The national president of MADD Canada says no jail term is long enough under the present circumstances for a serial drunk driver waiting to be sentenced for his latest conviction.
Margaret Miller said Terry Naugle deserves to remain behind bars until it can be proven he is no longer a danger to the public when behind the wheel.
“He hasn’t proved that yet — not at all,” Miller, a Shubencadie resident, said Thursday. “As long as there are cars out there and he’s in the same mind he has been the last 22 times he’s been caught, he’ll continue to drive, and drink and drive.”
Naugle, who is from the Truro region, has 22 convictions for impaired driving or refusing the breathalyzer dating back to 1978.
His length of incarceration has risen from 30 days in jail to three and a half years following a March 2006 arrest.
Now, Naugle is waiting to be sentenced on his latest conviction — a March 28, 2009, incident where, while impaired, he hit the McMillan family’s vehicle at the Enfield on-ramp to Highway 102.
Naugle pleaded guilty in October and a sentence hearing was held Wednesday — with the judge choosing Feb. 12 for announcing the 52-year-old’s punishment.
“It’s an absolute wonder he hasn’t killed somebody or hurt somebody seriously, or even killed himself,” said Miller, who sat through most of the court proceedings. “If that had happened, it certainly would have allowed for a much harsher sentence, but at this point it doesn’t. It’s unfortunate that it has to get to that point.”
Miller is impressed with the resolve of the victims, Peter and Julia McMillan and their daughter Jillian, 13. The Tatamagouche family has been in court for every minute of the case. They have also been open to speaking publicly about it.
“They realize what this could have been,” Miller said. “They’re not looking away and are making sure this doesn’t happen to another family.”
Sentence
MADD Canada president Margaret Miller is firmly behind the recommendation of the Crown, which is seeking separate maximum sentences for Terry Naugle of five years for both impaired driving and for driving while prohibited — for a total of 10 consecutive years in jail. Naugle’s defence lawyer has asked for a four-year prison sentence.
