photo by: Douglas County Sheriff's Office

David Dearborn

A habitual drunk driver was convicted Wednesday of at least his fifth DUI, including for an incident in which he nearly drove into sheriff’s deputies who were conducting a field sobriety test on a different driver.

David Dearborn, 57, entered guilty pleas to two DUIs, bringing to at least five the number of times he has been convicted of the offense. In addition to the two recent DUIs in Douglas County, he has three others in Georgia from the early 2000s, Assistant District Attorney Samantha Foster told the court.

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.

Foster told the court that Dearborn 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, Foster said. 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.

Dearborn also pleaded guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor counts of violating a protection order for emailing a woman with whom he was ordered to have no contact.

Judge Stacey Donovan told Dearborn that for each of the two felony DUI convictions he faces 17 to 46 months in prison and a $100,000 fine. She scheduled him to be sentenced on Dec. 12.

The parties, as part of the plea deal, have agreed to recommend probation, which Donovan is not bound by.

When Donovan asked Dearborn if he was satisfied with the plea, he said “very much so.”