A Hennepin County District Court Judge on Friday sentenced convicted drunk driver Anthony Klecker to four years in prison, despite a defense attorney's pleas that Klecker's combat experiences in Iraq make him a candidate for counseling rather than confinement.
Convicted drunk driver gets four-year sentence
An attorney argued that Anthony Klecker, who served in Iraq, needs treatment, not incarceration.
June 18, 2011 at 2:29AM
Judge Toddrick Burnette told Klecker, clad in an orange jail jumpsuit, that "change has to come from you." Burnette said treatment options would be available after Klecker completes his sentence.
Klecker was accused of crashing into a stalled vehicle last August on I-94 in Minneapolis north of the Lowry tunnel. The occupants of that car were not seriously hurt. Klecker was arrested for drunk driving and has been held at the county jail since then.
The crash occurred just seven months after his release from prison for a 2006 crash in which Klecker, driving drunk, killed 16-year-old Deanna Casey. He was given a one-year jail sentence in that case and was ordered to undergo treatment.
Klecker was eventually kicked out of a program at the St. Cloud Veterans Administration Medical Center for three separate incidents that violated the VA's policies: He got into a pushing argument with a friend, had a verbal altercation with another patient and then admitted to carrying a small pocket knife onto the premises. His eviction brought him a longer prison sentence.
Defense attorney Brockton Hunter on Friday argued that Klecker never actually received any treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. Hunter said his client was deeply sorry for his actions and ready for treatment. Klecker himself briefly addressed the judge, saying he would not let the judge down if given a chance.
Burnette was not swayed and said he would not depart from sentencing guidelines that called for 48 months. Hunter, after the hearing, said he was profoundly disappointed.
"Tony and his case are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we have coming in the next few years," he said. Veterans from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars could soon overwhelm the criminal justice system as more of them return from multiple deployments, he said. They need treatment, not to be "thrown into a cage," he said.
Present at the hearing was Catherine Casey, Deanna's mother. Casey has become active in Mothers Against Drunk Driving and tells her story to groups around the state.
"I was just happy that Judge Burnette made the decision that he did," she said after the hearing.
Matt McKinney • 612-217-1747
The governor said it may be 2027 or 2028 by the time the market catches up to demand.
