Repeat DWI Offender Released from Jail, Points to System Flaw

Drunk driving is against the law, we all know. But sometimes, that law is broken over and over again, by the same person. Several drunk driving charges in less than one year didn`t keep 39-year old Sheila Blair from getting behind the wheel again. Mothers Against Drunk Driving says it`s mad, because Blair has been convicted of five DWI` since 2002, and arrested on another just Thursday. Blair is back in the Saline County Jail for the weekend, although she was released on bond just several hours after her arrest. That is because the court granted a motion to have her arrested again Friday afternoon and held until that bond can be reconsidered. But the whole situation has authorities eyeing the flaw in the system that lets repeat offenders out of jail. "Going to jail yesterday morning, and then being released in a couple of hours because there`s not space in the jail to hold this individual is clearly a matter of public safety," said Teresa Belew, MADD. The Saline County Sheriff says it`s not so much about jail space, as it is about the law. "On this 4th offense she followed the bond schedule like we did, and that`s how she was released a responsible person after she was booked in," Sheriff Phil Mask said. Mask says that bond schedule let her out on $1,100. Prosecutor Robert Herzfeld says the schedule is a result of jail overcrowding. "They didn`t break any rules by releasing her on bond," Herzfeld explains. Since 2002, Blair has had six DWI convictions between Saline and Pulaski counties. Thursday`s felony charge is still pending. Authorities say she was not still in jail from previous convictions because the law didn`t require it. "The one we charged her withmost recently was a DWI 2nd offense which is not a felony. Ordinarily it comes with a 10-day jail term with that," Herzfeld said. And when a repeat offender has several cases, at different times, in different counties, it takes a while for the system to catch up. "It`s simply a flaw in the system, a flaw in the paperwork," Herzfeld said. Blair`s new bond hearing is scheduled for Monday. Meanwhile, Saline County voters will decide on July 13th, whether to pass a 3/8 cents tax to pay for a new jail.