Elkhorn pilot who crashed while drunk arrested again
MILWAUKEE (AP)—An Elkhorn pilot who served six months in jail after crashing his plane into a Milwaukee neighborhood while drunk has been arrested again.
David Betts was charged April 30 with operating while intoxicated.
Betts was flying drunk when he crashed into power lines in the Riverwest neighborhood in 2005. One neighbor reported the plane landed 10 feet from his daughter’s bedroom. No one was hurt.
Court records show Betts was convicted seven times for drunken driving between 1990 and 1997. He now has two operating while intoxicated cases pending in Walworth County—one from last month and one from last year.
The 41-year-old Betts is being held in jail. His attorney says Betts has been in treatment and will dispute that this is his eighth offense.
May 18, 2009 at 6:39 p.m.
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Skidds... Not sure what your point was here...
A pilot with a long history has been arrested AGAIN. What does this have to do with Obama? Just curious...
May 17, 2009 at 3:19 p.m.
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Maybe since we are turning into a Socialist nation the Gazette can be bought out by CEO Obama and then they wont have to worry about putting out storys that make them a profit. And then they could start to put out storys that could make a differnce in everyones lifes. And help turn Janesville into a even BETTER community.
May 17, 2009 at 7:57 a.m.
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skiddz... So true. People have a callous indifference to the suffering of others. Until they are personally affected, people will not take up the cause.
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MADD began because of one woman's pain over losing her son to a drunk driver. I doubt she would have created the organization, had it never occurred.
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Human nature nowadays... Don't get involved, stay out of it, as long as "my own" are safe...
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See no evil, Speak no evil, Hear no evil....
May 16, 2009 at 6:54 p.m.
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Lets give you a example of this... If all the top editors and execs for this very paper had thier children and loved ones pass away from a drunk one night... I BET YOU they would be writing storys of why drinking should be illegal... But until those that can make a change are affected... NOTHING will happend except more lost lifes.... Don't you love this world?
May 16, 2009 at 6:52 p.m.
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I think most of us hope they change the laws to save lifes NOW. But in reality, the laws will not change until more lifes are taken from drunks. Its kind of like cancer. Nobody cared about cancer until someone in their family got it and died. Most of us need to wake up and realize people dieing are the only things that change things in this world....AND THATS NOT RIGHT. But it doesn't matter because you don't care what I have to say until someone close to u dies from a drunk or some other reason. THEN and only THEN will you want to be a activist against that.
May 16, 2009 at 1:34 p.m.
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Used to work at Lake Lawn airport in the early 90's. Drunk flying? Seen this one before. It's rare, but i've seen guys land their plane beautifully, then fall on their face getting out of the aircraft after parking. One memorable group of Chicago architects got out, puked, then went down to the lodge and got all liquored up again. At least they got a car to take them to the cottage.
/That was $130 tips that day.....
May 15, 2009 at 9:46 p.m.
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Time to tell Madison to change the law to implement my 4th DUI conviction punishment idea:
The penalty should be a mandatory year of state prison time followed by twenty years mandatory reporting to the local court-designated location for mandatory Disulfiram (Antabuse) injections and random periodic mandatory blood test for alcohol and drugs. Failure to appear for injections gets more prison time.
May 15, 2009 at 7:26 p.m.
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"flaming balls of twisted wreckage"...I hate it when that happens.
May 15, 2009 at 7:19 p.m.
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I was under the impression that fifth time DUI was supposed to be a felony. Why are sentencing guidelines so offbeat when it comes to Felony DUI?
Cripes! And this guy knows how to pilot an airplane?
So now, not only do we have worry about them weaving from left to right and slamming into us head-on while on the freeway....
But we also have to be aware of them falling from the sky in flaming balls of twisted wreckage?
Where does it end?
May 15, 2009 at 5:32 p.m.
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What a Loser
May 15, 2009 at 4:12 p.m.
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Go look at the todays public record. how many dui's 4 yea 4. How many people did those 4 people drive past before the cops pulled them over? I am sure its more then 1 each. So that is 4 lifes that almost were lost last night. But nobody cares cause they didn't die, once someone passes away from a dui THEN they get upset. I just think our hole system for DUI is a sham. If you get caught once, you should never be allowed to drive again. It works in other countrys.
May 15, 2009 at 3:57 p.m.
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I don't want this guy driving in Walworth County....or anywhere for that matter. He's bound to kill someone!! Obviously, he isn't learning - LOCK HIM UP!!
May 15, 2009 at 3:07 p.m.
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roughly copied from wi website. 5th owi is a felony. id like to point out that a SECOND arrest for marijuana POSSESSION of ANY amount is a felony. thats messed up.
OWI, First10 $150-$3006 6-9 month revocation no jail immidiate occupational license
OWI, Second1 $350-$1,1006 5 days to 6 months 12-18 month revocation occupational After 60 days
OWI, Third $600-$2,0006 30 days to 1 year 2-3 year revocation6 occupational After 90 days
OWI, Fourth $600-$2,000 60 days to 1 year6 2-3 year revocation occupational After 90 days
OWI, Fifth or sixth $600-$10,00011 6 months to 6 years6 2-3 year revocation occupational After 90 days
May 15, 2009 at 3:01 p.m.
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In the 90's he apparently treated it like it was a birthday - One every year. Nice.
May 15, 2009 at 3 p.m.
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Why does he still have a pilot's license?
And he's disputing that this is his 8th??? What? It's better if it's his 7th? Geez. (Doing huge eye roll).
May 15, 2009 at 2:52 p.m.
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Is a FUI a different charge or the same as a DUI! This guy sounds like a genious, get drunk and fly a plane.... Good Times
May 15, 2009 at 2:17 p.m.
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In some countrys your liscense gets taken away for life if you get caught driving drunk. I don't see why we don't have the same law. If you get caught driving drunk you have not one excuse that can make it ok.
May 15, 2009 at 2:08 p.m.
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Can anyone tell me what the law is presently for DUI ? I may catch some **** for this but, I feel that by your 3rd offense, you should be sitting behind bars for at least a year. Just because you haven't killed anyone yet, your odds increase with each offense (not counting the times he hasn't been caught).
May 15, 2009 at 2:06 p.m.
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thats an idea. lose your license to drive because you can't drive sober, fly a plane instead.this is a case for ankel monitor and breath monitor and every other kind of monitor available to law enforcement.
May 15, 2009 at 2:04 p.m.
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nutty, he is in jail now.
May 15, 2009 at 1:39 p.m.
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A ha ha @ 12dreams :)
****
This ought to spark up a good ol' conversation :D
May 15, 2009 at 12:59 p.m.
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What's there to dispute? Treatment isn't a guarantee. Nor is ignorance. This guy needs to be locked up.
May 15, 2009 at 12:46 p.m.
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Come on people. Let's go! Here's some low hanging fruit for you to flame over.
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