Posted on Feb 01, 2015

The fear of all police officers - and judges - is to release someone on a DWI charge and have them go out and kill someone. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened in Villa Platte,Louisiana. Michael Fontenot was arrested on Thursday, and subsequently released on Friday. Approximately 6 hours after his release he was involved in an accident which resulted in the death of the other driver. there was an open container in Fontenot's car, and police suspect he was under the influence.

Fortunately, this does not happen often - but even one time is enough. You cannot fault the police for what happened here. They did what they were supposed to and arrested Fontenot. You can't keep someone forever, and there's no reason to believe they released him when he was stil intoxicated. He apparently made the decision to celebrate by going out and getting drunk again.

Our clients often wonder why DWI laws are so draconian. This is why.

Walter Reaves
Connect with me
Criminal Defense Attorney Walter Reaves has been practicing law for over 35 years.