Posted on 11/25/2012 10:36:04 PM PST by Slings and Arrows
Comal County, Tex. (CBS HOUSTON) – A Guadalupe County man arrested for his eighth DWI has been sentenced to life in prison after being pulled over last February with a Blood Alcohol level equivalent to consuming 23.5 beers.
In late February, authorities say Cornelio Garcia-Mata was driving nearly six times the legal alcohol limit, when he was pulled over around 6 p.m. off Interstate 35 in New Braunfels, WOAI-TV reports. Garcia-Mata got his first DWI in 1990. While on probation, he picked up his second. Since he’s a habitual offender he faced 25 years to life in prison for his latest offense.
“Subsequent blood tests shows that his blood alcohol was .446,” Comal County Chief Felony Prosecutor, Sammy McCrary told the court, according to WOAI. “It was a good verdict for the community. That’s somebody we won’t have to worry about killing somebody.”
In a video posted on YouTube from Feb. 26, 2012, an officer’s dashboard camera shows Garcia-Mata swerving in his truck before being pulled over on suspicion of intoxication. “How much alcohol have you been drinking today?” asks the officer. “I’m not drinking,” Garcia-Mata replied in slurred speech.
Prosecutors said his blood-alcohol level was five times the legal limit.
He has been held since then at the Comal County Jail without bond after a hold was placed on his release by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. He was indicted in May, arraigned in June, and went to trial on Tuesday last week in front of a Comal County jury. They later returned a guilty verdict and a finding that Garcia-Mata’s vehicle was a deadly weapon because of his previous felony DWI convictions.
What would normally be a third degree felony with a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison, became a 1st degree felony with a possible sentence of 25 years to life, KGNB Radio reported. After deliberating for only 20 minutes, the jury returned with the maximum penalty: life in prison.
In 2008, Garcia-Mata served less than two years of a six-year sentence, McCrary told WOAI. Garcia-Mata had seven prior DWI convictions out of Guadalupe County, which included felony charges. Garcia-Mata now awaits transfer into the state prison system.
Garcia-Mata will be eligible for parole in 30 years – when he is 75 years old.
Just pretend he was high on pot. Ya’ll will feel better.
Why should the taxpayers support him for the rest of his miserable life?
If he's a legal, deport him anyhow.
I'm not a Texan, but I think like one.
Leni
So a guy walks out of a bar at 8 PM after having 3 or 4 drinks with co-workers. A pig stakes out the place and decides to follow him due to his nice car. And even though he drives fine (i.e., much better than a typical sober 80 year old), he did not come to that FULL STOP before making the right turn on red. The next thing you know he has a criminal record and loses his job. We ALL know that happens.
But why does it have to be that way? Because of people like this guy - who will simply drive the moment he is released to society, and, of course, will eventually kill people. It is because of people like him that otherwise safe drivers by the THOUSANDS are having their lives wrecked. When a person gets to 4 or 5 DUIs (if not 3) in relatively short order, they have to be removed from society - or chained inside their residence - they simply are too dangerous to be left to be trusted not to drive drunk again - they don’t have control over themselves.
I'm not. My family and I drive I-35 in Comal County regularly. It's a little safer, now.
Yes, but they are a bunch of spoil sports. They limit each person on the river to no more than 17 quart coolers.
Punishment doesn’t fit the crime in this case. Sure, the guy ought to be fined if he is disturbing the peace, but if he hasn’t hurt anyone when shooting his gun, then why should he be locked up for a long period, or have a felony charge against him? IMHO, there is such a thing as over-enforcement of the law.There is a fine line between punishing someone before they have hurt anybody, and violating their rights.And often, it’s conservatives who don’t see that.Giving a guy the same sentence for DWI that you would get for killing someone?
I live in rural Texas, and if someone wants to get drunk at thier home (outside the city limits) and walk around firing their weapon,they won’t get caught, because it isn’t against the law as long as no one else or their property is damaged.:)
[SLAP SLAP]
Okay I'm back in 2012 now...
But why does it have to be that way?
Sounds like you had a tough (but fair) break. Hope this taught you a lesson and you have stopped drinking and driving.
Obviously you have not had a loved one seriously maimed or killed by a drunk driver, especially a habitual drunk driving idiot. I would only ask why did it take so many previous DWI convictions to finally arrive at this just sentence.
My husband drove drunk so many times, I shudder to think of the damage he could have caused. He is just plain lucky he was only caught once and that was reduced to wreckless driving because the police violated his rights when they administered the alcohol testing.
He finally went to rehab and has been sober over a year. Our lives have changed completely by his efforts and the grace of God.
I feel for this man and his family; instutions, prison, suicide, murder, and overdose, those are the consequences of an addicts failure to change his/her life.
He probably lost his license- and that is if he even had one- at his first or second DUI.
Is he illegal? Or should I even ask?
I mean, he has absolutely no regard for American laws.
Cops in the 1960’s used to stop my father, and they’d drive him home in their cruisers while their partners drove his car. They once towed his car out of a ditch.
Then the laws tightened up, and my dad lost his license for a year. My sister and I took turns driving him to and from work, and he was much more a stay-at-home drunk after that.
He never did time for it, but he got totally shitfaced every day of his life. The old bastard lived to be 75, pickled to the gills.
He was my father, and I love him, but he once told me he wished I had never been born. I was 15. So I didn’t like him very much after that.
I haven’t read the responses yet, but I anticipate much celebration by my fellow FReepers. What I failed to see in the article is any coverage of this individual causing personal or property damage that harmed another citizen. If anyone has any additional information I hope to see it posted.
Until I see any clarification, I find it disgusting that we would celebrate the improsinment of anyone for life that has NOT caused personal or property damage.
This is one of the reasons we have so many idiot drivers on the road. People now think that the only dangerous driving is DWI and that they can just be on auto pilot without paying attention. Why? Well, we very rarely see the charge of vehicular manslaughter without some BAC.
I say that anyone that causes personal or property damage with their vehicle should be charged with the full extent of the law. Any driver at fault! Anyone!
My friends children will have no memory of him, but alcohol was not involved so no big deal. He must be less dead!
No, the driver was not charged and never spent a day in jail.
“A world without alcohol wouldn’t bother me in the least.”
Seems we tried that once and experienced an epic fail. Amazingly, we always seem to forget history and now more than half the country want to try already proven failing policies!
I weep for this once free land.
Don’t worry, they are only putting another brick in the foundation for “jailing” gun owners for buying to much ammunition because some bullets kill and injure people!
No biggie, it isn’t like the left marches on towards tyranny or anything.
And that could even make more sense.
Since alcohol impairs one's judgement, an argument could be made that a drunk person can't make a reasonable decision about driving, while a sober person can make a reasonable decision about having a drink in the first place.
I'm not advocating this, but the argument could be made.
“But why does it have to be that way? Because of people like this guy -”
Wrong. It is as you describe because the police are after the most easily obtained revenue. In addition, MADD gets their cut, so they aren’t really interested in the extreme cases either. If they were, then they would offer shuttle services for bar patrons.
Plus, they have the bonus that if you point these things out then you are “pro drunk driving” and become an open target to DUmmies and FReepers alike!
Well, according to your way of thinking, we should let everyone out of prison who attempted to kill someone but didn’t. After all, no one was killed, right? What about armed bank robbers who hold up banks? Just let them walk since, after all, no one was shot and there was no property damage?
I had a childhood friend killed by a drunk driver. He was push starting a car and a drunk driver, with his headlights off, was being pursued by police and rammed my friend, cutting him in half.
He had EIGHT chances. He was BREAKING THE LAW. What else do you need. I really don’t care about anything else you have to say.
I WILL celebrate his being someone’s wife in prison.
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