Report: Man gets 11th drunk driving arrest 10 hours after his 10th

Author: KRQE
Published:
MGN

SANTA FE, NM (KRQE) A habitual drunk driver apparently didn’t learn his lesson after being arrested for the 10th time in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The repeat offender was caught for his 11th DWI, just hours after being released from prison.

Henry Gonzales was pulled over 10 hours after serving an 18-month prison sentence for his 10th drunk driving arrest on Nov. 4. The 43-year-old is accused of weaving in and out of traffic at over 75 miles per hour and was reportedly found with an empty liquor bottle when he was stopped.

This chase was one of the more violent Gonzales has had with officers, who were forced to use stop sticks and taser the driver. “He has had several opportunities to gain the tools he needs and coping skills to remain sober. [He] chooses not to utilize them,” the New Mexico Corrections Department’s Melanie Martinez told the “Santa Fe New Mexican”.

While prosecutors say Gonzales has only eight official convictions for his drunk driving, a new state law will likely make his latest arrest the most costly one yet. A ninth DWI conviction will now send the 43-year-old to prison for a minimum of 10 years.

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