Juneau Superior Court Judge Louis Menendez called Joshua Jayson Hunnel \u201ca pretty lucky guy\u201d before sentencing him to a four-year prison term, with two of those years suspended.<\/p>\n
After all, everyone in court Friday \u2014 even the defendant \u2014 agreed it was a miracle that he did not kill anyone when he drove drunk and crashed into a wall at the Foodland IGA on Dec. 11, just to the right of the Heritage Coffee entrance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just sheer luck someone wasn\u2019t standing there,\u201d Juneau District Attorney James Scott said, noting the collision site is a well-used walkway between the liquor and grocery stores and that the crash was just before 5 p.m., a time when there are typically many customers in the area.<\/p>\n
Hunnel, 40, pleaded no contest to driving under the influence with more than two priors, as well as admitting to aggravating factors that included having a prior felony conviction for burglary in 2012 and other convictions in Washington state, and a history of assaultive behavior. He will be on probation for three years and must pay restitution in the amount of $19,343.<\/p>\n
Scott said the resolution of the charges was favorable to Hunnel, whom he called an \u201cextremely aggravated offender\u201d who had exhausted the rehabilitative resources of the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve done all we can do for Mr. Hunnel,\u201d Scott said, adding that Hunnel has an extensive criminal history since he turned 18 with \u201cincredibly reckless, inconsiderate, violent behavior over and over and over again.\u201d Hunnel, he said, will continue to be a danger to the community and should expect increasingly severe sentences.<\/p>\n
Hunnel\u2019s attorney, Assistant Public Defender Grace Lee, said her client has a serious alcohol problem and is asking for help; she said he has been attending Alcoholics Anonymous while in custody and plans to enter an intensive outpatient program after he is placed in a halfway house.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been in and out of trouble with the law since I was 8,\u201d Hunnel told the judge. He said that he lost his college scholarships after assaulting a sex offender and then \u201creally delved into\u201d drinking, graduating from \u201cstupid teenage stuff\u201d to more serious crimes that were all related to alcohol abuse.<\/p>\n
Hunnel detailed his treatment plans, which include keeping away from alcohol.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know myself,\u201d he said, describing his own manipulative behavior. \u201cI\u2019ve never given the state a chance to help me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hunnel said he didn\u2019t consider jail time a deterrent, adding, \u201cWhat caught my attention was, I could have killed somebody.\u201d<\/p>\n
He told Menendez he considered the proposed sentence \u201cthe perfect amount of time to do what I need to do to achieve sobriety. If I can beat alcohol, this stuff will end. I\u2019m going to make every effort to not drink.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully I will see you on the streets, instead of in here,\u201d Hunnel said.<\/p>\n
Menendez commended him for wanting to rehabilitate himself, and followed the recommendation of what he called an \u201cinsightful\u201d plea agreement. After the hearing, Scott went out of his way to also give Hunnel kudos for his treatment plans, urging him to get help if he slid backward.<\/p>\n
Defendant fled scene of crash, refused blood alcohol test<\/p>\n