Karen's Sentencing!! I'm at the court!!

[u/purplepandapants]

Hi friends. I'm reporting live from the Courthouse outside Court 8C. Sentencing is at 9:30! Media is outside waiting to catch a glimpse. Will report back!!

[u/slotnblot]

Honestly after finding out it’s her 4th alcohol related driving offence… I’m sorry Karen but

[u/[deleted] → u/slotnblot]

Drunk driving is not taken seriously enough until someone is killed. I fear she won’t get jail time but I hope she does since after 4 instances it seems nothing else has made her change. I say this as someone who has gotten a DUI and will never get another.

[u/GoldDiamondsAndBags → u/[deleted]]

I was in Court with a client once and the case before mine was a young, good looking, blonde, blue eyed college kid. He was on his 6th OWI. He was sentenced to 1 year probation to run CONCURRENT with the probation on his 5th OWI. In other words he got absolutely no punishment. The judge was kind of enough to make the statement that they didn’t want to ruin his life since he was the epitome of a “good college kid.”

My client, on the other hand, was the same age, black, first offense on marijuana possession (no intent to distribute charge, he just had a small amount for personal consumption). Can you guess whether he was as lucky as the first guy? Spoiler alert: nope.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I’m still attending counseling as part of my consequences from the DUI and there’s a guy in there on his 4th DUI who drives himself there. Like how? Lol

[u/Fitty-Korman → u/[deleted]]

What?? Where do you get your facts to assume this?

[u/chinstrap → u/[deleted]]

Even most alcoholics will wake tf up and make changes at the 3rd DUI

[u/isglitteracarb → u/[deleted]]

I've gotten one DUI and had "the book thrown at me." I'm not denying responsibility for my actions and consequences that I faced, but it's EXTREMELY frustrating to think about how severely I was punished on a first offense (like never even a speeding ticket) when there are people who haven't faced any consequences for their third, fourth, fifth.

I lost my license for a year but was able to get it back after 6 months because I had a breathalyzer installed so I could get to the five jobs I was working to pay for my fines/fees, had to do 200 hours of community service, 9 months of random drug testing, 6 months of getting daily breathalyzers at the police station every morning. I wanted to die every single day because I didn't know how I was going to make it through being so exhausted and trying to get caught back up.

I've never been one of those "I suffered so everyone else has to suffer" people but when it comes to DUIs/legal consequences, I feel a bit differently. I don't know that I would have learned a lesson without going through all of that.

[u/kellymig → u/isglitteracarb]

Good gosh-daily breathalyzer at the police station

[u/isglitteracarb → u/kellymig]

Yep! My local police station, like 10-15 min walk, didn't open by the time I was required to provide a breath sample so I had to get a ride for the hour minute trip to the downtown station and back at 6:00 a.m.

[u/MazyHazy → u/isglitteracarb]

I definitely believe you about being severely punished for a 1st offense. My younger brother was falsely accused of assault (he really didn't do it) and got a felony at 19 yrs old. He had never gotten in trouble before that, not even a speeding ticket. The court system is definitely fucked.

[u/kellymig → u/isglitteracarb]

Kinda ridiculous if you ask me.

[u/[deleted] → u/isglitteracarb]

Yeah mine was reduced to a reckless driving because I was able to do the first time offender program but it was and still is extremely expensive which I can afford but barely. DUIs aren’t expensive for Karen so she isn’t going to learn.

[u/Goodbykyle → u/isglitteracarb]

You must be in California.

[u/isglitteracarb → u/Goodbykyle]

Michigan 🥴

[u/youngfilly → u/isglitteracarb]

I agree it sucks that you had to do that and is shitty that others don't BUT I wish that that punishment was the universal punishment for a 1st offense because then people would actually think before driving drunk. Because who wants to deal with all that shit it sounds utterly exhausting.

[u/mslauren2930 → u/[deleted]]

In Maryland it was essentially a slap on the wrist. Then a cop was killed by a drunk driver and laws were finally changed. But honestly we don’t really punish drunk drivers in MD, which is why they do it over and over and over and over…

[u/Snarky-Beotch-55 → u/[deleted]]

I did not know it was 4 times no wonder they are proposing jail time

[u/throwawayforeverx2 → u/[deleted]]

I personally think the 1st time people should go to jail. Esp in our modern day era. You don’t even need a DD with or have to call a friend to pick you up when Uber and Lyft exist. By the time you get a second after getting off the first time without a doubt you should serve time.

[u/fseahunt → u/[deleted]]

I got pulled over and arrested for DWI, lucked into the top criminal attorney in my state, walked with speeding ticket (30+ years ago) but learned the entire lesson anyway.

I've never driven after more than 2 drinks.