Man accused of drinking, driving while on probation dodges jail time

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) - A drunk driver who nearly killed an Albuquerque teacher is not facing any more time behind bars, even though he's accused of drinking and driving again while on probation.

Scott Knowles took a plea deal for five years probation after he plowed into Tonya McCullough, who jumped in front of his speeding car in 2014 to push her son and an Albuquerque Police Department service aide out of the way.

(The teacher) McCullough spent a month in the hospital. Then earlier this year, Knowles was pulled over and charged with aggravated DWI.

Judge Stan Whitaker Tuesday said this is an unusual case and he wasn't sure he had the power to put Knowles behind bars. So he ruled that as long as Knowles shows up for his court dates, he will remain on probation with extra supervision. Knowles was not in court Tuesday because he lives in Kansas, but will be required to be in New Mexico for his next hearing.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-metro/man-accused-of-drinking-driving-while-on-probation-dodges-jail-time/1434942712

[TheBlackAdder]

1. The DUI driver who damaged my back and neck got off practically Scot free.

.

It was in the early 90s, I was in Mt. Laurel, NJ. While stopped at a traffic light a Chevy Blazer drove into my 1987 Buick Grand National at 40MPH. He didn't see the red light and thought I was moving. He blew a 1.9, a 2.0 and a 2.1 on the breathalyzer.

I was laid up with an injured back and neck, the seat in the car bent backwards due to the force of impact. When picking up my car at the lot, the guy working there said the driver laughed at how much damage he did to my car.

I go to court. I wanted to bring my own tape recorder, but was denied at the door, as citizens are not allowed to tape court proceedings. The guy is standing next to me with Reckless, Careless and DUI charges. He pleads to DUI and they drop the reckless charge. He gets 1 year mandatory loss of license, 3 years of $2,000 insurance surcharges, and is fined over $400.

Two weeks later, my attorney is reading the court transcript with me and it shows the guy plead to careless driving. There was no mention of drinking, bodily injury or anything. The guy just got a $200 fine.

I called Mt. Laurel Courts and asked for a copy of the audio tape. They called back and said that around that time, there was a problem with the recording and they cannot give me the recording. How convenient. Now I know why tape recorders were not allowed.

I still have neck and back issues to this day.

.

[brewens]

2. There was some hot shot financial adviser that killed someone while drunk several years ago.

It seems like it was in Colorado Springs. They guy should have been going to prison but got off with fines and probation. The judge actually said, he got a light sentence because he had so many peoples finances he was managing. No doubt wealthy people that didn't want their investment whiz bang locked up.

I know a guy that got two DUI's in one night. He posted bond and got out, then a little later decided he was okay to drive and walked to his car. He was spotted and nailed again. I saw that in the paper and thought it had to be a mistake, but the reports were not identical. I couldn't believe it when I called a guy that knew him better and found out he really did that.

[Jake Stern]

3. Drunk driving is the one of the few places where I support mandatory minimums

180 day mandatory incarceration for driving under the influence increased to 1 year on the second offense and 3 years for each subsequent conviction.

5 year mandatory incarceration if an injury results from drunk driving

Life sentence if a death results from driving under the influence.

I fucking hate drunk drivers.

[Major Nikon]

4. Americans view a drivers license as a right

After your 2nd DUI, nobody should ever get their license back.