A man who
has been convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol five different
times in the past five years has been released from jail without having to
serve any time in prison according to a report from The Argus Leader, a South Dakota newspaper.
The man,
57-year-old Randall Gene Hoogendoorn, received a sentence last week that only
requires him to spend two years under intense supervision.
Sioux Falls
prosecutors had asked for a lengthy sentence due to Hoogendoorn’s criminal
history, but Judge Robin Houwman felt that a lesser sentence offered the man “the
best opportunity for rehabilitation.”
Judge
Houwman however established strict guidelines that Hoogdendoorn must obey. He
must for example have to call his probation officers up to 50 times a day in
order to meet the terms of his probation. If he fails to regularly report to
his probation officer, Hoogdendoorn could face a term in prison of up to 10
years. He will also be placed under house arrest during the initial portion of
his probation and that he will be required to call his probation officer when
he wakes up, when he eats, and even when he leaves his room.Apparently, the
judge believed that a heavily supervised probation would best serve the public
interest as it keeps another person out of prison and saves taxpayer dollars.