How is This Possible? Minnesota Man Free After 27 DUI Arrests
New York Mills, MN- A Minnesota man free even though he has racked up 27 DUI arrests, which is likely a record for any repeat offender. But even with this many arrests, how is it possible for him to be free?
Danny Bettcher is well-known in the community. He has a staggering 27 arrests for DUI, and even though he has spent short stints in jail, ranging from 6 months to 1 year, he is let go only to drink and drive again.
Bettcher’s arrests date back to 1980, but for years DUIs were only treated as felonies if they involved injury or death. That law changed in 2004 and now if a person gets charged with a fourth offense within a ten year period a DWI becomes felony and Bettcher has sentenced to jail under the new law twice.
But even prison time hasn’t stopped Bettcher from repeating his destructive behavior. He has refused to participate in addiction programs while incarcerated and courts can’t force him to attend, even in jail.
Every state has different laws, and in many repeat offenders are given longer jail times. But what can be done to stop someone like Bettcher from repeatedly driving drunk?
While lax drunk driving laws are beneficial to first or second offenders, giving them the chance to avoid jail time for what could have been a simple mistake, the laws may not be tough enough to address the problem of people who drink and drive dozens of times. Often these individuals can stop a conviction all together as long as they hire a DUI attorney to build their defense.
