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Football writer Jim Dent Jailed after 10 DWIs

CloakNNNdagger

CloakNNNdagger

Hall of Fame
Dent now finds himself amongst bars that serve no alcohol.


Football writer Jim Dent faces long prison term after 10 DWIs
April 13, 2015, 9:00 AM EDT


In August, we passed along a tidbit from the book Manziel Mania, which claimed that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was so close to drafting quarterback Johnny Manziel that Jones’s son Stephen had to take the card with Manziel’s name on it out of Jerry’s hand.

Little did we know that the story of the author of Manziel Mania was even crazier than the story of the goings-on in the Cowboys’ draft room: It turns out that at the very time Manziel Mania was generating headlines, author Jim Dent was on the lam in Mexico, having jumped bail because he was facing a long prison term in Texas after his 10th conviction for driving while intoxicated.

The Dallas Morning News has conducted a thorough investigation of Dent, who authored several well-regarded books about football, including The Junction Boys and King of the Cowboys: The Life and Times of Jerry Jones. Dent has now been caught and resides in the Collin County jail, where he awaits sentencing on Thursday on the DWI charges. In addition to the DWI sentence, he now faces a felony charge of bail jumping and failure to appear in court, which carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Dent promoted Manziel Mania from Mexico, using an Internet phone service that makes calls hard to trace so that he could conduct radio interviews to talk about the book without the authorities tracking him down. In all the news accounts of Manziel Mania — which got plenty of attention thanks to that headline-grabbing anecdote about the Cowboys’ draft room — no one mentioned that Dent was on the run from the law.

But the Dallas Morning News has done a thorough job of examining everything Dent has done: He has been convicted of DWI in five different counties in Texas, as well as convictions in Arkansas, Nevada and Oklahoma. One of his DWI arrests came on the very day he was released from jail for a previous DWI. He also has an active arrest warrant out for him in Arkansas because he failed to complete the alcohol counseling that was required as a result of his drunk driving conviction there. His former book agent says that organizing Dent’s schedule meant “juggling calls from five different lawyers in four different states,” and the agent eventually stopped working with Dent because of “too many late-night drunken calls.”

The law failed to stop Dent. His license was suspended but he kept driving anyway. He was ordered to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings but didn’t show. He was ordered to wear an ankle monitor, but he removed it. Dent promised in a jailhouse interview that he will never drink again, but that’s a promise he has broken before.

It’s a gripping story, one that Dent says he will write a book about. He’ll have plenty of time to finish it behind bars.
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CloakNNNdagger said:
Dent was on the run from the law.

Dent promoted Manziel Mania from Mexico, using an Internet phone service that makes calls hard to trace...

  • convicted of DWI in five different counties in Texas, as well as convictions in Arkansas, Nevada and Oklahoma
  • One of his DWI arrests came on the very day he was released from jail for a previous DWI
  • His former book agent... stopped working with Dent because of “too many late-night drunken calls.”
  • His license was suspended but he kept driving anyway
  • He was ordered to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings but didn’t show
  • He was ordered to wear an ankle monitor, but he removed it
Click to expand...

Now this is what we call a real alcoholic. Just like me.

  • Dent once had been stopped by Louisiana police for speeding and told to “walk the line.” Dent proved his sobriety by walking a straight line “on his hands, his feet swaying in the cop’s face, his spare change spilling from his pants pockets.”
  • As a freshman at SMU, Dent fell out of a third-floor dorm window during a party, only to rejoin it largely unscathed moments later.
  • More than 1.1 million people were arrested for driving under the influence in 2013... about a third of those arrested or convicted are repeat offenders.
  • He said both of his grandfathers were alcoholics. But he insisted neither his late father, Harry James Dent Sr., a Chevrolet truck salesman, nor his mother, Leanna, had any problem.
  • “His real problem is alcoholism,” said a resigned Gardner, now a criminal court judge in Vancouver. He said he has sentenced “hundreds, if not thousands of impaired drivers. The alcohol has made some bad decisions for Jim.”
  • Told that Dent was back in jail in Collin County, Lord said, “Good.”
  • Mothers Against Drunk Driving even hired a constable from the Houston area to try to find him.
  • less than a year after his release from prison, Dent was arrested again for drunken driving.
  • “Prison scared the [expletive] out of me,” Dent said from the Collin County jail.
  • Nine months later, Dent was arrested again for DWI...
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http://res.dallasnews.com/interactives/jim-dent/?hootPostID=fab825f19a21ef67b21798f25aae9ade
 
Last edited:
I could say lots of nasty things about Dent, but honestly, after getting away with it that long, wtf did the state think was going to happen? If the law is not going to put a stop to it, then I have to look at the police/judges/DAs as the culprits. The laws are there, on the books, along with the sentences. Use them.
 
Texecutioner said:
How did he get past 7 without major time? Screw that, 5?
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White-Privilege-AMEX.jpg
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
From The Dallas Morning News:

Author Jim Dent gets 10-year prison sentence after 10th DWI

......and this was after a plea deal.
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Looking at the bright side Dent will have almost 5 yrs to work on another book.

What is the 1st thing he will do when he gets out of prison? Have a drink, hopefully he wont drive after having that drink.

A girlfriend/somebody at Walgreens lead to Dent's fall from grace. Seems like a common theme for successful people to be brought down by their girlfriends/wives etc....

How much time has he already served?
 
eriadoc said:
Not his drinking and driving? Seems like his incessant drinking and driving led to his fall from grace.
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If you say so.

Who turned him in and define incessant for me?

I guess when the legal limit was .10 that was incessant.

Followed by .08 now that's incessant.

If they lower the law to .05 is that incessant?

DWI laws are just a way for the state to make a lot of $$$$.
 
steelbtexan said:
If you say so.

Who turned him in and define incessant for me?

I guess when the legal limit was .10 that was incessant.

Followed by .08 now that's incessant.

If they lower the law to .05 is that incessant?

DWI laws are just a way for the state to make a lot of $$$$.
Click to expand...

His downfall is not determined by who turned him in, but rather the act of committing a crime.

As for defining incessant, I'll let Webster's define it for you:

incessant
Tweet
adjective in·ces·sant \(ˌ)in-ˈse-sənt\

: continuing without stopping : not stopping
Full Definition of INCESSANT
: continuing or following without interruption : unceasing
— in·ces·sant·ly adverb
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Continuing to drink and drive without stopping, as in continuing after getting caught once, twice, three times, four times, five times, six times, seven times, eight times, and nine times. I'd say that qualifies as incessant.
 
thunderkyss said:
That's at least 10 times an officer of the law pulled this yahoo over for cause. 10 times he could have killed someone. That's ridiculous.
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Probably closer to more than 2,000 times.


EACH DAY, PEOPLE DRIVE DRUNK ALMOST 300,000 TIMES, BUT FEWER THAN 4,000 ARE ARRESTED.

Federal Bureau of Investigation, “Crime in the United States: 2013”
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Playoffs said:
Probably closer to more than 2,000 times.


​
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I've never really wrapped my head around how anyone pulling out of any bar at any time of day anywhere isn't open to a probable cause field sobriety test.

And I'm not condoning that as a standard police practice, but if safety is the heart of the issue it seems disingenuous this doesn't take place.
 
Mollywhopper said:
I've never really wrapped my head around how anyone pulling out of any bar at any time of day anywhere isn't open to a probable cause field sobriety test.

And I'm not condoning that as a standard police practice, but if safety is the heart of the issue it seems disingenuous this doesn't take place.
Click to expand...

I've wondered the same thing, but also including those leaving sporting events and concerts, as well.
 
Double Barrel said:
I've wondered the same thing, but also including those leaving sporting events and concerts, as well.
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I wonder this as well.

When the state changes the law and it's proven that .08 doesn't make society safer than driving at .10 that makes it a state cash cow and also allows officers to sit outside bars and arrest people at will. If you have more than a beer at a bar you're a DWI candidate. If you drink 2 tall boys on the way home and get pulled over you get a DWI and are now a criminal who enter the judicial/probation system where even good people are apt to screw up. This is nothing more than a state/lawyer driven money grab.

Is that what people really want?
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
Dent now finds himself amongst bars that serve no alcohol.
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Its easy (and correct) to sling arrows at Dent for this, and clearly he is a raging alcoholic, but how systems (can insert many countries here) keep letting these offenders keep offending, and threatening lives by turning their cars into lethal weapons, is the real issue. I know some here have real life experience on this, where that system clearly failed them.
 
eriadoc said:
The driver that killed my parents had a suspended license in OK and a prior DWI in TX. It took killing two people to get him off the roads.
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I know your story, it kills me to hear it again. God damn I hate this subject, and can only imagine how it is for you.
 
steelbtexan said:
If you say so.

Who turned him in and define incessant for me?

I guess when the legal limit was .10 that was incessant.

Followed by .08 now that's incessant.

If they lower the law to .05 is that incessant?

DWI laws are just a way for the state to make a lot of $$$$.
Click to expand...

While true, it also indicates a blatant disregard for the health and safety of both yourself and those around you. Looking for someone else to blame is a warning sign that you've already lost touch with reality.
 
steelbtexan said:
I wonder this as well.

When the state changes the law and it's proven that .08 doesn't make society safer than driving at .10 that makes it a state cash cow and also allows officers to sit outside bars and arrest people at will. If you have more than a beer at a bar you're a DWI candidate. If you drink 2 tall boys on the way home and get pulled over you get a DWI and are now a criminal who enter the judicial/probation system where even good people are apt to screw up. This is nothing more than a state/lawyer driven money grab.

Is that what people really want?
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YES! DON'T DRINK and DRIVE. It's simple enough for those not addicted to alcohol.
 
eriadoc said:
The driver that killed my parents had a suspended license in OK and a prior DWI in TX. It took killing two people to get him off the roads.
Click to expand...

I feel for you man, haven't heard your story.

Thais has to be the worst experience humanly possible.

God Bless
 
[IMGwidthsize=400]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Relative_risk_of_an_accident_based_on_blood_alcohol_levels_%28linear_scale%29.jpg[/IMG]

Dent is an obvious scumbag who most likely drives almost constantly inebriated. But the standard has been set low enough that it is not standing out from ordinary distracted driving whether that be from cell phones, makeup, reading, kids in the car, etc. But it receives far more condemnation and repercussions. I think the presumptive BAC should be bumped up some and the penalties made more harsh including a scale for results.

I also think all the open container laws should be repealed. Doesn't matter where you drink, just its effect on your driving.
 
Marshall said:
YES! DON'T DRINK and DRIVE. It's simple enough for those not addicted to alcohol.
Click to expand...

All it takes is one time. All alcohol has to do is impair your judgment about how impaired your judgment is one time. You don't have to be an addict for that to happen. You can just be a social drinker who makes a bad call.

Now. 10 DWIs? That's a guy with a problem who's been dodging bullets for years and as far as we know, just gotten lucky and not killed someone. (There is every possibility that he has killed someone but driven away and not gotten caught.)

Years ago, my wife, who is not an alcoholic, was drinking "coffee" at a restaurant to prepare to drive home. When she got home, I was appalled at the condition she was in. She was totally and completely schnockered and there's no way she should have been driving. We found out later that the restaurant she was at regularly puts alcohol into the type of "coffee" my wife as drinking. My wife didn't know it and the alcohol impaired her judgment so that she didn't realize what condition she was in. THAT'S the real danger with alcohol. You get drunk off your ass but you're sure you're still functional.

And all it takes is once.
 
steelbtexan said:
So you're all for running bars /restaurants out of business?

You got any idea how to replace those jobs?
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Don't think anyone suggests that. But FFS, when competent people make decisions that can destroy lives by deciding they can drive after a few shots of whiskey, or a 6 pack? CALL A ****ING CAB. I do believe there has to be a better way to lower DWI incidents/deaths. Have a doorman force drivers to take breathalyzer tests? Have more cabs standing by? I'm all for suggestions that helps all involved. People like Dent scare the hell out of me, as does a system that refuses to deal properly with these individuals.
 
toronto said:
Don't think anyone suggests that. But FFS, when competent people make decisions that can destroy lives by deciding they can drive after a few shots of whiskey, or a 6 pack? CALL A ****ING CAB. I do believe there has to be a better way to lower DWI incidents/deaths. Have a doorman force drivers to take breathalyzer tests? Have more cabs standing by? I'm all for suggestions that helps all involved. People like Dent scare the hell out of me, as does a system that refuses to deal properly with these individuals.
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While I shudder to think of it, I think the only thing that is going to enforce it is by auto manufacturers putting analyzers in card now, kinda like the ones they make those on probation for dwi use. That and much stiffer sentences than what is currently on the books
 
JB said:
While I shudder to think of it, I think the only thing that is going to enforce it is by auto manufacturers putting analyzers in card now, kinda like the ones they make those on probation for dwi use. That and much stiffer sentences than what is currently on the books
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Some people think that "fooling" these ignition breathalyzers (ignition interlock systems) would be fairly simple and therefore ineffective........Good luck!

Why You Just Can’t Fool an Ignition Interlock
June 16, 2014 / By Charles Hickman /

Often news articles about the persistent problem of drunk driving mention ignition interlocks — devices that test your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) when you blow into them. The devices are designed to prevent your car from starting if you fail the test because there’s too much alcohol in your system.

While the news articles usually mention the success that ignition interlock programs have had, if you scan down to the comments, someone is sure to have written, “Big deal. Those things are easy to bypass. They don’t prevent anyone from drinking and driving. Waste of time.”

A lot of people are under the impression that ignition interlocks are easy to defeat. Nothing could be further from the truth. Over the years the technology has been refined, and features added, so that they now do a great job keeping roads safer. Most of the ways people think they can defeat an interlock are based on a false information. Here are some methods methods by which people think they can fool an interlock:

* Have a friend blow into it. This is everyone’s first idea. Well, this will get your car started. But today’s interlocks feature a camera which records just who’s blowing into it. So when your data is sent to the authorities, expect a knock on the door.

* Start the car sober, and drink once you’re on the road. Interlocks employ a “rolling re-test” feature nowadays . That means that the device will ask you to blow into it at regular intervals after you’ve been driving for a while. If it detects alcohol, your lights will flash and your horn will honk. Not a good idea.

* Use a balloon with someone else’s breath. Apart from the general dumbness of collecting sober people’s breath in balloons and storing them in your car, this is another fail. The ignition interlock device wants to reassure itself that you’re human, so it will ask you to hum, or sometimes inhale, to prove it. Balloons just don’t do that very well.

* Remove the interlock altogether. Nope. Even if you could do it (and that takes specialized training), the data feed would register the removal, or even an attempt, and you’ll be in violation of your license terms.

There’s a reason ignition interlocks are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to fool: the stakes are so high. Often these devices are all that lie between a drunk driver and the innocent people on the road. Their job is to save lives, and statistics show they’ve been doing just that wherever they are required by law.
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CloakNNNdagger said:
Some people think that "fooling" these ignition breathalyzers (ignition interlock systems) would be fairly simple and therefore ineffective........Good luck!
Click to expand...

Yep, and they can easily make them more foolproof than what they are
 
steelbtexan said:
So you're all for running bars /restaurants out of business?

You got any idea how to replace those jobs?
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Bars are fine as long as they don't require leaving the premise by the imbibers. Many responsible people use designated drivers to accomplish this simple thing. But if that is not possible, Don't drink! It's not that hard. There is nothing that compels you to drink alcohol unless you're an addict.

If a soft drink or water ruins an evening because you are being responsible, then you have a problem.
 
Marshall said:
Bars are fine as long as they don't require leaving the premise by the imbibers. Many responsible people use designated drivers to accomplish this simple thing. But if that is not possible, Don't drink! It's not that hard. There is nothing that compels you to drink alcohol unless you're an addict.

If a soft drink or water ruins an evening because you are being responsible, then you have a problem.
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Zero tolerance has as much place in bars/the subject of alcohol as it does in schools - none.

And teetotalers/reformed alcoholics acting like everyone who has a glass of wine with dinner or a beer after work are raging alcoholics are an impediment to meaningful DUI change. It's starts the conversation with an unrealistic position and an offensive accusation against the 70+% who drink (88% who have ever drunk). When you include all drinking you make it very hard to convince folks that the penalties should be stiffer because while folks want Dent in jail and off the streets they don't want to ruin the life of Reverend Ralph for having a beer at the church Sunday picnic.
 
infantrycak said:
Zero tolerance has as much place in bars/the subject of alcohol as it does in schools - none.

And teetotalers/reformed alcoholics acting like everyone who has a glass of wine with dinner or a beer after work are raging alcoholics are an impediment to meaningful DUI change. It's starts the conversation with an unrealistic position and an offensive accusation against the 70+% who drink (88% who have ever drunk). When you include all drinking you make it very hard to convince folks that the penalties should be stiffer because while folks want Dent in jail and off the streets they don't want to ruin the life of Reverend Ralph for having a beer at the church Sunday picnic.
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^^^^
This

MSR

And the Dent's of the world have lead people like Marshall to think like he does. Too him anybody that has a couple of glasses of wine at dinner are the same as Dent. Dent is a scumbag.
 
infantrycak said:
Zero tolerance has as much place in bars/the subject of alcohol as it does in schools - none.

And teetotalers/reformed alcoholics acting like everyone who has a glass of wine with dinner or a beer after work are raging alcoholics are an impediment to meaningful DUI change. It's starts the conversation with an unrealistic position and an offensive accusation against the 70+% who drink (88% who have ever drunk). When you include all drinking you make it very hard to convince folks that the penalties should be stiffer because while folks want Dent in jail and off the streets they don't want to ruin the life of Reverend Ralph for having a beer at the church Sunday picnic.
Click to expand...

Drink all you want. Just don't drive. It's really that simple because the person drinking never seems to think they are affected until they can't even walk or they start throwing up. The drink affects your ability to tell that you've become intoxicated.

And if I've said it once, I'll repeat myself. It was only beer (or wine) is NOT a valid excuse for killing people.
 
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