9th DUI nets man 9-month jail term
By HAROLD GWIN
youngstown
“The good Lord’s been looking out for you through all these DUIs,” Judge R. Scott Krichbaum told Todd W. Tolson, 49, of Warren, moments before sending him to prison for nine months for his ninth driving-under-the-influence of alcohol offense in 20 years.
The judge’s comment came Thursday as the court learned that no one has ever been injured in Tolson’s offenses.
Getting behind the wheel of a car when you are drunk and driving down the street is like “pointing a loaded gun at a crowd and firing,” Judge Krichbaum of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court told Tolson.
Tolson admitted that he is an alcoholic and has learned that he can’t drink at all.
“I haven’t drank since this happened,” he told the judge, referring to his Oct. 18, 2009, arrest on the DUI charge. He’s also been attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings as a participant in a 12-step recovery program.
He was indicted on a felony count of driving under the influence of alcohol with a repeat-offender specification in February.
The specification was dropped in exchange for a plea agreement in which Tolson pleaded guilty to the DUI charge and the prosecution agreed to recommend a nine-month sentence, said J. Michael Thompson, an assistant county prosecutor.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Krichbaum suspended Tolson’s driver’s license for life, fined him $1,350 and ordered him to undergo treatment for during and alcohol abuse. He also stipulated that Tolson will serve five years’ parole after his release from prison.
Tolson told the court he now realizes the potential cost of what driving under the influence might be. A car can be a weapon, and driving drunk could kill or cause problems for other people, he said.
Judge Krichbaum said he was pleased to hear Tolson has come to that realization. If that is true, “You’ve taken long strides toward rehabilitation,” he said.
Deputies took Tolson immediately to the county jail for processing after sentencing.