Lake Tahoe Holds First DUI Victim Impact Panel
Last week the first ever Lake Tahoe DUI Victim Impact Panel took place. This program was created so that Incline Village may comply with new Nevada regulations, which require all defendants convicted of breaking Nevada DUI law to attend a live victim impact panel as part of their sentence. Various victims congregated to share their stories of how people breaking Nevada DUI Law affected their lives forever--the purpose of these victim impact panels is to help persuade defendants in current DUI cases to never drive under the influence again.
About twenty first-time DUI offenders watched as Deborah Hacket recounted how her dad was killed by a drunk driver when she was just four, and that her younger siblings have no memory of him. Then Mary Kay Randall spoke about her son, who was convicted of killing a Kings Beach resident and is now incarcerated, and how it shattered her family and drove her into depression. Justice Alan Tiras said to the panel, “We really want to show you what happens to people that drink and drive, and the ramifications for families, friends and entire communities."
The penalties for breaking Nevada DUI law include attending a victim impact panel as well as fines, DUI School and up to six months in jail (that is usually suspended). DUIs are misdemeanors if no one gets hurt, but a third one in seven years is charged as a felony. Similarly, DUI accidents where someone dies are chargeable as felonies as well.
