A little 11 yr old boy dies cause the criminal system treat DUI losers like its no crime and let them go to reoffend!!





Shakopee bicyclist hit Monday dies



Nicholas James Hagadorn died early this morning, Hill said.

In a statement released through the hospital, Hagadorn's family said "they grateful for the thoughts and prayers offered by everybody."

Randal Joseph Hennes, 40, of Prior Lake, was charged with one count of criminal vehicular injury causing great bodily harm while under the influence of alcohol, failing to stop at the scene of an accident, and third-degree drunken driving, according to the complaint filed Wednesday.

Police said that Hennes was northbound on Marschall Road in a downpour around 8:50 p.m. Monday when he collided with Hagadorn at the intersection of 17th Avenue.

According to the complaint, a Shakopee police officer enroute to another call saw a pickup truck drive away from the scene, make a U-turn and head back south without stopping to help the fallen bicyclist.

Scott County Deputies stopped Hennes about 6 miles from the accident scene. As he got out of his truck, he asked the deputy "Is the kid all right?" Hennes also told the deputy that he planned to return to the scene after he dropped off his girlfriend. Hennes was given a sobriety test and failed it but said he had only had one drink Monday night, the complaint said.

Records show he's been convicted of drunken driving

I gotta agree with that!

At least 10 years for repeat offenders...I would prefer it be more than that.

And if someone else is killed because of it, it should be treated as murder, not manslaughter.

Does this mean that the 11 year old kid was riding his bike at 9:00 pm at night, in a rainstorm?...Did I read that right?

Sowhat said:

I agree.

Byron said:

Yes.

It could have happened very easily anyway...but still. I agree that drunk drivers get off too easily.

On the other hand, I also think that the legal limit is bogus. If they pass the sobriety test but fail the breathalyser that's a tough call.

Do you mean 10 years minimum rather than 10 years max?

Either way, I think DUI laws should be made more consistent, but more important, drunk driving should be treated as a problem to be solved (as much as it can be) rather than a giant moneymaker for the courts. I think too often courts and lawmakers are more interested in making a ton of money from perpetrators than they are in actually helping alleviate the problem, say with increased public transportation.

I'm cool with much stricter penalties for drunken drivers, so long as there are consistent guidelines in what warrants an initial charge -- failed sobriety test, breath test, or both?

Also, I gotta ask: Would we be consistently strict on sleepy drivers? I understand they are just about as big a cause of accident and death, while far less egregious-sounding.
[Edited 7/11/08 10:32am]

I've said it for years - HARD TIME and license revoked for life.

When some drunk a-hole gets behind the wheel, that car becomes a two-ton bullet. No different than some street thug pointing a loaded gun at you. When will our lawmakers get serious about this sh1t?