn't have a license. He has the ability to have one of his employees drive him to job sites and to have his girlfriend pick him up and drop him off at work, but he chooses not to.

In another case I had, a drunk driver almost kill my client. He put my client in a coma for 4 days and the ICU for a week. She had just had her first child too. This was his 4th DUI conviction and the judge gave him 3 years with everything suspended but 10 months and authorized him for work release after the first 4 months.

So, I think this sentence is plenty fair for Hilton. If you listen to her excuses, I fully agree with the Judge on this one. She had plenty of opportunities to obey the law and not drive.


Classic,

As far as I am concerned, driving is a privilege, and if you value it so much and need it so much for your job, then you should obey the traffic laws. I am willing to bet that more people are killed in auto accidents in a year than are killed by guns; however, drunk driving and aggressive driving are not political issues and I think they should be. A couple of months ago, two women were killed right by me on I-270 when an aggressive pickup truck driver got in front of them and jammed on the brakes. They swerved off the road to avoid hitting him and they hit a tree and died.

Driving is not a Constitutionally guaranteed right, like the 2nd Amendment. If you want to keep your license, drive according to the laws in place. If somebody accumulates enough points, I don't want them on the road endangering my wife, my baby, or my life, or anybody else's life for that matter. If people cannot drive civily, they just shouldn't be on the road.

Last but not least, driving is not entirely needed for a job. If you are a professional driver and you lose your license you can still get another job doing something else. If you live far from work and need to drive to work, you can still move closer to work and ride a bicycle.

I hear the same thing about the gas prices from people that chose to live an hour drive or more from work. Wait until gas hits $4+ a gallon. Then, very few people will be driving much.