Man Sentenced 4 1/2 Years For 16th DWI
By STEPHANIE BARISH Staff reporter

3:10 p.m. EDT, September 18, 2009
MORRISTOWN, N.J. (WPIX)—
A New Jersey man - who has been convicted a total of 16 times for getting behind the wheel drunk - was sentenced to a four 1/2 year prison term Friday.

According to officials, Shaun Campbell, 40, of East Rutherford, had his driver's license suspended a staggering 78 times prior to his 16th DWI conviction. Following his sentencing, Campbell was forced to pay $9,000 in fines and had his license revoked for the next 39 years.

Campbell pleaded guilty on June 30 in connection to an April DWI crash in Morris Township that left a 48-year-old man and the man's 4-year-old daughter injured. In that crash, police said Campbell crashed his SUV head-on into the victim's car - but luckily the two passengers escaped serious injury. On Friday, Campbell - who had a blood alcohol level of .288 at the scene of the crime - pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of that accident.

In addition, Campell pleaded guilty to two other outstanding DWI's from 2008 in Pequannock and Wayne - where Campbell was reportedly found by police passed out, at a car dealership, officials said.

The judge imposed the maximum sentence on the various violations Campbell had incurred since he was a repeat offender. He sentenced Campbell to 18 months in state prison for assault-by-auto in the Morris Township crash and 3 1/2 years on the several other offense he had been charged with in three separate towns.

Campbell's DWI convictions date back to 1987. Other offenses include administrative violation, including failure to appear in court and neglecting to pay fine.