'Mr. DWI' notches another arrest in S.D (33 arrests)

[rainbow4321]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MR_DWI?SITE=TXSAE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Mr. DWI is in trouble again. Jerry R. Zeller, 64, who has been arrested multiple times for drunk driving, was arrested again on Tuesday. He's had so many arrests that law enforcement officials aren't sure of the total.


Ron Bedard, the police officer who arrested Zeller on Tuesday, said Zeller's criminal record "seems to indicate roughly 33 prior arrests for DUI." "Right now it's an interesting news story, but we will all be outraged when he kills somebody on (DUI) number 35.

"I don't know what to say," said Lila Doud, president of the Pennington County chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. "We have just absolutely got to get him off the road so he doesn't kill someone, because we know it's going to happen, sooner or later."

Now, police want the state's attorney to charge Zeller's 84-year-old mother with allowing an unauthorized person to drive a vehicle registered in her name.

[Dookus]

1. I never understood these situations

can't they put him away?

[bluestateguy]

2. Driving is a privilege, not a right

We need 3 strikes and you're out when it comes to drivers licenses for drunk drivers. Three drunk driving convictions and you never drive again. I will continue to believe that such persons should have their voting rights restored upon completion of their sentences, but voting is a right, driving a car is not.

[northzax]

4. the guy's license has been rescinded

but you can't stop someone from physically operating a motor vehicle unless you catch them, license or no license. I've been dirving for 14+ years, for instance (I'm 30) and only three times have I ever needed to verify to an officer of the law that I was licensed to drive that motor vehicle. I've probalby driven 150,000 miles in my life and only three times have I been stopped. That means I get stopped every 50,000 miles and asked to provide evidence that the state lcenses me to drive a car. that's not bad.

[LiberalFighter]

11. This guy is more likely to be stopped because of how he drives

vs how you or others that drive unimpaired.

[northzax]

13. obviously, if he's been cited 35 times

but my point was that it is almost impossible to prevent someone from operating a motor vehicle.

[Heddi]

3. This is REDICULOUS

Why why why why is this man allowed to continue driving? And for those who say "Well, his license has been taken away" OBVIOUSLY THAT IS NOT DETERRING HIM FROM DRIVING, IS IT?

Put him on house arrest. PUT HIM IN PRISON. SOMETHING

From the article:

'Zeller's latest arrest was his second in five months, she said.

A police report said a breath test on Zeller during Tuesday's arrest indicated a blood alcohol content of 0.286 percent. The South Dakota limit is 0.08 percent.'

and

A notation in Zeller's file said his driver's license has been revoked for life.

Wow! What a great job that "for life" revocation has done. He sure learned his lesson, eh?

If I had been arrested 33 times for writing bad checks, I would be in jail for many, many years.

If I had been arrested 33 times for spousal abuse, I would be in jail for many, many years.

Yet this man is a COMPLETE danger to society and he just gets slap after slap on the wrist.

It is apparent that this man MUST kill someone before anything will be done about him. I would encourage the families of anyone who is injured or killed by this man to sue the state for negiligence since they have seen his continuious record and have done NOTHING about it.

Sick.

And, if he DOES hurt or kill someone, the state will throw up their hands and say "What were WE supposed to do about it? We already revoked his license for life, ya know!"

[murray hill farm]

5. He should just be put on house arrest!

He will never stop driving! He needs to be electronically monitored..or just put in jail..but since that will not happen, just put on the electronic collar...and he can send mom out to get his drinks..and drink at home.

[Vinca]

6. Isn't it a felony after number 20 or 25?? You'd think!

Lock the guy up for good before he kills somebody.

[joanski01]

7. Why is this man not in Jail, and

then required to attend AA meetings, and get signed slips proving that he was at the meeting? Something is wrong here.

[Swamp Rat]

8. Zell is more than a criminal. He's criminally insane.

[ComerPerro]

9. The only difference between this guy and Bush

is the name.

[BrklynLiberal]

10. Are they waiting for him to kill someone else or himself?

[Toucano]

The man clearly needs treatment for addiction.

Charging his mother makes much more sense, though.

How does one "allow" and "unauthorized" person to drive a vehicle? Isn't the fact that they are "unauthorized" an indication that they aren't allowed to do it?

[amazona]

15. do you know any 84 year old women?

At that age there is no physical way you are going to be able to do anything but "allow" the drunk to get away with your car keys.

Charging the mother is cruel and crazy and ignores the physical realities of age.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[Toucano]

16. Sarcasm? n/t

[idiosyncratic]

12. Well . . . SD is the state that allowed Janklow to drive until he killed

someone. :cry: He had been stopped for speeding numerous times and let go to speed on again and again.

There should be Nationwide laws for drunk/impaired drivers. Lawmakers in some states obviously don't understand how serious this is.

This man should have been in jail years ago.

Will Janklow be jailed

[NYC]

18. I thought the article was about Janklow

when I read the headline.

[amazona]

14. this is kinda odd

A man in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana got a 4th lifetime DUI and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. What makes the difference? Is this dude rich or something? In that case, why can't he get the DUIs completely off the record?

Prosecuting an 84 year old woman for not being able to stop a drunk from taking her car is just totally cruel and unrealistic.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[idiosyncratic]

17. Laws about drunk driving should be the same nationwide

As I mentioned in my other post, some legislators just haven't gotten the message and the DUI laws are lenient.

In other states people are sent to prison . . . as they should be.

[NYC]

19. I agree that an 84 year old woman is unlikely

to be able to stop her drunken son from taking her car. (Maybe she should call the police when he does.)