NEWBURYPORT, Mass. — A Maine man will spend the next two years behind bars after pleading guilty yesterday at Newburyport District Court to his seventh drunken driving incident.
Daniel Bussiere, 51, of 953 River Road, Hollis Center, Maine, was sentenced by Judge Michael Laurenzano to 2½ years in the house of correction, with two years to be served, on a charge of driving while under the influence of alcohol (fifth or subsequent offense) stemming from his July arrest in Amesbury, Mass.
The balance of the sentence was suspended with five years probation, the first six months ordered to be spent under house arrest at his home in Maine. Laurenzano ordered Bussiere to undergo substance abuse counseling and one of the conditions of his probation is that he remain drug- and alcohol-free during the five years.
Bussiere was credited with 34 days served, where he has been held without bail since his July 19 arrest in Amesbury and a subsequent Chapter 58A dangerousness hearing on July 26 that found him to be a danger to the public.
He was also found guilty of failing to stop for police, for which he was fined $100, and found responsible for a marked lane violation.
According to court documents, Amesbury police officer Ray Landry was on patrol late on the night of July 18, when he noticed Bussiere driving erratically on his motorcycle, swerving back and forth over the lane marker, as he proceeded south down Hillside Avenue.
As Landry followed the 1997 Kawasaki Vulcan motorcycle, he noticed the driver was having trouble maintaining his balance when he stopped at a stop sign.
Landry put on his lights and sirens, but Bussiere didn’t pull over initially. When Bussiere finally stopped and got off his bike near Amesbury Glass on Haverhill Road, Landry reported detecting a strong odor of alcohol as he approached and that Bussiere was unsteady on his feet.
Bussiere failed the field sobriety test and was arrested at midnight. Two Breathalyzer tests taken at the police station recorded a reading of .162, twice the Massachusetts legal alcohol limit of .08. Landry wrote in his report that Bussiere admitted he’d been drinking at a bar in Merrimac, where he said he had four beers and smoked four bowls of marijuana.
After running his record, Landry learned that Bussiere had a significant history of driving while intoxicated. According to court documents, Bussiere had been convicted of four separate incidents of drunken driving at Newburyport District Court, once in December 1981, twice in 1982 and again in December 1986. His next OUI conviction in Massachusetts was in June 1988 at Malden District Court.
Bussiere was last convicted of driving while intoxicated in January 2005 in Alfred, Maine.
© 2012 The Daily News of Newburyport
Distributed by MCT Information Services
Take away his license for life!
Taking away ones drivers license does not stop a person from driving.
So true, what do you suppose would stop people from drinking and driving?
Take the car away. It’s now state property.
When I was a kid my family got hit by a drunk driver. The guy had lost his license as a habitual offender. He was always drunk and always causing accidents. Back then he must have been busted 20 times before his license was pulled. When he hit us he was in a borrowed car.
We went to the hospital and he got a fine of $15.00 for failure to yield right of way,
Pulling their car doesn’t work either, they will just use someone elses who will later claim they took it without permission and if it happens in Hancock county the courts will find away to protect them and cause you more grief.
They should be killed before they kill innocent people. I do not care what anyone thinks or says about my comment.
I’m sitting here waiting for such a person to drive by soon who steals from the neighbors, damages peoples property, drives reckless,threatens people doesn’t work. I have a feeling no one in this neighborhood would even call the cops if they hit a tree since they don’t come here when this person and his pals go on a rampage.
i couldn’t agree more
Perhaps he can be placed in the middle of the road, outside a bar about 2 am and wait til some drunk driver runs him over. And when that happens…take that driver and yes….put him in the middle of the road outside a bar at 2 am and wait til some drunk driver runs him over and with that driver…wait for it…wait for it….put him in the middle of the road…………………………..
THE HOUSE OF CORRECTIONS WILL SLOW HIM DOWN NEED TO LOCK UP MORE OF THESE TYPE OF ###$*^#1
A tragedy waiting to happen.
the 7th OUI …I Don’t think the methadone clinic will help in this scenerio. He has definitely fell through the cracks of the criminal justice system. Usally when the person has their 4th to 5th OUI the license is permantely revoked. Hellooooo.
What difference does revoking his license make? He still has ACCESS to a vehicle.
True … I was being sarcastic.
Well all I will say is I know of alot that have had six or more. It makes me so mad when I see that sign coming into Maine, Maine has a tough drunk driving law. No they do not. I say anyone can screw up once ,after that do away with them before they kill an innocent person or people.
well, at least he is in jail in Massachusetts, saving the Maine taxpayers a bunch of money to keep him away from harming anyone else for awhile.
A 51 year-old man who never matured – he makes his family proud. I’m NOT surprised that he has multiple OUIs, I’m NOT surprised that judges show no backbone (including this judge – 2 yrs?), but I AM surprised that natural selection didn’t take over here and remove the malfunctioning drunk from this planet.
how sad
Real stupid sentence. Take the vehicles away from this guy for two years and impound them. Make sure he cant leave the house. Use an ankle bracelet to keep track of him. This is why Maine and other states are broke. Types of sentences like this. Now this guy gets Free Medical, Free Dental, Free Medication, Free counseling, Free food, Free room and board, Free electricity and Free HEAT for two winters.
Not to mention the home made booze they produce in jail. He’ll find a way to drink if he wants. Arresting him as in the past is no deterrent. How about a lobotomy !
death penalty……..before he kill a innocent family on their way home……obviously this person will never learn!
I couldnt agree with you more sir
Forget about this guy.Throw away the key. Government needs to concentrate on the young kids getting into trouble.Investing some money in our youth is cheaper than housing this offender for years on end. If this gentlemen had been handled correctly way back- he may not be in this situation today. Too late to save people like Daniel.
Only 2 years!! What a disgrace!!
Very fortunate that he hasn’t killed anyone yet. He needs his license permanently revoked, no access to any other vehicle and he needs COUNSELING. I don’t see that mentioned anywhere here.
From the article:
” Laurenzano ordered Bussiere to undergo substance abuse counseling and
one of the conditions of his probation is that he remain drug- and
alcohol-free during the five years.”
And, I thought Maine had a tough law on OUI! I guess its not true. It won’t be long till this person is killed or he kills someone first and then he get another slap on the wrist.
send him to Mexico