This is certainly one of those cases that makes you raise an eyebrow. A Canadian man has been arrested for drunk driving so many times the courts didn’t just suspend his license: They banned him from driving for life.
According to an article in the Canadian Press, Nova Scotia resident Terry Naugle has racked up a total of 68 convictions in the past 32 years. Of these, 22 were DUI related and 14 charges were for driving on a revoked license.
So far he has served 22 years in prison for all his separate convictions, with no sentence lasting more than three years. His driving privileges have also been revoked many times, but he continues to ignore these sentences. Thus, it’s unclear if the lifetime driving ban will have much impact.
Naulge never stayed in jail too long because he never seriously injured or killed someone while drinking and driving. His latest arrest occurred in March 2009 when he hit a parked vehicle on an off ramp. The McMillan family had pulled over their car because they ran out of gas.
Mr. McMillan walked to the gas station leaving behind his wife and teenage daughter. Naugle drove his car onto the off ramp and side swiped their vehicle, and then proceeded to leave the scene. David McMillan was walking back when he saw Naugle hit the car. He jumped into the driver’s seat and the family followed Naugle into a gas station.
They claimed that Naugle reeked of alcohol while staggering and slurring his words. He then fled again, but was later arrested by RCPM officers who were at the gas station. Naugle pleaded guilty to driving with a restricted license, refusing to take a breathalyzer, and fleeing the scene of the accident. He was sentenced to eight and half years for driving under the influence.
Most sentences for DUI charges in Nova Scotia are short term, but when viewed in light of his prior convictions the judge thought a longer sentence was necessary. Judge Frank Hoskins, who oversaw the court case, said “Mr. Naugle’s record for impaired driving is one of the worst I’ve ever seen.”
Julia McMillan and MADD (Mothers against Drunk Driving) hoped that the judge was going to classify Naugle as a dangerous offender with his long history of DUI convictions. Instead, he received only the longer sentence and lifetime ban.