OHIO House OKs bill to crack down on multiple-DUI offenders

The bill has the support of MADD and several law enforcement organizations.
By MICHELE C. HLADIK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- Repeat drunken drivers need to face stiffer penalties, say state lawmakers who passed legislation to increase penalties and the amount of prior history a judge can consider during sentencing.
Members of the Ohio House of Representatives approved the legislation Tuesday in a 95-1 vote. The measure now moves to the Ohio Senate, where a similar bill passed earlier this year.
Repeat offenders "are a threat to our communities," said state Rep. W. Scott Oelslager, a Canton Republican. As the primary bill sponsor, Oelslager said the bill would crack down on repeat drunken drivers by making the offense a fourth-degree felony if the offender has previously been convicted of five or more offenses.
Mandatory sentence
The bill also sets a mandatory prison sentence of between one to five years for offenders with five or more DUI convictions.
Under present law, the only mandatory sentence for DUI offenders is either a 60-day or 120-day sentence, depending on the offender's blood-alcohol level.
Current law also considers the first three DUI offenses as misdemeanors unless someone is seriously injured by the offender, according to Oelslager.
"The statistics of repeat offenders are staggering," he told lawmakers. "In 2002 alone, there were 7,089 Ohioans who had six DUIs. In 2002, there were 82 people in Ohio with 12 DUIs."
The bill also allows judges to consider previous convictions over a 20-year period of time. Current law only allows judges to look back at a six-year period, according to supporters of the legislation.
MADD official
Doug Scoles, executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving of Ohio, said his group would like to have seen a longer look-back period, but still supports the bill. Scoles said he doesn't believe the legislation will have any problems making through the Senate and to Gov. Bob Taft's desk for his signature.
"It's a step in the right direction," he said. "We have a problem with repeat offenders."
He said the group would rather see a lifelong look-back period, but doesn't believe that stipulation would be approved by the House. He said the group is happy with the 20-year look-back provision.
"This paints a better picture for a judge" than six years, he said.
The bill is also supported by the Fraternal Order of Police, the Buckeye State Sheriffs Association, the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association, the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Miller Brewing Co., according to Oelslager.
As of July 1, the drunken driving standard was lowered from .10 blood-alcohol concentration to .08 BAC.