72-year-old arrested for DWI and Attempted Murder
The preceding story shows that even the elderly are not immune to DWI charges, or even attempted murder. If they are mobile and make bad desicions, it is possible they will spend some time behind bars. The latest case is that of 72-year-old Melvin Wimberely of Rockport, Arkansas, who was arrested in March 2007 on a DUI charge, and has been arrested again for shooting at officers last Saturday. Refusing to surrender to police orders, Wimberly was promptly shot in the arm, and after he was flown to Corpus Christi Memorial Hospital, he was charged with attempted murder.
It was revealed upon his arrest that Wimberely delayed telling his wife about his former DWI charge, and when a latter detailing the scenario was mailed to their home, this more infuriated him.
Officers Nathan Garrett and Lillian Penick were instructed to drive to the Wimberly residence after hearing that a man was plotting to detonate the building. Witnesses described the man’s bald, graying appearance, and were able to get hold of his license number as he drove away in a pickup truck. After arriving, Wimberly was spotted holding a AK 47 rifle and began firing. He made a total of eight shots, at all missing the police force but left indents in the patrol cars. ” I saw the bullet strike in vicinity of me. ” claims Penick. “It narrowly missed my arm.” When Wimberly refused to comply with police orders, he was shot in the arm. Wimberly then disarmed his weapon after being threatened again by the officers.
Five rifles were confiscated from Wimberely’s home, three being high-powered hunting rifles with scope.
The elderly Wimberly faces a slew of penalties if convicted of DUI and attempted murder, ranging from 5000-10000 fines to jail time of up to 8-10 years, with little chance for parole. I on the other hand, find these punishments somewhat harsh. The man is a senior citzen who is about to live out the rest of his golden years in a state correctional facility. Though I advocate strongly that an alcohol treatment program for the elderly should be in order, no such will occur and remove his fate. Just goes to show how a single DUI charge can do so much damage, no matter what the age.
