BURLINGTON, Vt. -
Police say he was excessively speeding and drunk when he barreled through one of the busiest intersections in the state. That man was charged with his second DUI and was in court, in Burlington to face those charges today.
You might remember that traffic was at a stand still for hours on Mother's Day, all because of 29 year old Philip G. Henry, a convicted drunk driver, who is accused of getting behind the wheel again.
Henry pleaded not guilty to DUI and reckless driving Thursday in connection to a crash earlier this month.
Police say he drove his Mitsubishi Montero up the 189 exit ramp, narrowly made it between two poles, only to strike the electrical box that controls the traffic lights in that area.
But that's not all.
Police say Henry ultimately ended up driving up a ramp and smashing into two parked cars at the Buffalo Wild Wings parking lot. Miraculously, no one was injured.
Police say Henry admitted he drank more than five beers in a five hour time frame.
And while Vermont law does have tougher penalties for repeat offenders, it's only if the driver injures someone else.
"If you're operating under the influence and you cause either death or serious bodily injury to another person, then you could be charged with a 15 year felony," Deputy State's Attorney Paul Finnerty said.
A judge has already ordered him to undergo alcohol treatment.
"Currently my client is enrolled in Day One, he's doing individual counseling," Brooks McArthur said, Henry's defense attorney.
He's also had his license taken away for 18 months.
If convicted, he faces two years in prison, a fine, and more than two weeks worth of community service.
Philip Henry may have the option of getting an ignition interlock system installed in his car, so that he could be back on the road before his license suspension is up.
"Anecdotally in Vermont, 80 percent of the first offenders don't re offend, so the challenge is to try to identify who the 20 percent is up front," Finnerty said.
