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UPDATED: Man arrested for hit-and-run DUI has 26-page criminal record
Posted On 07 Dec 2009
A Williamsburg man received a probated jail sentence Monday afternoon after pleading guilty to a drunk driving charge stemming from a hit and run accident on the Cumberland Falls Highway Thursday night.
Joel Terrell, 35, of 284 Marie Circle, pleaded guilty Monday to operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol/drugs and no insurance during his arraignment before District Judge Jason Price.
"This one right here I’m guilty of," he told Price. Price noted that Terrell had a second DUI charge still pending from an older case.
Price sentenced Terrell to 30 days in jail. Price credited Terrell with having already served five days in jail and agreed to conditionally discharge the remaining days. He also ordered Terrell to pay $1,381 in fines and court costs.
Kentucky State Police Trooper R.D. Foley initially charged Terrell, 35, with leaving the scene of an accident and careless driving. Price merged the careless driving and leaving the scene of an accident charge in with the DUI charge after Terrell entered his guilty plea Monday.
Whitley County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a hit and run accident on the Cumberland Falls Highway about 10:34 p.m. Thursday, and a witness told police that the vehicle that left was a gold colored General Motors pick-up truck with a license plate that had the first three digits 985, Foley wrote on the arrest citation.
Foley located a 1994 gold Sierra pick-up truck with the license plate number 985HAV on Ky. 204W, he wrote.
"When I passed the vehicle, I observed that it had damage to the front passenger’s side," Foley wrote. "When I got behind the vehicle, I observed the vehicle swerving. I initiated a traffic stop and on approach to the driver, I could smell a strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from his person and breath."
Foley noted that he offered Terrell a field sobriety test.
"The driver advised that he was too intoxicated to perform walk and turn and one legged stand. The driver advised me that he had several shots of whiskey prior to driving," Foley wrote.
Terrell had a blood alcohol level of .126, according to his arrest citation. A person is considered legally intoxicated with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 under Kentucky law.
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Our drunk driving laws need to be serioiusly readapted for the major amount of drunk driving that seems to be occuring. At present, most people would be shocked to know that it is standard for a person to receive no jail time for a first offense DUI.
But in the Judge’s defense, a person is required to attend a Drug and Alcohol class as a part of the sentence. $350 of the fine is to pay for the cost of the class. They also lose their license for a period of time, which has not been reported in this article.
man…just a slap on the wrist and he is free to go out and endanger innocent people again…when he kills someone, more than likely an innocent child, how will the judge feel then…probably nothing or he would have already taken this guy off the streets…he apparently has a drinking problem so why wasn’t he made to go to rehab? it is just sad what this world is coming too…
Someone with a criminal record like this should be incarcerated for life.
I think that it’s a shame that this man only got a slap on the wrist!! He should have to serve some kind of harsher punishment. And for Price to merge the leaving the scene of an accident and the careless driving charges in with the DUI is a load of crap. I am sure the guy has already been out drinking and driving since this hearing. If you just slap them on the wrist they will never learn to take responsibility for their actions and feel that they are above the law and the rules don’t apply to them. What is he going to do if this guy kills someone the next time he goes out and does this. I pray that it doesn’t happen, but you can bet that Mr. Price is really going to feel guilty then!! I think that pleading guilty for a lesser charge should be banned. If you are guilty you are guilty and you should have to serve the punishment for the crime you were originally charged for and guilty of!
There you are, a 26 page record and he’s out and free to do it again already, I guess this drunk has to kill someone before he spends any serious time in jail and even then I doubt he will, I wonder who he knows?
The roads are so dangerous today with all the drunks. It is scary.