Life in prison for repeat driving while intoxicated offender

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - A Galveston County jury sentenced Lonnie Gene Kinnett to life in prison after he was convicted of his third driving while intoxicated offense. Police say in March 2017, Kinnett was found sleeping in his vehicle in the parking lot of a bar with his vehicle running.

Officers tested Kinnett's blood and found a 0.134 blood alcohol concentration, almost twice the legal limit. Galveston County District Attorney Colton Turner decided it was time to send a message that the community would no longer tolerate habitual drunk drivers, but did the legal system overstep its boundaries in this case? Kinnett joins a long list of people who have been convicted of multiple DWI offenses and ended up serving life sentences in Texas prisons.

Isiah Carey interviews attorney Marc Thiessen about Kinnett's sentence and similar cases.