Jul 1, 2009 8:30 pm US/Eastern
Man Admits Guilt On 15th Drunk Driving Arrest
Senate President Codey Says Enough Is Enough, Calls For Mandatory 6-Month Sentence For First-Time Offenders
Shaun Campbell Has Had License Suspended 77 Times In 22 Years
CRANBURY, N.J. (CBS) ―
A New Jersey man with a 20-year history of DUIs and license suspensions pleaded guilty for a crash that injured two people.
So why did it take so long to pull this dangerous driver off the road?
In his latest court appearance, 40-year-old Shaun Campbell pleaded guilty to several charges, including drunk driving. In court he was asked what he had drunk.
"Beer. Quite a bit. Enough to not know what was going on," Campbell said.
His blood-alcohol level was three times the legal limit when his SUV crashed into a truck injuring a father and his daughter.
And most distressing of all, it wasn't the first time, the second, or the third. Campbell has a record of being a serial drunk behind the wheel.
In the last 22 years, Shaun Campbell has had 12 suspensions for driving under the influence. And 65 suspensions for other reasons, like not showing up for court. How could he still be driving?
"Well, unfortunately, our law did not require him to go to jail. So, every time he was caught, his license was suspended. He just ignored it," said N.J. Senate President Richard Codey.
Codey wants the law changed requiring a mandatory six months in jail for the first offense.
"You're going to jail, no ifs ands or buts about it," Codey said.
The group Mothers Against Drunk Driving supports a bill requiring ignition interlocks installed in the cars of drunk drivers. Using a breathing tube, if you're over the limit, you can't start your car.
"And had that ignition interlock been put in place, this offender would not have had the opportunity to get behind the wheel and start the car," MADD executive director Mindy Lazar said.
As it stands now in New Jersey, ignition interlock devices are required only after the third conviction.
Campbell will stay behind bars until he is sentenced Aug. 7. It's expected he'll get more than two-and-a-half years, be without driving privileges for more than 10 years.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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