District Judge Dave Gamble sentenced a Gardnerville man Tuesday to 10 years in prison for his second felony conviction for driving under the influence.
Scott Ryan Woods, 31, was arrested Nov. 11, 2007, after he crashed into three vehicles near his parents' Ritter Drive home. In addition to being drunk, he was driving with a suspended license and without insurance.
His blood-alcohol content was .30, nearly four times the legal limit of .08 for driving in Nevada.
Following his arrest in November, Woods was arrested two more times for being under the influence in violation of his release pending sentencing.
Lawyer Tod Young said Woods had a long period of sobriety following his release from prison for felony driving under the influence.
"He's a hard worker, a skilled worker who loves his child," Young said. "The time he spends with her is not drunken time, it's good-father time."
Prosecutor Tom Gregory said he could understand a person's compulsion to drink but didn't know why he had to drive under the influence.
"We're lucky nobody got hurt or killed," Gregory said.
One of the victims said Tuesday that as a neighbor to Woods' parents, he'd been putting up with the defendant's behavior for 20 years.
The man, who said he has been battling acute myeloid leukemia for three years, said he didn't have the $4,500-$5,000 to repair his two vehicles that were damaged.
"He needs to be taught a lesson that actually sticks," the man said.
Gamble agreed.
"It would be so easy for you to be here for having killed someone," Gamble told Woods. "You could be looking at a life sentence. There can't be any minimizing of what happened here.
"You've already been to prison for drinking and driving. Let's see. 'What's the one thing I shouldn't do when I get out? H-m-m-m? Drive drunk? H-m-m-m?'" the judge said.
Gamble exceeded the recommended eight-year sentence by two years. Woods is eligible for parole after 30 months.
Gamble also fined him $2,000 and ordered Woods to pay $6,597.47 restitution.
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