Texas man gets Life in Prison for 9th DUI !!!

[Richard L]

WACO - Russell Sneed has been arrested 9 times in the last 25 years for driving drunk. Thursday, 52-year-old Sneed was sentenced to life in prison.

Not concerned about his own risk, a jury put him behind bars for good before he hurt someone else.

At the time of his 9th DWI, last September, investigators say his blood alcohol content was .26. That's more than three times the legal limit.

Sneed had been in and out of jails from Houston to Waco since 1985. He had even been sentenced to 40 years after his 7th DWI, but was paroled.

He committed an 8th DWI and was sentenced to 10 more years, but once again he was released on parole. It was during that time he rolled his car in Bruceville Eddy.

As sentencing began Thursday morning, prosecutors were determined not to let Sneed have a shot at number ten.

McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna told News Channel 25, "We're not going to tolerate that in McLennan County. If you victimize our citizens or put our citizens in jeopardy by your conduct, then we will respond swiftly and aggressively... and that's what happened in this case."

Reyna credits his team of aggressive prosecutors for getting Sneed the maximum sentence in this type of case and hopes it sends a warning to others tempted to taunt the law in McLennan County.

In all fairness to the District Attorney, he was just elected this past November and is obviously cracking down on DUI's:banana: Now if he can get some support from the Texas Parole Board and they will stop letting these guys out :fire:



....Rich

 

[Jerry Gerner 2]

Bought time, I think if he wouldve killed someone the parole board should be locked up for letting him out again. WTH, why do they let these people go, if they don't change I say kill them and be done with it, especially sex offenders, robbers, etc.. Why pay to house these people and give them better living conditions then alot of hard working law abiding citizens. And it doesn't cost $1million to off someone on death row, one bullet, that's it, not $300k to swab their arm before the needle goes in. :fire::fire::angry::soap:

 

[Scott Tanner]

We got one of those, too...



http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2011/06/repeat_dwi_offender_dean_tuszy_1.html



why did it take so long?

 

[ed ritti]

I still promote my slave labor for prisoners. Companies can run sweatshops in prison and they don't have to pay the prisoners. Just have to pay for meals, medical, and guards. The taxpayers pay for the building.



taxpayers save, prisoners learn a skill, and it sucks even more to go to prison. plus jobs don't go overseas.

 

[Todd Z]

To me, and i am not knowledgabe on this...



I see that the jails are full, the cost to keep some one in jail for life, and the laws are not strict enough due to all the BS, lawyers and who ever keeps the laws from getting stronger..



Todd Z

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Incarceration, death penalty, tough laws, too lenient laws, lawyers trying to get their scumbag clients off... all of these things are closing the barn door after the horse has gotten out.



We need to start attacking the root causes of some of these things.



Clearly this guy has a drinking problem. He will get a chance to sober up now, I guess.



I'm not blaming society, and I am not excusing those that do wrong. I'm just saying the current approach to dealing with societal ills doesn't seem to be helping.



TJR

 

[Roger Batts]

I am all for keeping drunk drivers off the streets. In May of 1989, just days after my high school graduation, I had an uncle driving back to Shreveport from Beaumont when an idiot with a BAC higher than this guy's crossed over the median in his lifted and hotrodded full sized Chevy Blazer and made like Bigfoot with my uncle's Renault Alliance. That was my first funeral as a pallbearer.



I like the idea of making them work instead of lying around getting fat and sassy on my dime while I bust my butt trying to provide for me and mine!

 

[Richard L]

TJR,

I kind of agree that our current laws and penal system is not working. Here in Texas there have been a number of notable cases were vicious killers were paroled, even by mistake and ended up killing again...Henry Lee Lucas, and James McDuff, just to name a few.



Now we find out this character was sentenced to 40 years and probably only spent a year or two in jail, only to get out and get another (8th) DUI, get another 10 years??? and is out on parole in time to commit his 9th DUI????



I think the first DUI should be some jail time, a stiff fine and a 1 year suspended license (after he gets out of prison). The second DUI should be a minimum of 5 years in jail, a $10K fine, the car is forfeited, and drivers license revoked for life! The third DUI, you go to jail for life, no parole, do not pass goal, do not collect $200



If you injure or kill someone while driving drunk, you get Life in prison without any chance of parole even if it is your first DUI.



...Rich

 

[EddieS'04]

Richard, I was under the impression about 10 yrs ago. Texas passed a law that #3 was a felony. With a fixed prison time, no parole. I could be wrong.

I worked with a guy that got #3. He was realy worried about it. It turns out his #3 was in lousisana. Didnt count on his Texas record.

 

[Richard L]

Eddie,

I heard the same thing...3 strikes and you are out. Unfortunately, there are people who are able to skate around it, and frankly there are a lot of DA's that do not push it. It's easier to cut a deal with the guy to plead to a lesser charge and the DA will not invoke the 3 strike rule??





....Rich

 

[Julio R 2]

good if it was up to me i would have cut both his legs off so he could never drive again have zero tolerance for people like that