Alright guys.... Let me start this off right... First of all, friend of mine screwed up bigtime... He went to his girls house, they were drinking alot, started arguing, he decided it was best for him to leave... good thought... well he decided to get into his car....... cops were two doors down, he took off at 1:30 in the morning like a bat out of hell...... obviously they lit him up. Here is were it gets bad. He paniced and ran, this is were it gets really bad, about six miles later he crashed into someones wall and bounced of the house. Obviously he screwed up, and I am a firm beliver he needs to pay his dues, but his arrangement was today and the DA is charging him with three seperate felonies, felony DUI, Felony evasion, and felony vandalism...... This is not good, the da was asked if there was any offer for a plea, and in teh DA's words... No, ths is a former service member and he should have known better....... The DA convinced teh judge he is a flight risk so he is still in jail, and the DA wants to make an example of him, and is pushing for three strikes. Now this is not the first time he has had a DUI, he is 27 now, and had a DUI when he was 21.... I get that, its bad..... But he is really a good guy, going through a divorce in which she took everything and he is in a bad place in his head right now. He knows he did wrong and is willing to serve his time and pay his dues....... But three striking him means life..... I am asking for prayers that his time in jail now he will be safe, and that this will be the final turning point in were he gets his head back on track. That this is what will send him in nothing but and up and up citizen, and it is what will keep him from drinking at all anymore. I am also asking for prayer that our wonderfull legal system isnt used against him in a wya that completly destroys the rest of his life, this was a stupid stupid mistake, one he will pay dearly for..... So please send out some prayers that some compassion will be found, and that he will be able to get his life back on track after serving his time, paying his restitutions, and that he will actually be released back into society. Thanks in advance, Dustin
Dustin, I recognize that you want to help your friend. Unfortunately, drinking and driving for me is inexcusable, let alone running from the cops and vandalizing someone's property. Let's be happy that your buddy didn't kill anyone. Aside from that, he needs to sit in the pokey for a little while, in my opinion.
Sorry man, he'll have my prayers for safety, sobriety, and sanity but the DA is correct in what he's doing. He could have easily killed someone (or himself). You said he already had a previous DUI, clearly the slap on the wrist he got the first time wasn't an effective deterrent. Keeping him away from society isn't just a punishment for him, it's a safety measure for the rest of us.
its crazy how chicks drive some guys nuts I feel for the guy- one of my best friends was in the same boat and let it get the best of him.. Thank God they didnt kill nobody. I hope he learns his lesson and gets off without life... (thats pretty harsh)
Alcohol and the problems it can cause. Three strikes is a crap law and should never have been voted in.
I will respectfully disagree. Since the majority of crime is committed by repeat offenders, I believe it makes perfect sense to help protect society from people unwilling to live within our laws. They've already demonstrated that education and rehabilitation does not work on them. I'll go out on a limb and suggest that many of these criminals did not get caught for every crime they committed so it's not likely they only committed three crimes. What baffles me is how someone can be so stupid to commit a crime when they have two strikes and they know the next time they're caught, they will be spending a long time in the gray bar hotel. I say build a thousand more prisons. Weighing the cost to build and operate them pales in comparison to the damage done by criminals both financially and in their victims anguish.
What your friend did was wrong, very wrong. But to get 25 years to life ( that's what 3 strikes will do for him) is also wrong as is the law as it's written. Before folks start talking about what he deserves I want them to consider this, they are legally drunk after 1 beer and how many here have got behind the wheel and driven after one beer? Don't tell me what the legal blood alcohol content is, it makes no difference. Now you've had a beer and then theres an accident, even though you may not have been the one who caused it and people died, say 3 people died, guess what, that's 3 strikes and you only had 1 beer. Now you are going to prison for the rest of your life. I know this isn't what happened here all I'm trying to point out is it could happen to you or a loved one of yours. Before you condem thi man, think about if you were in his shoes. I don't drink and I hate alcohol. It is partly responsible for so many friends and loved ones deaths. If they made it as illegal as heroin it'd be alright with me.
While I don't care to comment on whether or not he deserves a harsh punishment, what we don't know is that the resulting situation could have been much worse. This guy had too much to drink and was arguing with his girlfriend. Who knows what a guy like this may have done under the influence of alcohol to his girlfriend. Considering that fortunately it sounds like no one else was injured, the results of his decision to get into the car and get away from his girlfriend, may have been the better than had he stayed.
Please everyone... dont get me wrong. First off I am glad he did not get away. Chances are if he did get away he would have ended up on my front forch at 3 in teh morning were I would have called it in myself. Make no mistake, I will be the first to say it, he screwed up big time, and deservse punishment, but while three strikes is a good law, in some cases it is however taken too far. I want to see him punished for his actions friend or not thats how I feel...... I want to see his life eventually back on track..... But I dont want to see his life destroyed completly. I see every point that is brought up here.... yes it is inexcusable... absolutly 100%.... He is a good guy that did something stupid, illeagal, wrong and will be paying a very hefty price... but it shouldnt be his entire life........... My prayers are that he will remain safe while incarcerated, he will get help for his depression and alcohol problems, and I can be there to pick him up when he is released to contiue to steer him on the right path.
Help me to understand your point a little better.....You think that he made a better decision to get in his car DRUNK, run from that cops and crash into someone's house? You are saying that his real actions are better than what "supposedly" could have happened, had he stuck around and not driven his car? You, my friend, should sign up for criminal defense law school.
No No No...... I see what he is saying.... He isnt a guy that would have hurt her, but he is smart enough to know he needed to get out....... As we all know when alcohol or other substances that impares our judgement are involved... bad things happen.............. I myself am gratefull noone was hurt....... I wish though that he would have had the foresight enough to have called me instead of getting into his car. Hindsight is 20 20 they say......... I wont turn my back on a friend, I will be there to give support as I can, that is as long as he is still owning up to his actions and taking his deserved punishment........
I wish the best for your friend, his incarceration, and (hopefully) his recovery. And I hope he realizes how blessed he was to get what he got for the actions he chose to take. My oldest sister was not so fortunate in a drunk driving accident.
going by the thread title, I thought the op is soliciting prayers for somebody that got hurt or someone that has some serious illness. turned out it's for a repeat offender and that got me into some serious head scratching Anyways, I just wish the guy good luck and hope he straighten his life out.
No, you're misinterpreting what I wrote. No, he did not make any good decisions. However, this story could have just as easily been "guy gets drunk, gets in an arguement with his girlfriend, and and ______s her" I'm not defending this guy in any way. His actions were inexcusable. According to the story, at no time did he exercise good judgement.
I am very sorry to hear of your sister, so hearing that there means alot coming from someone with an incident in there past such as that. Honestly this is a point in a friendship were they will either become a great friend and family member, or they will continue to go downhill. Either I can continue to be a positive influence in his life, or he can become a bad influence in mine........ Thats were it gets tough for me.... there does come a point were you do walk away.... Im not there yet.......
The prayer is being asked cause I am watching a good person going down a dark path..... and he needs to see the light before he does get himself or someone else hurt.
Society has to be protected from people likely to make bad choices. I lost an uncle to a drunk driver. Which is more tragic: life in prison or two little girls growing up without a father? Why would he drink with someone he's likely to argue with? Was he sober when he arrived at her place? Were the cops responding to a diferent incident in the neighborhood? What was his reasoning for taking off like a bat out of hell? I thought that drunks were spotted by being slow but unsteady. He had a DUI at 21, when was his service? Honorable discharge? I've never heard of 3 felony counts for one incident. Does he have other felonies?
