Most of us do not fit into this catagory. I do not believe a person should be able to drive drunk. First off, if you wanna kill yourself then whatever, but when you drive it is not only your life you put in danger. I was raised never to do that. For the short period I drank as a teenager, I ALWAYS called for a ride, I have not drank in 10 years. I would never jeopardize any of my childrens lives. I would not even drink at home when they were there, you never know what could happen your child could get hurt and need to go to the hospital, then what you call 911 drunk and say my kid is hurt and I can not drive cause I m drunk. Being able to drive is a privelage. Drinking is a choice, but driving drunk is a criminal offense that could at some point jeapordize someone elses life and that is bull. There is a well known disease called alcoholism, and if you think at any point it is ok for you to drive drunk then I think you need to seek help. If you think that driving drunk is not going to harm anyone else than your a idiot. My uncle lost his 18 year old son 6 years ago on Father's Day to a drunk driver so yeah it does happen. People need to grown up and take responsibilty like the adults they are supposed to be.

So what if the prisons are loaded up with repeat drunk driving offenders? Where would you prefer we put them? Leave them loose to kill someone on the roads? We can't just slap a fine on them, community service, classes or the drunk tank then "counseling"... they DON'T CARE!!!

They'll drive anyway and will keep it up until they kill someone. Its not society's fault, its not a bartender's fault, its not crappy parents, a bad day or .... Its just one person who is a loser and will not "get whatever help they need"... their decision to drink, their decision to drive, their decision to kill someone. Lock 'em up!

The day care center did the right thing. Not only could he have had an accident with his children in the car, but he could have had an accident and killed anyone while driving, including other children at the daycare center!

RightsToo - Typical, blame everyone else for one persons actions! What if this person was drinking at home? It does not say he was at a bar. What do drunks look like when driving?? How do you know what they look like? Get a clue!!

I really think this is happening more than anyone wants to admit. Maybe not to the extent of .25 BAC but certainly parents that shouldn't be driving with children in the vehicle.

happycamper: "Most of us"? Are you saying most people on these boards have been sentenced for picking up their kids while drunk? Or that most people are drunk drivers? In either case I would have to say you're delusional.

The Staff at the Center did the right thing by phoning 911. That's about all they could do legally. He drove there drunk which in itself is enough for a fine and jail time. It's good the police got there in time to stop him from driving with the kids in the car. More people should care enough to call 911 when they see drunks driving. Where ever the drunks received their drinks should also be fine! Bartenders know when a person has had enough but they still allow these people to get into their vehicles and leave. I'd like to see these bartenders fined along with the owner of the bar ( they hired the bartender and must feel they are responsible people to allow them to bartend in their establishment) so make the owner check into who they hire more carefully.

Do you need to be paid to spell correctly?

Sorry I forgot the w I meant was, but I'm not being paid to produce news content.

Yeah, This is what our prisons need to be full of! Most of us have fit into this catagory to some extent in our lives.

anonomouse No i don't

Up for dad of the year award!!!

"as intoxicated" ?? or was intoxicated.

klick now don't you feel foolish?

The title has been changed, My post was relevant when I posted it. They left out the word up after picked. The correlation with alcohol? Maybe the person who wrote the article as intoxicated?

anonomouse

Looks like they took the budget cuts too far if they can't afford proof reading. What does proof reading have to do with alcohol ? now don't you feel fool-ish .

Yes, child care centers can't prevent parents from picking up their kids unless they have a court order on file. Calling 911 is the only option.

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSER

Alcohol affects each individual differentely. Not everyone is going to be too intoxicated to drive at 0.08. However at 0.25 the man had to be stumbling around and was not in any shape or form to be behind the wheel of a car, much less picking up his two kids.
He deserves eighteen months in jail. Not only could he have killed his kids but your kids too.

Why do reporters continue to use the phrase "more than ... times the legal limit" or words to that effect? There is no law that says you're allowed to drive when you have a .079 blood alcohol content or lower. One can be lawfully impaired even with lower blood alcohol content. In any event, if this is really his fifth conviction, the story is not even accurate. If one has been convicted of drunk driving three times, the so-called "legal limit" drops to .02 for that person. So, this guy's blood alcohol content was more than ten times the "legal limit."

A "second charge" is different than a second conviction. You better be careful on how you make your statements. Who will be paying for this mental evaluation? What is that going to prove? Using alcohol as a substitute for what medication? What point are you trying to make?

Education is fine, but some people never learn, or care. Sometime I think that everyone that has a second charge, should be sent for mental evaluation to make sure that they are not using alcohol as substitute for medication.

Here we go again. Jump on the band wagon of tougher laws. When will common sense prevail and people understand that multiple offenders are not concerned about the penalties for violating the law. If a person has been arrested and CONVICTED more than once for OWI/DUI it should be apparent they are not concerned about the penalty for driving while intoxicated. Tougher laws make the people with their heads in the sand feel better and safer, until the next person hurts or kills someone and then they cry make the laws tougher. If tougher laws is the answer then why are that states that have the death penalty still having murders. Education is the key.

tj24, you think 18 months is fair for a 5TH time drunk driver? I do not care if he drove with the kids in the car or not, he drove TO the day care center drunk! And he has been arrested 4 prior times for drunk driving!
It is time this state starts getting serious about drunk driving. I propose everyone who is outraged write to each of the 33 state senators and the 99 state assembly members and DEMAND they pass tougher drunk driving laws.

drunk or not, it's a matter of him exercising his parental rights... the day care did the right thing in calling 911, but that's all they are able to do in this type of case

Why did the daycare center give him the kids to begin with? He was obviously fairly drunk and unlikely to be able to care for them. That's a true shame.

As for the sentence, I think it's fair. He didn't actually drive with them and we give proven repeat drunk drivers light sentences all the time...

Reality stinks but hopefully he's learned his lesson.

I think this man deserves more than 18 months. He could have killed one of his children or both. Good work to the daycare center for calling the police and actually caring. I hope he is no longer allowed to be with his children unsupervised.

Looks like they took the budget cuts too far if they can't afford proof reading.

"picking kids"???