Coloradans Weigh In On DUI Felony Decision

DENVER (CBS4) - A bill proposing that those charged with multiple Driving Under the Influence arrests be eligible for a felony faces its first hearing on Thursday. As DUI penalties face stiff edits from lawmakers, Coloradans weigh in on what should and shouldn't be the standard.

Recently, DUI stories have received much attention, either because of the damage done or the need for legal crackdown. Here we gathered the most significant comments and thoughts from DUI incidents posted to our Facebook page.

The story that started this conversation was about a man who committed his sixth DUI, which killed a father and his two sons. Many concurred that stricter penalties should be enacted:

The day after this news, Alton Kirkland was sentenced to 35 years in prison for his deadly DUI incident in Wheat Ridge. Kirkland was drunkenly speeding through a red light, trying to scare his wife, when he crashed into and killed Jordan Sprouse. Then Kirkland left his wife and child at the scene as he fled.

Coloradans had a lot to say about such a reckless act, and what might be the solution:

Not long after Kirkland's sentencing, Dan Brooks was arrested for his twelfth DUI. Many people thought it shouldn't take 12 DUI's before something is done about the problem:

A variety of thoughts popped up about what needs to be done in order to prevent this from happening:

Colorado lawmakers will decide this year if an offender can be charged with a felony upon committing 3 DUI's in seven years or 4 DUI's in any time period.

Last year, the Democratically sponsored bill was killed in the Senate Appropriations Committee despite a Democratic majority.

Dominic Dezzutti further discusses the 2015 vote here: Will Colorado Lawmakers Finally Pass a DUI Felony Bill?

CBS4 social media and website producer Heather Sadusky writes about trending topics on social media and across the Internet on her What's Trending Blog. Share a story idea with Heather by clicking here.