THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 21, 1995 TAG: 9509210002
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
``Drunken driver gets 20 years,'' said a headline in Tuesday's paper.
What's more, the report by staff writer Jon Frank said, the driver will serve at least 17 years without parole.
That driver, Arnold O. Peterson, is 48 years old. Simple math says he will be at least 65 when he next breathes free air.
There was a time when convictions against drunken drivers were difficult to come by. Jurors were said to think, ``There but for the grace of God go I.'' So they tended to forgive.
Today, however, convictions are much easier to obtain, thanks in part to the worthy work of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. When readers see that a middle-aged man faces a minimum of 17 years behind bars, they should stop and think, ``There but for the grace of God go I,'' and they should never again drive drunk.
Of course Peterson, who had a long history of drunken driving, didn't just drive drunk. Attempting to evade police, he sped through lights and crashed into a BMW near downtown Norfolk, killing the driver, William L. Rosbe, 50, and Teresa G. Timms, 40, both of Virginia Beach.
When people are killed by a drunken driver, their loved ones suffer, too, and pray justice is done. More and more often, it is - usually not an eye-for-an-eye justice, but at least a penalty that is severe.
``We feel it was a reasonable sentence,'' said Julie Brooks, Timms' sister. ``We can live with it and hope that the public can get the message.''
William Rosbe, the other victim's brother, said, ``I would have preferred the maximum, from the point of view of public safety and sending a message. But it is fairly stiff. I was afraid it would be like five or six years.''
Norfolk Circuit Judge John E. Clarkson could have sentenced Peterson to 46 years but suspended 26 of them, saying to the defendant, ``I want to give you some hope.''
Peterson of Virginia Beach blamed the accident on his alcoholism and marital difficulties. He didn't mean to do it. It was an accident, don't you know.
But it wasn't really an accident. Two much-admired people were killed without warning because he chose to drink and drive. He didn't accidentally drink and drive. He chose to drink and drive and attempted to speed away from the police.
He likely will spend most, if not all, of the rest of his life behind bars. His sole value to society is as an example. by CNB