I don’t know what is scarier…. The fact that Joseph Rodarte (subscription) has racked up 20 DWI and is only facing a maximum three years in jail, or the fact that he does not top the list for the most DWI’s in the state.
For all of these offenses, this menace to society has only been setback $750 in fines and a total of 1,081 days in jail. How does this make us look?
“This is extremely frustrating. It makes us look like idiots,” said Linda Atkinson, executive director of the DWI Resource Center in Albuquerque.
At the very least this guy should get one year in jail for every DWI. How can anyone justify a maximum sentence that is only three years for 20 DWI’s?
For his most recent conviction, which occurred in 2000, he was sentenced to 316 days in jail. At the time, the maximum sentence he faced was 18 months imprisonment and a $1,000 fine.
What kind of judge doesn’t give a guy like this the maximum sentence on his 19th offense? Whoever the judge is, he or she should be removed from the bench.