Texas man gets life in prison for seventh DWI conviction

Terry Stevens' mugshot from his fourth DWI arrest in 2001. Terry Stevens' mugshot from his fourth DWI arrest in 2001. Photo: Angelina County Jail Records Photo: Angelina County Jail Records Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Texas man gets life in prison for seventh DWI conviction 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO -- A man was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday by a Burnet County jury after he was convicted of driving while intoxicated for the seventh time.

Terry Lynn Stevens, 46, was given a life sentence after he was arrested for driving while intoxicated after crashing his pickup into a fence in Marble Falls, according to KXAN-TV. Stevens' blood-alcohol level was found to be more than three times the legal limit in Texas of 0.08 percent, according to KXAN.

In Texas, a first conviction for DWI is a class B misdemeanor and could result in jail time, a fine of up to $2,000 and a license suspension of up to two years, according to dmv.org. A third conviction is a third degree felony and could result in a fine of up to $10,000, and up to 10 years of time in state prison.

Assistant district attorney Blake Ewing told KXAN that Stevens had finally run out of chances after his seventh conviction.

"This man had multiple opportunities to correct his behavior over the years, but failed to do so," Ewing said. "It was obvious that the only way to keep him off the streets was to put him in prison, and the jury clearly agreed."

According to information from the Texas Department of Public Safety, Stevens was arrested for his first DWI in January of 1993. His second arrest came a little more than a year later in February, and his third arrest came seven months later. He was arrested again in 2001 and twice within the span of three months in 2004.

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