AP: Washington man gets jail (finally) for 14th DUI

Here’s a doozy of a story from the Associated Press (emphasis mine):

“MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) – A man is being held in the Skagit County Jail in Mount Vernon, Wash., in lieu of $150,000 bail after being arrested for the 14th time for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Superior Court documents say 46-year-old Aaron Bridge of Mount Vernon was arrested in Sedro-Woolley when a sheriff’s deputy smelled alcohol during a traffic stop. The documents say Bridge was also driving with a suspended license.

The documents say Tuesday’s arrest was Bridge’s 14th for suspicion of DUI in 16 years. They say Bridge has been convicted at least four times in the past 10 years.

Bridge was charged with a felony DUI on Thursday. The felony DUI law went into effect in July 2007 and allows prosecutors to charge anyone with four prior DUI offenses within the past 10 years with a felony.”

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car owner and driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, feel free to contact me at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.

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Kt
Kt
15 years ago

Hey, I like that Washington law.

Wish we could do something to keep people with suspended licenses out of the driver’s seat!

Ek
Ek
15 years ago

The law is actually better in Oregon – a 4th DUII in 10 years becomes a felony.

K'Tesh
K'Tesh
15 years ago

Kt, heres something that was taken from the forums…

http://bikeportland.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2201

Have manufacturers of autos install some kind of software/input device.

There are a finite number of car insurers out there, so a list could be composed and when you purchace car insurance, you get a policy number.

The device contacts via cell technology the centralized insurance number, then verifies the VIN with the Policy, if they match, the car will start, if not, you have a very large paperweight.

If the car is stolen, the cell technology is used to kill the car’s engine, locking anybody inside.

To handle suspended drivers…

Install a rf chip in the D/L. If it gets suspended, no car will start with it inside, unless a valid card is also present.

Be Safe Out There!
K’Tesh

bicycler1951
bicycler1951
15 years ago

So why is this idiot still wasting oxygen? He obviously isn’t going to quit drinking and driving.

Opus the Poet
15 years ago

We have the same problem here in TX because all DUI prior to enactment of the Felony DUI law “don’t count” because they were traffic offenses, and the law specifies a higher grade of offense than the old law. All new DUI after the new law went into effect count towards the Felony DUI law, but there are still a few people out there driving around with more than a dozen DUIs on their records

SkidMark
SkidMark
15 years ago

K’tesh: how would any of that technology interface with anything other than a brand new car?

What I don’t understand is why you can get your license back after multiple DUIs, I would think it would be revoked at some point, maybe after 3 DUI’s (3 strikes you’re out).

There needs to be stiffer penalties for DUIs, and by that I don’t mean lining the court system’s pockets with higher fines, I mean some jail time.