Peterson needs to serve sentence

When does a person's luck run out?

For Bart Barton, Tabitha Saunders and two-year-old Kjestine, their luck ran out on July 29, 2005, when they were killed by a drunken driver, Luke Peterson.

Peterson pled guilty to a felony count of vehicular manslaughter and one count of aggravated driving under the influence in connection to the crash.

Peterson was lucky to have an attorney convince a judge that even though his blood alcohol content was twice the legal limit and that three people were unlucky enough to cross his drunken path, he should only be sentenced to one county of vehicular manslaughter and one count of aggravated DUI.

He was also lucky enough to have to serve an insulting 18 months for the death of three people. That's six months a corpse.

Did you know that Barton, 24, was home on leave from the Army when he was killed? Did you know the youngest child in the family was only two months old at the time of the crash and suffered serious injuries as a result of the wreck? Did you know she is now an orphan?

Now Peterson wants some more luck. He thinks 18 months in jail is too long. He is now asking the courts for leniency and wants to get out early on work release.

If there were ever a case for mandatory sentencing for killing three people while being way over the legal blood alcohol limit … this is it.

The original Peterson sentencing made a mockery of justice. To cut this drunk driver loose any earlier than 18 months is affront to common sense.

David Keyes is publisher of the Daily Bee.