Warning:
(image courtesy of Robb Allen)No jail time for man with 17 DUIs
PEABODY — A Peabody man still on probation after his 17th drunken-driving conviction persuaded a judge yesterday not to send him back to jail, after he was caught driving again in September.No, you pickled moron, "crazy" is the fact that you were able to see the light of day after your sixth offense, let alone your 16th. What's even crazier is that this is the 20th time you've been charged - he beat four charges. This is a career offender, someone who had no business being out on the street, never mind on the road. Now, granted, THIS time he wasn't arrested for OUI - he was just driving without a license, as well as an unregistered/uninsured vehicle. But he had no business being out of jail long enough to get behind the wheel of *any* vehicle.
Charles Stefanilo Jr.'s license had been revoked for life as a result of his long history of drinking and driving. But that didn't stop him from getting behind the wheel over the Labor Day weekend, and probation officials wanted a judge to revoke his probation as a result.
"That means I would be doing eight years in jail," Stefanilo, 55, complained to Judge Timothy Feeley. "It's crazy."
His license was revoked, permanently, after his SIXTEENTH conviction all the way back in 2004. Now, a quick perusal of MA state law on OUI offenses tells us that license revocation is permanent after the fifth offense. That's 11 offenses before he finally lost his license for good. How can there be ELEVEN offenses after what should be a final revocation, without some serious jail time for repeat offender and such? After the seventh or eighth offense, shouldn't the judge have started making him serve all 5 years available for a multiple OUI offender?
(Then again, he claims to have been sober for 8.5 years, even though his last offense was in 2004 - so math isn't his strong suit *or* the state's.)
Welcome to Massachusetts. We claim that "you're more likely to live here" because of our insanely strict gun control laws, but watch our for our repeat drunk drivers!
That is all.
3 comments:
This summer I had an arraignment with a particular repeat 'customer'. I watched a state trooper's head explode - figuratively - as the judge read the defendant his bail conditions for my charges; the very same bail conditions (good behavior, don't drink, etc.) he was under for charges the state trooper had against him earlier, with the same judge.
The fact that I was hauling the guy to court for my charges should have automatically triggered penalties for violation of bail for the earlier state police charges. Nope. Not that day, anyway. Especially aggravating was being the in the same courtroom with the same judge.
Not news to me, though; the guy I had was in violation of additional suspended sentencing from the state Attorney General's office to the tune of an additional $100K in fines. They weren't interested in the fact that they guy violated those conditions, either.
Seems like if it's not a doctor being charged with the death of a celebrity, a teacher sleeping with/coach abusing some kids, something involving penalizing the Tea Party for what OSW does freely every day - or some other such filth - the courts don't really seem to give a rat's ass.
Welcome to the real world.
I think your lax DUI enforcement issues are likely the result of some hushed-up Equal Protection claim. You had Teddy Kennedy for s Senator, after all.
;)
His attorney would be a good one to have in your roledex. Anyone who can bend the law this well is a resource to cultivate.
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