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OPINIONS
Thumbs down: State must crack down on repeat DUI offenders
When Randall Blake was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence last week, it was his third such charge in a little over two years.
Fortunately, the accident that brought police to the scene was not too serious, but the incident points out the ongoing problem West Virginia has with DUI repeat offenders.
You would hope that most people learn their lesson the first time, but research shows both locally and nationally, nearly a third of DUI arrests involve a repeat offender.
Blake's prior convictions occurred June 5, 2007, and Nov. 14, 2007. He received a six-month revocation on the first, but that was overlapped by a two-year revocation for the second.
In West Virginia, a first-offense DUI conviction typically carries a six-month revocation, but stiffer penalties are allowed for a second offense revocation, up to 10 years.
A third offense DUI is treated much more seriously under the West Virginia code, with a felony charge that can bring jail time and lifetime revocation. Unfortunately, the state has a long-running problem with pleading down multiple offenses to avoid the more serious third-offense consequences.
But shouldn't the gavel come down harder on the second offense itself, at least in the form of a longer revocation and larger fines -- especially when offenses happen one right after another.
A two-time offender should not be back on the road, license in hand, in just two years.
