NORTH HILLS : Driver Sentenced to 1 Year in Jail
A 50-year-old North Hills man with 12 previous drunk driving convictions was sentenced Wednesday to one year in jail for repeatedly ramming his car into a parked vehicle and then fleeing the scene.
The sentence was the maximum that could have been handed out to Harry W. Peck, who has 17 prior driving-related convictions, Los Angeles City Atty. James K. Hahn said.
Van Nuys Municipal Judge Harold N. Crowder, who presided over a four-day jury trial, ordered Peck to begin serving his term immediately. Witnesses testified that on May 8, in a parking lot of a North Hills mini-mall, Peck rammed his car into the parked car at least four times, causing an estimated $1,100 in damage. He then drove away.
Two witnesses said Peck appeared to be drunk, but Deputy City Atty. Christopher Bobo said that by the time police traced Peck through his car’s license plate, it was too late to give him a blood-alcohol test.
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