Driver with >100 arrests and 40 traffic citations, kills dog-walking musician

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
How is this even possible?

https://www.wcvb.com/article/godbout-macleod-hopkinton-ri-fatal-crash/69663985

How can a driver be given 40 traffic citations in addition to over 100 arrests, and still be just driving around out there? Plus, she had an SUV full of drug-dealing supplies at the time.

Why wasn’t she in jail or at least have had her SUV impounded ?

Why? Because Rhode Island is a strong liberal and Democratic state.

Total crap assertion, poster. I’m the former prosecutor who posted second in this thread and the very long rap sheets of defendants, many with multiples DUIs, that I routinely saw in my practice were in red state MONTANA.

These issues in our criminal justice system are UNIVERSAL across blue and red states alike. I’ve been to multiple national trainings and have professional relationships with prosecutors all over the country, and beyond my practice I’ve made a habit of following the issues of criminal justice reform closely. This is NOT a blue state problem and you probably won’t accept that because you’re not interested in facts or solving complex problems, you’re a knee jerk reactionary only interesting in bleating the red hat sheep code of the day.

Why is your leader pardoning serious drug crime king pins? Why is he pardoning Jan 6ers who assaulted law enforcement officers? Have you noticed how many of those people have since been rearrested on despicable criminal behavior? STFU, you’re not a serious human being.

I disagree. I worked in the criminal justice field in Maryland (PG County) and then in Virginia. Maryland has a much bigger crime problem and the common denominator seems to be the harshness of the sentences. I had someone on probation for his seventh DUI conviction in Maryland. Do you know how hard it is for someone to get seven DUI convictions and how many times he had to have driven drunk where he wasn’t caught, or his case was dismissed? In Virginia there’s mandatory jail time for speeding over a certain speed.

Loudoun County went down a bad path for a few years and crime went up. We’ve righted the ship. This absolutely has to do with politics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
How is this even possible?

https://www.wcvb.com/article/godbout-macleod-hopkinton-ri-fatal-crash/69663985

How can a driver be given 40 traffic citations in addition to over 100 arrests, and still be just driving around out there? Plus, she had an SUV full of drug-dealing supplies at the time.

Why wasn’t she in jail or at least have had her SUV impounded ?

What part of “blue state” do you not understand?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
How is this even possible?

https://www.wcvb.com/article/godbout-macleod-hopkinton-ri-fatal-crash/69663985

How can a driver be given 40 traffic citations in addition to over 100 arrests, and still be just driving around out there? Plus, she had an SUV full of drug-dealing supplies at the time.

Why wasn’t she in jail or at least have had her SUV impounded ?

Why? Because Rhode Island is a strong liberal and Democratic state.

Total crap assertion, poster. I’m the former prosecutor who posted second in this thread and the very long rap sheets of defendants, many with multiples DUIs, that I routinely saw in my practice were in red state MONTANA.

These issues in our criminal justice system are UNIVERSAL across blue and red states alike. I’ve been to multiple national trainings and have professional relationships with prosecutors all over the country, and beyond my practice I’ve made a habit of following the issues of criminal justice reform closely. This is NOT a blue state problem and you probably won’t accept that because you’re not interested in facts or solving complex problems, you’re a knee jerk reactionary only interesting in bleating the red hat sheep code of the day.

Why is your leader pardoning serious drug crime king pins? Why is he pardoning Jan 6ers who assaulted law enforcement officers? Have you noticed how many of those people have since been rearrested on despicable criminal behavior? STFU, you’re not a serious human being.

I disagree. I worked in the criminal justice field in Maryland (PG County) and then in Virginia. Maryland has a much bigger crime problem and the common denominator seems to be the harshness of the sentences. I had someone on probation for his seventh DUI conviction in Maryland. Do you know how hard it is for someone to get seven DUI convictions and how many times he had to have driven drunk where he wasn’t caught, or his case was dismissed? In Virginia there’s mandatory jail time for speeding over a certain speed.

Loudoun County went down a bad path for a few years and crime went up. We’ve righted the ship. This absolutely has to do with politics.

If someone has seven DUIs, they are obviously an alcoholic. Alcoholism is a disability. Disabled persons are mistreated by society. Ergo, DUI drivers get white glove treatment.

[Anonymous]

Traffic enforcement, like all criminal enforcement, is racist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
How is this even possible?

https://www.wcvb.com/article/godbout-macleod-hopkinton-ri-fatal-crash/69663985

How can a driver be given 40 traffic citations in addition to over 100 arrests, and still be just driving around out there? Plus, she had an SUV full of drug-dealing supplies at the time.

Why wasn’t she in jail or at least have had her SUV impounded ?

Why? Because Rhode Island is a strong liberal and Democratic state.

Total crap assertion, poster. I’m the former prosecutor who posted second in this thread and the very long rap sheets of defendants, many with multiples DUIs, that I routinely saw in my practice were in red state MONTANA.

These issues in our criminal justice system are UNIVERSAL across blue and red states alike. I’ve been to multiple national trainings and have professional relationships with prosecutors all over the country, and beyond my practice I’ve made a habit of following the issues of criminal justice reform closely. This is NOT a blue state problem and you probably won’t accept that because you’re not interested in facts or solving complex problems, you’re a knee jerk reactionary only interesting in bleating the red hat sheep code of the day.

Why is your leader pardoning serious drug crime king pins? Why is he pardoning Jan 6ers who assaulted law enforcement officers? Have you noticed how many of those people have since been rearrested on despicable criminal behavior? STFU, you’re not a serious human being.

I disagree. I worked in the criminal justice field in Maryland (PG County) and then in Virginia. Maryland has a much bigger crime problem and the common denominator seems to be the harshness of the sentences. I had someone on probation for his seventh DUI conviction in Maryland. Do you know how hard it is for someone to get seven DUI convictions and how many times he had to have driven drunk where he wasn’t caught, or his case was dismissed? In Virginia there’s mandatory jail time for speeding over a certain speed.

Loudoun County went down a bad path for a few years and crime went up. We’ve righted the ship. This absolutely has to do with politics.

+1 Of course it does. Just look at consequences for crimes in FL or Texas vs more liberal areas.

[Anonymous]

Former prosecutor here and again, this is not a red state blue state issue as there are plenty of red states that allow lenient sentencing on DUI and many folks who are habitual drunk drivers are still out in the world and plenty of them don’t balk at driving without a license.

It’s the vehicular homicide that finally gets them into prison, not the multiple DUIs over decades.

America continues to have a bipartisan fraught relationship with alcohol and DUI. If we doled out heavy prison sentences to repeat DUI offenders, we’d never stop building prisons. We save the harsh sentences for when they kill someone else and that happens red states and blue states alike, I’ve practiced in both I’ve seen the sentencing regimes up close.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Former prosecutor here and again, this is not a red state blue state issue as there are plenty of red states that allow lenient sentencing on DUI and many folks who are habitual drunk drivers are still out in the world and plenty of them don’t balk at driving without a license.

It’s the vehicular homicide that finally gets them into prison, not the multiple DUIs over decades.

America continues to have a bipartisan fraught relationship with alcohol and DUI. If we doled out heavy prison sentences to repeat DUI offenders, we’d never stop building prisons. We save the harsh sentences for when they kill someone else and that happens red states and blue states alike, I’ve practiced in both I’ve seen the sentencing regimes up close.

Try driving drunk in certain counties in Georgia. Your butt will be in jail for an extended time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former prosecutor here and again, this is not a red state blue state issue as there are plenty of red states that allow lenient sentencing on DUI and many folks who are habitual drunk drivers are still out in the world and plenty of them don’t balk at driving without a license.

It’s the vehicular homicide that finally gets them into prison, not the multiple DUIs over decades.

America continues to have a bipartisan fraught relationship with alcohol and DUI. If we doled out heavy prison sentences to repeat DUI offenders, we’d never stop building prisons. We save the harsh sentences for when they kill someone else and that happens red states and blue states alike, I’ve practiced in both I’ve seen the sentencing regimes up close.

Try driving drunk in certain counties in Georgia. Your butt will be in jail for an extended time.

That’s simply not true. Unless you can point me to specific cases in the public record that I can look at myself and not just your certain assertion, I can see what the statutory penalties for DUI are in Georgia and I know without doubt that most first offenders get zero jail time after they bail and most second offenders as well. You’ll go to prison when you kill someone, of course. That’s how the DUI statues are nationwide poster, no matter your certainty otherwise.

First DUI Offense Penalties (Within 5 Years)
Jail: Minimum 24 hours (can be up to 1 year).
Fines: $300 - $1,000.
License Suspension: 120 days (can get a work permit).
Probation: Up to 12 months.
Community Service: 40 hours.
DUI School/Evaluation: Required.

Second DUI Offense Penalties (Within 5 Years)
Jail: Minimum 48 hours (up to 1 year).
Fines: $600 - $1,000.
License Suspension: 3 years (with reinstatement fee).
Community Service: Minimum 30 days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former prosecutor here and again, this is not a red state blue state issue as there are plenty of red states that allow lenient sentencing on DUI and many folks who are habitual drunk drivers are still out in the world and plenty of them don’t balk at driving without a license.

It’s the vehicular homicide that finally gets them into prison, not the multiple DUIs over decades.

America continues to have a bipartisan fraught relationship with alcohol and DUI. If we doled out heavy prison sentences to repeat DUI offenders, we’d never stop building prisons. We save the harsh sentences for when they kill someone else and that happens red states and blue states alike, I’ve practiced in both I’ve seen the sentencing regimes up close.

Try driving drunk in certain counties in Georgia. Your butt will be in jail for an extended time.

That’s simply not true. Unless you can point me to specific cases in the public record that I can look at myself and not just your certain assertion, I can see what the statutory penalties for DUI are in Georgia and I know without doubt that most first offenders get zero jail time after they bail and most second offenders as well. You’ll go to prison when you kill someone, of course. That’s how the DUI statues are nationwide poster, no matter your certainty otherwise.

First DUI Offense Penalties (Within 5 Years)
Jail: Minimum 24 hours (can be up to 1 year).
Fines: $300 - $1,000.
License Suspension: 120 days (can get a work permit).
Probation: Up to 12 months.
Community Service: 40 hours.
DUI School/Evaluation: Required.

Second DUI Offense Penalties (Within 5 Years)
Jail: Minimum 48 hours (up to 1 year).
Fines: $600 - $1,000.
License Suspension: 3 years (with reinstatement fee).
Community Service: Minimum 30 days.

To clarify, I just posted the GA penalties for DUI. I know from experience that absent poverty resulting in inability to bail before the case resolves, most folks get the 24 or 48 hours in jail and no other jail time.

We still look at DUI as a white collar crime because we have lots of white collar professionals doing it every weekend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former prosecutor here and again, this is not a red state blue state issue as there are plenty of red states that allow lenient sentencing on DUI and many folks who are habitual drunk drivers are still out in the world and plenty of them don’t balk at driving without a license.

It’s the vehicular homicide that finally gets them into prison, not the multiple DUIs over decades.

America continues to have a bipartisan fraught relationship with alcohol and DUI. If we doled out heavy prison sentences to repeat DUI offenders, we’d never stop building prisons. We save the harsh sentences for when they kill someone else and that happens red states and blue states alike, I’ve practiced in both I’ve seen the sentencing regimes up close.

Try driving drunk in certain counties in Georgia. Your butt will be in jail for an extended time.

By the way, the law is uniform statewide and while it’s true judges can be more or less punitive by county, the statute limits the penalty and they can’t go beyond it.

Apparently if you offend a third time within 5 years it’s still a misdemeanor but a slightly worse one - 15 days jail minimum! The horror! Georgia appears just as lax on drunk driving as everywhere else.

DUI IN GEORGIA THIRD OFFENSE
IN Georgia, a third DUI conviction, within 5 years of the first DUI, positions an individual as a habitual offender.

Jail time, min. 15 days + community service.
Fines up to $5,000 + other fees.
Mandatory suspension of driver's license.
Mandatory vehicle ignition interlock device.

THIRD DUI PENALTIES
In Georgia, conviction of a third DUI, within 10 years of the first DUI conviction, is a high and aggravated misdemeanor. It brings significant penalties which includes:

Jail time, min. 15 days + community service.
Fines up to $5,000 + other fees.
5-year driver's license suspension
Mandatory vehicle ignition interlock device.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former prosecutor here and again, this is not a red state blue state issue as there are plenty of red states that allow lenient sentencing on DUI and many folks who are habitual drunk drivers are still out in the world and plenty of them don’t balk at driving without a license.

It’s the vehicular homicide that finally gets them into prison, not the multiple DUIs over decades.

America continues to have a bipartisan fraught relationship with alcohol and DUI. If we doled out heavy prison sentences to repeat DUI offenders, we’d never stop building prisons. We save the harsh sentences for when they kill someone else and that happens red states and blue states alike, I’ve practiced in both I’ve seen the sentencing regimes up close.

Try driving drunk in certain counties in Georgia. Your butt will be in jail for an extended time.

That’s simply not true. Unless you can point me to specific cases in the public record that I can look at myself and not just your certain assertion, I can see what the statutory penalties for DUI are in Georgia and I know without doubt that most first offenders get zero jail time after they bail and most second offenders as well. You’ll go to prison when you kill someone, of course. That’s how the DUI statues are nationwide poster, no matter your certainty otherwise.

First DUI Offense Penalties (Within 5 Years)
Jail: Minimum 24 hours (can be up to 1 year).
Fines: $300 - $1,000.
License Suspension: 120 days (can get a work permit).
Probation: Up to 12 months.
Community Service: 40 hours.
DUI School/Evaluation: Required.

Second DUI Offense Penalties (Within 5 Years)
Jail: Minimum 48 hours (up to 1 year).
Fines: $600 - $1,000.
License Suspension: 3 years (with reinstatement fee).
Community Service: Minimum 30 days.

To clarify, I just posted the GA penalties for DUI. I know from experience that absent poverty resulting in inability to bail before the case resolves, most folks get the 24 or 48 hours in jail and no other jail time.

We still look at DUI as a white collar crime because we have lots of white collar professionals doing it every weekend.

Mostly because people think these habitual offenders are just having two beers like most white collar professionals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Former prosecutor here and again, this is not a red state blue state issue as there are plenty of red states that allow lenient sentencing on DUI and many folks who are habitual drunk drivers are still out in the world and plenty of them don’t balk at driving without a license.

It’s the vehicular homicide that finally gets them into prison, not the multiple DUIs over decades.

America continues to have a bipartisan fraught relationship with alcohol and DUI. If we doled out heavy prison sentences to repeat DUI offenders, we’d never stop building prisons. We save the harsh sentences for when they kill someone else and that happens red states and blue states alike, I’ve practiced in both I’ve seen the sentencing regimes up close.

What about shaming? Post their mugshots in public places.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former prosecutor here and again, this is not a red state blue state issue as there are plenty of red states that allow lenient sentencing on DUI and many folks who are habitual drunk drivers are still out in the world and plenty of them don’t balk at driving without a license.

It’s the vehicular homicide that finally gets them into prison, not the multiple DUIs over decades.

America continues to have a bipartisan fraught relationship with alcohol and DUI. If we doled out heavy prison sentences to repeat DUI offenders, we’d never stop building prisons. We save the harsh sentences for when they kill someone else and that happens red states and blue states alike, I’ve practiced in both I’ve seen the sentencing regimes up close.

What about shaming? Post their mugshots in public places.

When I lived in rural Maine the local paper published the court convictions docket every week including all crimes, and once upon a time people paid attention to such things.

Generally the criminal convictions are a matter of public record but people have to be interested in looking it up - this is another way in which losing local news outlets including local papers has changed the social dynamic.

Because yes we should all shame the drunk drivers and wife beaters around us, they are actual criminals whose crimes are not victimless.