Texas Courts Must Crack Down on Repeat Offenders
For most people a DWI is a wakeup call. Yet Harold “Mickey” Moore seems untouched by his past DWIs. Upon his release from prison after his sixth and seventh DWI, he shockingly did it again.
His latest drunk driving accident occurred on November 17th at 6:25 P.M. Moore was driving his fancy Mercedes-Benz SUV down Texas 114 and crashed into a BMW sitting at a red light at West Dove Road. The BMW rolled forward into a Toyota Highlander that was also waiting at the light. Investigators say he never hit the brakes. Fortunately, noone was seriously injured.
Moore refused to willingly give blood or breath samples and so law enforcement officers obtained a warrant that allowed nurses at a Grapevine hospital to draw blood for alcohol testing. At 0.27 percent blood alcohol content, he had more than three times the legal limit in his system.
His excuse? He was using the alcohol to numb the pain of a sciatic nerve, he claimed. That’s right, instead of showing remorse, he made excuses for his eighth DWI arrest.
A Long History of Drunk Driving
The Texas court showed Mickey Moore leniency when he was
convicted of his first DWI in 1992 in Flower Mound he received just
two years of probation. During the next 12 years, Moore racked up
six more drunk driving arrests — the final two made just eight days apart in Colleyville.
For the sixth and seventh DWI conviction, the judge again handed
down a light sentence. Family and friends testified that Moore was a loving father and a hardworking, successful businessman. The support of his loved ones and his promise to quit drinking swayed the judge who
sentenced him to three concurrent four-year prison terms and 10 years of probation. Prosecutors had asked for 10 years incarceration on each of
the two DWI counts and 10 years of incarceration for each of two
violations of his 1998 probation.
Repeat Offenders Deserve Harsh Sentences
There is no doubt in my mind that for every arrest, Moore got away with driving drunk dozens of times. Clearly nothing can stop this
man from driving drunk except imprisonment. Even the loss of his family,
friends, business and freedom are not enough to stop him. If he is
allowed to go free, he is likely to seriously injure or kill somebody
before police can make a ninth arrest. I hope the Tarrant County court
sentences Mr. Moore to the maximum — not merely to punish him, but to protect
the thousands of motorists whose lives will be placed at risk if he is
allowed back on the road.
I am a strong supporter of DWI accident victim’s rights and of MADD.
I advocate for harsher sentences in all DWI cases, but especially in
those involving repeat offenders. I file suit against drunk drivers. Call my law firm toll free at
888-801-8585 or at 817-885-8000 from within the Dallas-Fort Worth area
to discuss your DWI accident recovery in a free case evaluation.