• 17
  • August
    2010

In DWI-related news, a judge in Williamson County, Texas, recently sentenced a man to life in prison for his ninth DWI conviction.

In the early part of July, 54 year-old Bobby Stovall was arrested in Round Rock, Texas for driving while intoxicated (DWI). According to police reports, Stovall veered his pickup truck across several lanes of traffic and struck another motor vehicle, causing serious injuries to the other driver.

His blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was subsequently determined by law enforcement officials to be .32, more than four times the legal limit (.08).

Upon discovering that Stovall had eight prior convictions for driving under the influence, the judge sentenced him to life in prison.

In addition to his DWI convictions, Stovall had also been convicted for various other offenses, including credit card abuse, burglary, theft, possession of a controlled substance and supplying alcohol to a minor.

The verdict has already created a significant stir in the legal community. While proponents are applauding the sentence as both appropriate and necessary given the circumstances, opponents are condemning it as unduly harsh and shortsighted in its failure to account for chemical dependency.

According to Williamson County District Attorney Jon Bradley, the sentence was suitable.

"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 Bradley.

Lawrence Taylor, a prominent DWI attorney, views the sentence as tantamount to "ending [Stovall's] life."

"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 Taylor.

Stay tuned for further developments ... 

Related Resources:

• Is Life Sentence Too Harsh for Man Convicted of Ninth DWI? (ABC News)