Houston man gets life for 9th DWI conviction

Donald Middleton, 56, has been sentenced to life in prison for his ninth DWI.

Take a look at other Texans sentenced to life for driving drunk. Donald Middleton, 56, has been sentenced to life in prison for his ninth DWI.

Take a look at other Texans sentenced to life for driving drunk. Photo: Montgomery County Police Reporter Photo: Montgomery County Police Reporter Image 1 of / 56 Caption Close Houston man gets life for 9th DWI conviction 1 / 56 Back to Gallery

A Houston man's ninth DWI conviction has landed him in prison for the rest of his life. He had been racking up the convictions since 1980, according to reports.

Donald Middleton, 56, had already spent at least four stints behind prison walls for his drunken-driving convictions before he was arrested and charged in May 2015 for a new DWI charge in Montgomery County.

Even after all those run-ins with the law over drunk driving, the man still maintained a valid Texas driver's license.

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He had hit a 16-year-old driver head on in the most recent incident and later fled to a nearby gas station looking for a place to hide out, according to KTRK-TV. The teenager, the son of Montgomery County Precinct Four Constable Rowdy Hayden, survived the accident.

Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Justin Fowles told the outlet that Middleton pleaded guilty the same month as the accident, just a day before he was set to begin his trial. Judge Kathleen Hamilton sentenced him to life in prison this week.

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According to the Montgomery County Police Reporter, Middleton took the stand during his sentencing proceedings and told the court that his drinking began as a freshman in high school after years of being picked on by classmates. The outlet reported that Middleton showed no remorse for his latest crash.

Middleton's girlfriend told the court later that she thought that he could be rehabilitated.

"To me there was no question that we needed to do everything that we could to ensure he wouldn't be on the roads driving with our friends, our families, our kids on the road putting everyone at risk," Fowles told reporters after the sentence was handed down.

According to Harris County court records Middleton was charged with his first DWI when he was 20 years old. He also faced charges in 1983, 1992, 1993, twice in 1997, 1999, and 2008. In 1993 he faced a separate charge of possessing crack cocaine.

Back in 1980 the punishment for DWI was a $200 fine and 60 days in jail.