DRUNK DRIVER SENTENCED TO 56 YEARS IN PRISON

A West Virginia circuit court judge recently sentenced a habitual drunk driver to up to 56-years in prison. Brian Stone was convicted on 14 misdemeanor counts and 12 felony counts of drunk driving and related offenses, and was sentenced to 14-years in a regional jail, to be followed by 27-56 years in a state penitentiary. He was also fined $64,000.

Mr. Stone’s involvement in an accident, July 2007, killed five people and seriously injured seven. Stone had seven previous DUI convictions and nine DUI related arrests prior to this accident. Mr. Stone was found to have a BAC of 0.23 after his vehicle rear-ended another while traveling on a West Virginia interstate, causing the vehicle to cross the median and strike another car. He was charged and convicted with DUI causing death, DUI with injury, leaving the scene of an accident involving death and injury, and DUI. Stone will likely now be extradited to Pennsylvania to face charges of tampering with public driving records and committing automobile insurance fraud.

Driving Under the Influence (DUI)

In Pennsylvania, DUI convictions carry certain mandatory minimum penalties. Elements of the conviction determine the sentence, and other mitigating factors such as past convictions increase penalties exponentially. In the case where fatalities are involved, a mandatory sentence of 3-years in prison, per victim, will apply. Other penalties such as license revocation and fines are also associated with DUI convictions.

If you have been arrested for Drunk Driving, DUI, DWI, or Underage Drinking, contact a Philadelphia Criminal Defense Attorney immediately. These are defenses which are available to you, which can reduce or eliminate penalties associated with the