CO Man’s 16th DUI Charge Prompts Felony DUI Law Debate Carl Ceder
Transcript
1. CO Mans 16th DUI Charge Prompts Felony DUI Law Debate Carl
Ceder
2. The 16th driving under the influence charge of a Colorado
man has encouraged state legislators to reconsider their drunken
driving laws. In November, a grand jury in Colorado has indicted
Denny Lovern, 57, on multiple charges that are related with this
latest DUI-related accident. Lovern admitted he had too much to
drink and shouldnt have been operating a motor vehicle. The jury
indicted Lovern on 9 charges, which included attempted first-degree
assault and attempted manslaughter. According to the eighteenth
Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler, this case is the first
one his office has pursued from chronic DUI offender. Colorado is
one of five states in the US, plus Washington D.C., that does not
have a felony DUI law. In Colorado, the most severe penalty on the
books for a DUI charge is one year in the county jail. The other
states that lack a DUI felony law are Maryland, Maine, New Jersey
and Pennsylvania. Under these particular circumstances, Colorado
prosecutors can bring felony DUI charges against an offender if the
charge is joint with a traffic offender indictment. In Loverns
case, he wasnt charged with an HTO because he had reinstated his
license with the DMV. Representative Mark Waller proposed a felony
DUI law twice, only to have the bill not pass. There are some
legislators that feel that there isnt enough data to encourage a
felony DUI law in order to make Colorado streets safer.