Cody Lawmaker Seeks Tougher DUI Penalties

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By Penny Preston

Story Published: Feb 14, 2012 at 7:46 PM MDT

Story Updated: Feb 15, 2012 at 2:08 PM MDT

CODY, WYOMING - Under Wyoming law, if you're convicted of drunk driving 4 times, or 24 four times, the harshest penalty is 2 years in jail. A Cody prosecutor wants to change that.

How would you feel if your loved one was killed by a drunk driver, who had been convicted of a DUI 11 times? It could happen in Wyoming. Cody's State Representative, Sam Krone is tired of the revolving door of people who keep driving drunk, even after they're convicted over, and over again.

Krone says, "What we see, more and more, unfortunately are these people with 7,8,9 DUI convictions."

Krone says Wyoming's maximum penalty for 4 or more DUI convictions is 2 years in jail. He says, "It's not working. We have situations where people would rather keep drinking and driving because they know the most they can do is 2 years in jail or 2 years in prison."

So, during this legislative session, he's introducing the DUI penalty enhancement bill, which allows a judge to sentence repeat offenders up to 7 years in jail. Krone says, "So this would give the courts the ability to take those really hard core offenders off the streets for a longer period of time, but in addition to that it gives them more flexibility in doing treatment options."

There's a group of students here at Cody High School called Youth for Justice, who have gone to Cheyenne before to educate legislators, and they've been largely successful. Sam Krone has asked them to help on this one, so they'll be heading down south soon.

He'll have about 20 teenage advocates for his bill. Youth for Justice member Kera White says,"If a fifteen year old girl is telling you that this is what she believes in and she wants you to protect her from this, from drunk drivers, then there's really no way that a legislator can ignore that."

The students are convinced the new measure will save lives. White says, "Sam Krone was telling us about how he had someone who was being convicted for their 11 DUI. And, if you're drinking and driving and get caught 11 times, then the number of times you must have done it without getting caught is exponentially more than that."

The Youth for Justice group helped convince Wyoming legislators to pass several bills, including a law against huffing, driving with open containers, and driving without seatbelts.

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sodbuster said on Tuesday, Feb 21 at 8:35 PM

Is krone being a bit of a hypocrite? Check out his Dui history in Albany County. Ask a few questions before you print this PR stuff. Can't Wyoming do better than this?

ummmm said on Tuesday, Feb 14 at 7:58 PM

so hardin mt has a facility of 143 beds put it to use for mt and wy dui offenders it sits empty that would be a great start have them do their time and treatment at one place... my dad is on four so its felony and he needs treatment so bad its not funny never was but deerlodge or shelby prision with rapist and murders child sex offenders likely wont help a dui offender. the state of mt has alot of money over their budget for the year put offenders in the two rivers faciity and combine wyo offenders wit them

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