Harpootlian, Goldfinch introduce bipartisan bill to crack down on repeat DUI offenders

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — According to state officials, South Carolina has the second highest rate of deaths caused by drunk driving in the country, only surpassed by Montana.

A new bipartisan effort aims to change that — by cracking down on repeat DUI offenders.

Senator Dick Harpootlian says he and other lawmakers are introducing a bill that will prevent repeat DUI offenders from pleading their cases down to a first offense. Without stricter penalties, they say more people will continue to be killed by drunk drivers.

Harpootlian gave the following example regarding a man in Dorchester County at Thursday’s press conference.

“He was convicted of DUI 2nd in September of ’23. Last September. He was arrested for DUI third in October. He was rearrested in another county for DUI third in November. He was rearrested in another county for DUI third in December. Got out on $8,000 bond and in January, killed somebody in a felony DUI wreck. So that guy should have never been out on bond,” he says.

Harpootlian addressed the large number of repeat DUI offenders between 2020 and 2023 by saying, “There were over 4,000 DUI arrests for DUI 2nd and above. Of which 2,000 of those were plead to DUI first.”

The reason for the less harsh sentencings, he believes, may be jail time — which by law is mandatory for third offenses and higher.

Introducing the bill along with Harpootlian is Senator Stephen Goldfinch.

They say while overcrowding of jails or lack of funding may play a role, they’re no excuse for a repeat offender avoiding prison time.

“We’re talking about people who have been arrested sometimes five, six times. And most of these people have real problems. And the system as is continues to put them on the road and threaten our lives and our children’s lives and that’s unacceptable,” says Goldfinch.

Laura Hudson, Executive Director for the South Carolina Crime Victims Council, agrees, saying some offenders receive up to 15 DUIs before killing someone.

“Why do we have laws if we’re not going to follow them? And that’s probably what offends me the most. That we work so hard to get DUI law, and then it’s just not being utilized by our prosecutors properly,” Hudson says.

Kimberly Cockrell is the Victims Services Manager for Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

“I believe that drunk drivers are first and foremost responsible. I believe that bars and restaurants that overserve — they are responsible. I believe that once this case gets into the hands of a prosecutor, they are responsible. And that ultimately, the judge is responsible. All of those are responsible. Do you know who isn’t? The innocent victims,” Cockrell says.

She reiterated that many people drive drunk multiple times before they’re caught, saying, “The average person drives 80 times drunk before they’re stopped. You’ve been caught three times. Why is it okay to drop that down to a DUI first?”

The lawmakers say their hope is that the bill will pass by the end of General Session in May.