RutlandHerald.com - We Are Vermont

Man charged with sixth DUI offense



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Published: November 25, 2009

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A Cavendish man whose license is suspended for life after four drunken driving convictions has racked up his second new charge in four months.

Randolph J. Benson, 29, pleaded innocent Tuesday in White River Junction District Court to a felony charge of drunken driving, as well as misdemeanor charges of driving with a suspended license and violating his conditions of release.

According to affidavits filed with the court, around 7 p.m. Monday night, police saw a vehicle linked to Benson traveling on East Road. According to affidavits, police were already acquainted with Benson because he was charged with felony drunken driving July 26, also in Cavendish.

Police took Benson into custody and learned he had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.113, records state. The legal limit for driving in Vermont is 0.08.

Benson has three prior drunken driving convictions in White River Junction District Court and another in Rutland District Court, records state. He has two pending charges, from Monday and from July 26. He is being held in Springfield prison on $5,000 bail.








READER COMMENTS


martin you are very wrong.How do i know? Because that person is ME.And last monday i renewed my reg. and got my car inspected..You don't think there are insurance agents that don't just want the $,well there certainly is.Believe me,if you do enough shopping-you will find it.
-- Posted by md on Sat, Nov 28, 2009, 5:57 am EST

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md you best go back to the books you are wrong you CAN NOT get insurance in your name under suspention in vermont That I can tell you no not just the state looking for money a drunk looking for way around state
-- Posted by martin landon on Fri, Nov 27, 2009, 6:44 pm EST

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fact-in vermont you can get insurance and register your car wothout a license.All they want is the money and i know this for sure.Someone i know is doing that and without a valid license,they have a completely legal vehicle to drive.The punishment is'nt no more for a tenth dui than the third one,5r yrs max plus the 2 you can get for the suspended license.
-- Posted by md on Fri, Nov 27, 2009, 5:01 pm EST

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I thought that the General Assembly here in Vermont passed a bill 8/10 years ago for mandatory prison time for "three times and your-in" offenders, basically repeats offenders!.
Throw the loser in jail and then he will get help, and if not- leave him there. Further, judges need to be held accountable for repeats especially when it is this serious a crime, and not just held at the judges re-confirmation hearing every 6 or 10 years.

Six (6) times is simply unaccceptable and needs stiff penalty!
-- Posted by Gregory Thayer on Fri, Nov 27, 2009, 12:33 pm EST

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Sheriff Joe should head up the penal system for the whole country. Make the prisoners wear pink coveralls, sleep in tents, eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, read books instead of watching tv and most of all make them work, like a real job to pay their debt to society and help pay for their room and board. I guarantee these boys would never want to go back to jail. This sixth offense dui lad would sweat out his addiction to alchohol in no time.
-- Posted by Concerned Citizen on Fri, Nov 27, 2009, 12:24 pm EST

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If ever there was a case for mandatory sentencing, this is it. I wonder how many state social programs this guy is enrolled in and receiving funds/benefits from? I can hear the bleeding heart sympathizers coming to his defense already...he's never been properly counseled; never had a strong enough support network; can't find employment and provide for himself without a driver's license; is struggling with that insidious "disease" known as alcoholism: deserves another chance...after all, he hasn't killed anybody...YET!

Take him off the roads and put him in prison where he belongs...and through away ALL the keys!
-
-- Posted by Bill O. Rights on Fri, Nov 27, 2009, 10:46 am EST

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Only 29 years old and he has six DUI's. Congratulations! He's going for the record. Let's hope he doesn't kill someone because he might get jail time and he might not break the record.
-- Posted by None None on Thu, Nov 26, 2009, 7:49 pm EST

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You need to keep this guy in jail,its a matter of time he will kill someone. I've figured it out though Vermont is a Catch and Release State. And to the Idiot that thinks the police catch a drunk of revenue , just think the next time your insurance goes up for no reason.
-- Posted by Born in Vermont on Thu, Nov 26, 2009, 11:34 am EST

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I don't get it. Why is this guy out of jail at all ? The penalties for DUI should be must more harsh so people do not drink and drive. That is simple. He should be in jail for a long long time. Some people never get it and he obviously is a moron.
Can you imagine losing a loved one by a drunk drive who had 5 previous convictions ? It is horrible enough losing a loved on, but this would be totally unacceptable. The judges have got to be tough instead of the, poor guy, he has a disease. What crap !
-- Posted by None None on Thu, Nov 26, 2009, 8:27 am EST

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I don't get it. Why is this guy out of jail at all ? The penalties for DUI should be must more harsh so people do not drink and drive. That is simple. He should be in jail for a long long time. Some people never get it and he obviously is a moron.
Can you imagine losing a loved one by a drunk drive who had 5 previous convictions ? It is horrible enough losing a loved on, but this would be totally unacceptable. The judges have got to be tough instead of the, poor guy, he has a disease. What crap !
-- Posted by None None on Thu, Nov 26, 2009, 8:26 am EST

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You can rob a armored car company in Howe Scale in Rutland out of 1 million dollars and get away with it but you can't get away with drinking in driving.

Do you want to know why?.....It's a cash cow for Rutland City and the State of Vermont. They make thousands of dollars picking up drunk drivers, and they know it. Not only do they make money selling you the poison of your choice they make money through the fines and the education classes you have to take to get your license back....not to mention the fee to get you license back. It's $2,000-$3,000 money maker for them.

That's why.
.
.
-- Posted by NONENONE ONE on Thu, Nov 26, 2009, 7:50 am EST

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Sheriff Joe in charge of the penal system of the whole country would get my vote.
Any one else?
-- Posted by Hmm? What? on Thu, Nov 26, 2009, 7:33 am EST

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I suggest we deport him to Texas.
-- Posted by Ray Makul on Thu, Nov 26, 2009, 6:08 am EST

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We don't see eye to eye on most things "Smart Thinking".

But I can't agree with you more about our jail system.

If it doesn't feel like punishment.... How is it supposed to be effective? For many, Jail may be a better environment than there previous one.

6 DUI's is just nuts. 5 should = life in prison. Obviously you have a serious problem. When you seriously think about it. He may have only been caught 1/10 of the time. 60 or more times driving drunk.
-- Posted by CF Reality on Thu, Nov 26, 2009, 5:52 am EST

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Why are we as a society afraid to throw these lowlifes in jail?? Prison overcrowding? Who the hell cares. It's their own fault they are in there. While serving my country in Iraq, I did not have nearly as much living space as the average prisoner.
We need to put "Sheriff Joe" from Arizona in charge if the prison system. Put all prisons in the US desert. Place all prisoners in tents. Take away all foods and beverages that provide no nutritional value. Take away all tobacco. Make all prisoners sleep on military surplus cots ( I didn't see the ACLU objecting to soldiers sleeping on them). Make prison sentences a penalty instead of a summer camp.
-- Posted by Smart Thinking on Wed, Nov 25, 2009, 7:48 pm EST

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Wow, DUI 6, which is felony upon the 3rd, and the guy was still free to get behind the wheel of a vehicle?

Boggles the mind, and at only 29 years old at that...
-- Posted by Donald McKenna on Wed, Nov 25, 2009, 5:16 pm EST

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As long as he gets a toaster from someone, I'm sure he'll be happy.
-- Posted by Son Of That Guy on Wed, Nov 25, 2009, 2:54 pm EST

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To Son Of That Guy,
Don't you mean the people that let him out of jail should give him the new toaster, not the people that caught him?
-- Posted by capttam on Wed, Nov 25, 2009, 12:38 pm EST

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The state should just make EVERY CRIME a FELONY then anyone who commits a crime would be subject to DNA samples, lose their right to bear arms and god only knows what else. Why is it if you are a career criminal you can be whacked with habitual offender status after commiting the same crime over and over but they just keep letting DD's to get behing the wheel? It is disturbing to see such young people with multipule DUI's yet the state will keep offering plea deals instead of helping them to recover. In my opinion 2nd offense should be a felony, because if you didn't learn the first time then you are out of chances. After the 2nd DUI if you are caught again your sentence should double from the previous sentence. Also if you do fall in your recovery and manage to pick yourself up and jump through all the flaming hoops, and there are lots of them,get your act together and have your PRIVILEDGE to drive re-instated then your right to bear arms should also be re-instated no questions asked. If you want to keep guns out of felons hands then keep the felons in jail... You know Vermont still has the law on the books that when an individual is released from prison then the state is supposed to give them a 30-30 Winchester, a box of ammo for the rifle , a saddle and 5 bits.. they sure the hell don't do that anymore... I agree with making driving with a suspended license a felony with jail time not a fine or probation and if I remember correctly anyone caught driving license suspended for DUI is supposed to be brought right to jail no questions asked & stay there until thier arraignment...
-- Posted by Article 16 Vt. Constitution on Wed, Nov 25, 2009, 11:37 am EST

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Dear Son Of That Guy,
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH Thanks for the chuckle.
-- Posted by Hmm? What? on Wed, Nov 25, 2009, 10:44 am EST

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On the plus side, with his seventh DUI offense, the Vermont State Police will give him a new toaster.
-- Posted by Son Of That Guy on Wed, Nov 25, 2009, 9:30 am EST

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They need to make driving with a suspended license a felony after your third DUI, then anyone that lets this person drive their car, drunk or sober, could be charged with aiding in the commission of a felony. One problem with repeat offenders is that they usually have an enabler, someone who feels sorry for their predicament and "helps them out", ultimately helping them get in more trouble.
-- Posted by concerned citizen on Wed, Nov 25, 2009, 9:20 am EST

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If someone is lending their vehicles to this guy, then suspend their licenses too!!
-- Posted by (Anonymous) on Wed, Nov 25, 2009, 8:08 am EST

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10% of set bail is $500. Not near enough for an alchoholic that can't stay off of the road. Are they waiting for him to kill someone? With 6 DUI's he should be drying out in jail for a year or so and then probation with alchohol screening as a condition of staying out of jail.
-- Posted by Concerned Citizen on Wed, Nov 25, 2009, 7:59 am EST

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YOU WOULD THINK THAT THIS PERSON WOULD STAY IN JAIL IT IS COMMON SENSE AND I AGREE WITH NORTHSTAR ABOUT SEIZING THE CAR HE WAS DRIVING IN. IF IT WAS HIS OWN THEN HOW DID HE GET IT REGISTERED.
-- Posted by Michelle Burnett on Wed, Nov 25, 2009, 7:31 am EST

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Does the law allow the state to seize any vehicle that is being driven by someone with no license? If not it should. If he had his license suspended for life he has no need to own a vehicle that he cannot drive. If someone is lending him a vehicle then having that vehicle subject to seizure might end that behavior. If he steals one you can put him away for a nice long time. Punishment may not get him to stop drinking and driving but it will take him off the roads for a long time.
-- Posted by northstar62 on Wed, Nov 25, 2009, 6:55 am EST

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Don't let the drunk out!
-- Posted by True Vermonter on Wed, Nov 25, 2009, 6:47 am EST

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