photo by: Douglas County Sheriff's Office

David Dearborn

A habitual drunk driver who was convicted of at least his fifth DUI will spend 48 hours in jail, followed by 30 days of house arrest and 24 months of probation, a Douglas County judge ruled Thursday.

The defendant, David Dearborn, 57, pleaded guilty to two felony DUIs on Oct. 23, and also to two misdemeanor counts of violating a protection order, as the Journal-World reported. In exchange for the plea, the state dismissed four other cases, including charges of another DUI, other violations of protective orders and driving with an open container and no proof of insurance.

Judge Stacey Donovan on Thursday sentenced him to 18 months in prison, but suspended that to 24 months of probation, in line with a recommendation by the defense and the state. Donovan noted that Dearborn had received five “glowing” letters of support, including from Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center.

In the first local DUI, as the Journal-World reported, Dearborn on Nov. 23, 2021, was stopped shortly before 2:30 a.m. after he nearly struck deputies in the 300 block of Locust Street as another driver was being tested for driving under the influence. He had a suspended driver’s license at the time, was incapable of performing a field sobriety test and refused to consent to a breath test. A blood draw later showed a blood alcohol content of .18, over twice the legal limit.

In the second local incident, on April 15, 2023, Dearborn attempted to leave the scene of a noninjury accident. He was again unable to perform a sobriety test because he was so “unbalanced.” Police at the scene observed multiple open containers in his vehicle, and he was found to have a blood alcohol content of .25, over three times the legal limit.

In addition to those DUIs in Douglas County, he has three others in Georgia from the early 2000s, Assistant District Attorney Samantha Foster told the court at his October plea hearing.

Dearborn on Thursday apologized for his actions and said that he was “ashamed.”

“I endangered the public, and I endangered the officers,” he told the court in a statement that Donovan afterward called “sincere and insightful.” He added that he had made strides in his sobriety and hoped to help others not make the same mistakes.

While on probation, Dearborn will be barred from using alcohol and will be required to have an ignition interlock device on any vehicles he operates, among other conditions.