April 28, 2015
A Rhode Island man arrested four times in less than 48 hours for drunken driving is going to prison.
A Providence judge sentenced John Lourenco, 53, to two years in prison and two years probation on Monday and ordered his license revoked for eight years following his release. Lourenco, of Cumberland, Rhode Island, also must undergo alcohol counseling, the judge said.
Lourenco’s troubles began on Sept 14, 2014, when he hit an SUV carrying two children in Providence.
At about 7 a.m. the next morning, he again collided with a car, this time in Cumberland. Police said his blood alcohol was well over the legal limit. He was arrested about four hours later, when he was stopped for driving erratically, and again at about 5 p.m., when he crashed a dump truck into a tree.
"I'd like to offer my deepest apology to the family and lives that I affected on September 14 and 15 when I relapsed and went into a blackout for 30 hours," Lourenco said at his sentencing, according to media reports. "I thank the Lord nobody got hurt."
Lourenco’s attorney could not immediately be reached for comment on Tuesday. It is unclear why Lourenco was allowed to go free following the first three arrests.
