MONROE - A Monroe man who followed "in spades" the alcoholic path of his father was sentenced to prison Tuesday, July 10, on his fifth conviction of driving while intoxicated.
Heath Allen Bader, 36, was sentenced in Green County Circuit Court to 18 months in prison and 18 months of extended supervision on the Class H felony charge, stemming from an arrest in September.
His girlfriend sat with their daughter in the courtroom for the sentencing, sniffling and wiping her eyes with a wad of tissue. She attended all of Bader's hearings and urged for a sentence in the county jail, not prison, said his defense attorney.
The judge did not agree. He gave Bader a harsher sentence than recommended by the assistant district attorney and said he could have justified an even harsher punishment.
"I've looked at your record here," Judge Thomas Vale told Bader. "It's abysmal."
Bader's extensive adult criminal record in Wisconsin dates back to the mid-1990s, starting with a felony conviction of committing forgery when he was 18.
"The defendant has had longterm, major issues with alcohol and drugs. His father had alcohol problems. The defendant had been following in that path in spades," said Jeffrey Kohl, assistant district attorney.
But, he added, Bader was cooperative with officers during his most recent DWI arrest, which started as a traffic stop for a minor traffic violation and did not involve damage or injuries. Bader's blood-alcohol concentration was .17 percent, according to court records.
Kohl recommended 18 months in prison and 12 months of extended supervision - six months shy of the Judge Vale's sentence.
Guy Taylor, defense attorney, called the case "anomalous" and made a case for a jail sentence so Bader could continue helping his girlfriend and family.
"Mr. Bader in his youth was impulsive. People do age out of that kind of impulsive criminality. He has matured. It is a situation of irony that a person can rehabilitate himself to the extent he rehabilitated himself and that it be for naught," Taylor said.
Jail time would be a less expensive and more effective use of resources, Taylor argued.
"I don't think society loses on this gamble," he said.
When given the opportunity to speak to the court, Bader read from a prepared statement. He apologized to his family, friends and the community and petitioned for time in jail, not prison.
"I'm excited to continue my recovery," he said.
His prison sentence begins immediately, minus 64 days of sentence credit for the more than two months he spent in jail pre-sentencing. He is fined $1,000, plus court costs, and will have his driver's license revoked 30 months.
Vale concluded his sentencing by telling Bader, "I still have some belief you can turn your life around."
Heath Allen Bader, 36, was sentenced in Green County Circuit Court to 18 months in prison and 18 months of extended supervision on the Class H felony charge, stemming from an arrest in September.
His girlfriend sat with their daughter in the courtroom for the sentencing, sniffling and wiping her eyes with a wad of tissue. She attended all of Bader's hearings and urged for a sentence in the county jail, not prison, said his defense attorney.
The judge did not agree. He gave Bader a harsher sentence than recommended by the assistant district attorney and said he could have justified an even harsher punishment.
"I've looked at your record here," Judge Thomas Vale told Bader. "It's abysmal."
Bader's extensive adult criminal record in Wisconsin dates back to the mid-1990s, starting with a felony conviction of committing forgery when he was 18.
"The defendant has had longterm, major issues with alcohol and drugs. His father had alcohol problems. The defendant had been following in that path in spades," said Jeffrey Kohl, assistant district attorney.
But, he added, Bader was cooperative with officers during his most recent DWI arrest, which started as a traffic stop for a minor traffic violation and did not involve damage or injuries. Bader's blood-alcohol concentration was .17 percent, according to court records.
Kohl recommended 18 months in prison and 12 months of extended supervision - six months shy of the Judge Vale's sentence.
Guy Taylor, defense attorney, called the case "anomalous" and made a case for a jail sentence so Bader could continue helping his girlfriend and family.
"Mr. Bader in his youth was impulsive. People do age out of that kind of impulsive criminality. He has matured. It is a situation of irony that a person can rehabilitate himself to the extent he rehabilitated himself and that it be for naught," Taylor said.
Jail time would be a less expensive and more effective use of resources, Taylor argued.
"I don't think society loses on this gamble," he said.
When given the opportunity to speak to the court, Bader read from a prepared statement. He apologized to his family, friends and the community and petitioned for time in jail, not prison.
"I'm excited to continue my recovery," he said.
His prison sentence begins immediately, minus 64 days of sentence credit for the more than two months he spent in jail pre-sentencing. He is fined $1,000, plus court costs, and will have his driver's license revoked 30 months.
Vale concluded his sentencing by telling Bader, "I still have some belief you can turn your life around."