FOX 7 Focus: Man gets life for 6th DWI.
A Comal County man will spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty to his sixth DUI charge. FOX 7 Austin’s John Klinjak spoke to prosecutors in the case about why he believes this punishment fits the crime.
Comal County, Texas – A Comal County man has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to his sixth DWI charge.
A jury handed down the sentence in October for 71-year-old Joseph Haren, who crashed into a car and a trash can in 2022 with a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit.
But this was only the latest in a string of DWIs Haren had from all over Texas spanning nearly 40 years.
Texas man sentenced to life in prison for multiple DUI charges
A Comal County man has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to his sixth DUI charge.
FOX 7 Austin’s Jon Klinjak speaks with the prosecutors in the case, ADA’s Carley Neufeld and Jennifer Feldman, about why they believe this case and whether the punishment fits the crime. Ta.
John Klinjak: What happened in that case?
JENNIFER FELDMAN: So the defendant, Mr. Haren, was driving a car earlier in the evening and had several people following him. The defendant parked his vehicle at a storage facility, crashed into a trash can, and continued driving. As police were investigating, another person called 911 and said the defendant had actually punched the other person, leaving a license plate behind, and when police found him, he had left the front license plate on his bumper and pulled into an apartment complex. It turned out that. And his car cannot be driven in the complex. He is standing next to his car. So they contact him and begin investigating.
John Klinjak: What was your reaction when you saw that video?
KARRAY NEUFELD: Again, I wonder how different things would have been if he had hit another car instead of a dumpster.
Jennifer Feldman: It’s dangerous to the community. It’s very dangerous. DWI is a crime where you never know who will get caught. right. And fortunately, no one was seriously injured by his driving that day.
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John Klinjak: When you heard about this incident and what happened, what struck you?
KALEIGH NEUFELD: But what really stood out was the defendant’s past criminal history. That means he had five previous convictions. And the fact that this defendant had committed crimes in multiple counties, including drunk driving in Bexar, Guadalupe, Comal, and Potter counties. We have prior offenses where he has been on a boat while intoxicated while driving a motorcycle, skidding a car, and driving a car. So when you look at these things together, you can see that this is not just a habitual or repeat offender. These are people who commit crimes in a variety of ways.
Jennifer Feldman: This is Mr. Haren’s sixth DWI. He had been to prison many times. Prior to this his last sentence was 25 years and he was on parole at the time of this crime. So when I look at this case and decide what to do with this case, what I’m looking for is what will keep the community safe and provide justice for the people of Comal County. is.
John Klinjak: What made it clear to you that life imprisonment was the appropriate path to go? Now, we.
Karray Neufeld: We really spent a lot of time talking about what was appropriate. Do we want lives saved in this case? But we often think about what the most dangerous crimes are. And when that is the reality, our minds often turn to murder and sexual assault. These types of incidents are extremely heinous and are incidents that we need to take seriously. Often there is one victim, sometimes two. But the real danger is when parents are taking their kids to soccer practice or driving home from work, and they’re more dangerous than someone drunk and flying down the freeway on the way. There are so many people who can become victims of drunk driving, which makes it even more dangerous.
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JOHN CLINJACK: What do you say to people who say that there are other violent crimes that don’t qualify for heavy sentences, and that this is too harsh?
Jennifer Feldman: Well, it’s not just one thing. It cannot be seen as just a criminal name. right. We have to look at the history behind the scenes, the history that Mr. Haren had. Twelve members of the community looked at it and were like, “Okay, we have a DWI here, and generally we want to get treatment, we want to get help.” But the fact that he continued to do that, what is the best way to ensure people’s safety? And that’s how I thought of it.
Karlei Neufeld: He was given the opportunity for treatment. He needed to complete his treatment. And if we have people who have been through treatment and gone out of treatment and then go out and do it again, we’re dealing with a bigger problem. And unfortunately, in this case, past treatments were ineffective.
John Klinjak: What message do you hope the public takes away from this?
Jennifer Feldman: I hope they understand that it’s very easy to call Uber or Lyft your friend. Now it’s so easy to ride somewhere.
Karray Neufeld: Getting into a car, getting behind the wheel and driving on a road while intoxicated is unacceptable in Comal.
Joseph Haren will be eligible for parole when he turns 101. FOX 7 Austin has reached out to his attorney but has not received a response.
