GONZALES A Hammond man whom Ascension Parish prosecutors called a "DWI veteran" was sentenced to 18 years in prison after his conviction for a sixth driving while intoxicated arrest that happened while he was on parole for his fifth DWI, according to court documents.

Dylan E. Hart, 55, 44090 Millie Road,was involved in a minor two-vehicle crash with no injuries July 31, 2015,near the intersection of La. 70 and La. 3120 in Ascension Parish.

A breath-test found Hart had a blood-alcohol content of 0.16 percent, prosecutors with the 23rd Judicial District said in a statement.A blood-alcohol content of 0.08 percent is considered presumptive evidence of drunken driving in Louisiana.

A state district judge sentenced Hart to a 12-year prison sentence that came as part of a plea deal with Assistant District Attorney Phil Maples, prosecutors said.

But Hart's new prison sentence will be added to the remaining, unserved six years that he was sentenced to in 2011 for a fifth DWI conviction in Tangipahoa Parish, according to court documents.

Hart was given an eight-year prison sentence but six years were suspended, according to the court. He served the two-year sentence in an in-home incarceration and was ordered to participate in driver improvement and substance abuse programs.

In handing down the latest sentence for Hart last week, state Judge Thomas Kliebert Jr. of the 23rd Judicial District Court ordered that the six-year sentence from the 2011 conviction was to be served consecutively with the 12-year sentence.

Kliebert issued written reasons.

The judge noted Hart's history of crimes involving substance abuse and that he had been on parole at the time of his arrest in July 2015.

"The Court also notes that the defendant has been afforded the opportunity of rehabilitation and substance abuse assistance while on active probation on at least three occasions, failed to fully utilize the resources available to him, and continued to involve himself with substance abuse and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated in total disregard of our laws," Kliebert wrote.

In addition to the prison time and other conditions, Kliebert also fined Hart $5,000.

Hart agreed to the plea deal March 13 after the judge planned to allow prosecutors to introduce at trial his five previous DWI convictions in Tangipahoa Parish going back to 2003, according to court documents.

Follow David J. Mitchell on Twitter, @NewsieDave.

Originally posted here:

Sixth DWI conviction for Hammond man in Ascension results in nearly two decades of prison time - The Advocate