Natrona County Judge Sentences Man to Prison After 4th Drunk Driving Conviction in 10 Years

Natrona County District Court Judge Kerri Johnson sentenced a man to prison for his fourth Driving Under the Influence (DUI) conviction in less than 10 years.

Weston P. Barnes will serve 2.5 to 5 years for the charge with 229 days credit for time served.

Barnes was represented by Public Defender Marty Scott. The case was prosecuted by District Attorney Dan Itzen.

In Wyoming, a fourth DUI within 10 years is a felony, which comes with up to seven years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

Barnes' sentence came from an arrest on January 26 at about 4:01 PM. Officers learned of a potential fight between two males at the Maverick in Mills. They caught up to one of the males -- Barnes -- when he failed to use a turn signal. Barnes was also driving a vehicle with an expired temporary license plate. This per an affidavit supporting the charges.

Court records say that Barnes failed several field sobriety tests and was uncooperative with a blood draw, thereby police were unable to determine his BAC at the time. Barnes did, however, tell police that he had been drinking and would probably be arrested on a fifth DUI.

In Wyoming, non-commercial drivers are considered legally drunk if their blood alcohol level is 0.08% or higher. (For drivers of commercial motor vehicles, including school bus drivers, a BAC of 0.04% or higher is illegal.)