The following article was posted on www.todaystmj4.com
Harsher Penalties For Repeat Drunk Drivers?
WAUKESHA - Three strikes and you're out. The deaths of a school administrator and her daughters have some people demanding harsher penalties when it comes to drunken driving.
Jennifer Bukosky's family will always wonder, what if, when it comes to Wisconsin's drunk driving laws. They don't want any other family to have to do the same.
It's not the legacy Jennifer Bukosky would have chosen in life, but in death, her tragic story has touched a raw nerve and a renewed call for tougher drunk driving laws.
TODAY'S TMJ4's Charles Benson: "Can a story like that bring change?"
"Sadly, a story like that is what it takes to bring change," Mother's Against Drunk Driving Executive Director Kari Kinnard said.
Mark Benson had three drunken driving convictions and was driving without a license when police say he slammed into Bukosky's car, killing her daughter and unborn child. Prosecutors believe Benson was popping a dangerous mix of prescription pills at the time of the crash.
Bukosky's father blasted the justice system for the way it handled Benson's drunken driving problems.
"Mark Benson belongs incarcerated. That's the end of the story," Bukosky's father, Mike Farney said. "Jennifer, Courtney and Sophie gave their lives for a broken system in this country."
Right now, it's only a misdemeanor with up to a year in jail for a three peat offender. The governor and lawmakers are talking about making it a felony with longer jail time as well confiscating cars for repeat offenders.
"These are steps in the right direction. That's a good thing. We need to get tougher, but why are we waiting until they become repeat offenders before we get tough?" Kinnard said.
In Wisconsin, you can get busted five times for drunken driving before it becomes a felony and the first one isn't even a crime, just a ticket.
