Life in prison for a DUI? You betcha in Texas!

I recently saw an article about a woman who received a life sentence in prison for her 6th DUI conviction.  That's right life in prison.  You may be surprised by that, especially considering it wasn't a vehicular homicide or vehicular assault case, but a run of the mill DUI.  But I'm here to tell you these types of sentences are becoming more and more common recently.  So what happened you ask?

Rose Ann Davidson, 44, was arrested by a Kyle police officer in the early morning hours of July 27, 2012, on Interstate 35 after he observed her driving erratically. The officer concluded she was intoxicated and found an open container of beer in her vehicle.  Davidson had five prior convictions for driving while intoxicated dating back to 1996 and had only recently been released from prison, Hays County officials said.

As a DUI Lawyer in Seattle this type of a sentence does not surprise me.  Especially considering the shift in public and media perception of DUI offenses.  If you have been following my blog about Seattle DUI Defense you will know that these types of sentences are going to become more common as the years go by.  Repeat DUI offenders are not being tolerated, and this case in Texas is just another example.

A few days ago I stumbled across a blog where the author said people charged with DUI's do not need an attorney.  That DUI Attorneys are only in the business of scaring people so they can charge an exorbitant fee and prey on their fears.  I almost spit up my coffee when I saw this "so called advice."  By hey to each their own.  

Im a DUI Lawyer and I do this for a living.  I have never seen a case where a defendant appeared pro se and they were better off.  I've seen people think they were smart and they could represent themselves.  But it almost always ends up badly for them, and it is definitely not something one should consider.  Especially considering the increase in more zealous prosecutions for even first time offenses.  

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About the author: Matthew Leyba the owner of Leyba Defense PLLC, a Seattle DUI based law firm, focuses exclusively on representing those accused of DUI and other traffic offenses.