There's two parts to this blog:
One has to do with how quickly a regular person, just like you and me, can end up in prison. Circuit Judge Wayne Timmerman sentenced a 45 year old man to 50 years in prison for the killing of 3 people in a 2000 DUI crash. The man got 15 years for each death to run CONSECUTIVELY and 5 years in the injury of a passenger of the car. As most of you know, almost all prison sentenced run concurrently. It is very rare for a judge to stack sentences.
What the defendant said during sentencing is perhaps the most succinct way to explain why these crimes keep occuring: "one of the real problems with this is that you just don't think it's going to happen to you and that's really why it's still happening." Here's the link to the St. Pete Times video of the sentencing
The other part of this blog has to do with a plug for a company called Zingo. (click this link, they have a very entertaining website) It's a genius business where a guy shows up with a little folding scooter, puts it into your car, and drives you home in your own car. It costs the same as a cab, and in the morning your car is in the driveway. I have no idea why more people don't know about this. They have a service in Tampa, Pinellas, and Pasco counties.
With the average DUI costing around $2500, not including attorney fees and increased insurance, and the average DUI manslaughter defendant getting 15 years in prison - isn't a $50 cab ride worth it?
