Man Gets 2 Years on 9th Drunk-Driver Finding

A former Van Nuys man with nine drunk driving convictions was sentenced to two years in prison Friday after evading authorities for nearly seven years, prosecutors said.

Linwood Rose, 34, now of Simi Valley, received the prison term after he pleaded no contest this week in Municipal Court to charges stemming from a June 18, 1987, traffic accident in Van Nuys, Deputy City Atty. Sharyn Siskel said. Rose was convicted Thursday of driving under the influence of alcohol with prior convictions and driving with a suspended license due to a prior drunk-driving conviction.

Rose, who failed field sobriety and blood-alcohol level tests following the 1987 accident, never showed up for trial and a warrant for his arrest was issued in November of that year, Siskel said. At the time, Rose was living in Van Nuys and had already been convicted of drunk driving on five previous occasions.

Rose subsequently moved to Simi Valley. In Ventura County he was convicted three more times of drunk driving in 1988, 1990 and earlier this year. But authorities there were apparently unaware of Rose’s outstanding arrest warrant in Los Angeles, Siskel said.

“It’s not the intent of the system for these people to move around and to be lost track of, but it is possible for people to slip through the cracks,” said Karen Cullie, executive director of the Los Angeles County chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Police finally put the brakes on Rose on Sept. 10 when he was involved in his ninth alcohol-related crash, in Reseda, for which he was convicted and faces another sentencing Monday in Van Nuys Municipal Court. Los Angeles Deputy Dist. Atty. Susan Gruber said Rose has agreed to an additional three-year prison term in connection with the case, but it will be up to a judge to impose the final sentence.

The Reseda accident occurred when Rose, driving a white Ford pickup truck west on Victory Boulevard, collided with a Cadillac traveling north on Wilbur Avenue, said Los Angeles Police Detective George Cardenas, who is assigned to the Valley traffic division.

After the accident Rose fled but was captured after “a couple of witnesses pursued him and later officers took him into custody,” Cardenas said. Lila Mary Grimila, the driver of the Cadillac, was injured in the accident that sent her car crashing into a tree and fence.

Information on whether others have been injured in his previous accidents was unavailable. Rose’s attorney could not be reached for comment Friday.

Since Rose’s convictions began more than a decade ago, the California Legislature has passed numerous tough laws aimed at stopping drunk driving.

In 1990, California adopted laws calling for instant license suspension and a lowering of legal blood-alcohol levels to 0.08%.

Last year the state also raised the penalty for misdemeanor drunk driving offenses to a maximum $1,000 fine and one year in jail.

Another new law requires twice-convicted drunk drivers to equip their cars with a breath-analysis device that prevents them from starting their engine if they have a blood-alcohol level higher than 0.02%.

But apparently none of the laws stopped Rose from becoming involved in the Sept. 10 accident in Reseda. Gruber said she did not know whether Rose had a breath-analysis device installed in his truck at the time of his arrest.

A new assault on repeat offenders will begin Jan. 1, 1995, when a state law sponsored by state Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar) takes effect.

Motivated by drunk drivers, the law requires unlicensed drivers to permanently forfeit their cars when caught driving on state roads.

To forfeit a car, the law stipulates that the unlicensed driver must be the owner of the car and must have a conviction within the past five years for driving on a suspended or revoked license, or driving with no license.

Katz said he sponsored the bill after watching drunk driving continue to be a problem despite the passage of increased fines and penalties over the years.

“None of that seemed to be making a difference particularly for drunk drivers,” Katz said.

Another new law, by state Sen. Quentin L. Kopp (I-San Francisco), will also take effect Jan. 1, allowing authorities to impound a car for 30 days of anyone caught driving without a license or with a suspended or revoked license.