Charles James Cahill, Jr., 49, is someone all too familiar to police. Cahill has 12 prior drunk driving convictions. He can now add a 13th arrest, but in this latest case there is a dead 12-year-old girl. Cahill hit a family’s van from behind on July 27th at 8:18 p.m. He then tested at almost three times the legal level of alcohol in his blood. Notably, his license was revoked by the Secretary of State in 1990. He is now facing charges of second-degree murder, operating with a high blood alcohol content causing death, operating while intoxicated third offense and driving while license suspended causing death and a misdemeanor charge of open intoxicants in a motor vehicle.
Cahill has been denied bond in the case.
Cahill was speeding when he rear-ended the minivan, which contained three girls — 12-year-old Victoria Mack and two others, ages 2 and 3. Victoria Mack (right) was in the third seat and, after being cut out of the wreckage, was put on life support for three days before she died.
Cahill’s drunk driving arrests go back to 1986. His license has been revoked 24 times and suspended 17 times since 1986.
The tragedy and pain for Victoria’s family must be magnified by this man’s long criminal history. This is a chilling record and highlights the problem of how to address some with an obvious drinking addiction and a long recidivist history. His license was taken away but he was still at large and able to drive. The question is whether such individuals should be incarcerated. At some point, they have to be released so the question is how long should such people be imprisoned and what should be the condition of release.
What do you think?
PaulS, We institutionalize people because they are a threat to society. He should be incarcerated for his action. He chose to drink and drive and must suffer the consequences of his choice. It’s pretty basic. Chrissake, a high % of people incarcerated are addicts. It’s tough being an addict. I have addiction in my family. But, without personal responsibility we have chaos.
@PaulSchulte
Definitely some people are genetically wired to become alcoholics. I should know – Scots-Irish with a smidgen of Cherokee (no, I’m not Pocahontas) – many alcoholics in my family tree both past and present. However some addicts are never able to get sober – look at the booming rehab business where people cycle in and out of programs. The results are dismal.
I agree with Paul that “2nd offense should have loss of driving privileges for life + car impounded + 10% of a persons assets forfeited as a fine.”
I think 3rd offense should be putting them away somewhere.
Like Paul, “I have Zero, Zero tolerance for a second offense of drunk driving.”
Once again a classic example of how we treat drunk driving with such callous disregard in this country. 2nd offense should have loss of driving privileges for life + car impounded + 10% of a persons assets forfeited as a fine. 3rd offense, 1 year in jail with all the alcohol you want 24 hours 7 days per week. hopefully you will drink yourself to death.
I have Zero, Zero tolerance for a second offense of drunk driving.
Chrissake bettykath. You are so ignorant on so many subjects. Urine analysis is ineffective in monitoring alcohol consumption. Alcohol leaves the body quickly. You would have to test this sh!tbird twice daily. Your bleeding heart does not allow you to see that some people are incorrigible and need to be removed from society. This should have NEVER happened.
Nick – alcoholism is a treatable disease. Considering the number of DUIs this guy has it would be a good guess that he was an alcoholic, plus the state took his license away. Now comes the problem. Do we institutionalize people for their disease?
Darren, You are not correct. There is a culture in the German/Irish upper Midwest that is alcoholic. Wisconsin is an alcoholic state. The local Madison newspaper publishes reports often of sh!tbirds like this w/ double digit DUI’s. The liquor and tavern leagues lobby to keep courts lenient. In Wisconsin, the first DUI is an ordinance violation. I’ve read many reports of people w/ more that the 12 DUI’s this guy has. The highest I’ve seen is 18. Although I bet there are some w/ more than 20. If these people are not incarcerated they will drive drunk. Therefore, they must be incarcerated until they die. Minimal security, working a farm, but never free to get access to a car. Never.
Possible solutions for repeat offenders: time in jail sufficient for person to dry out followed by a probation that continues as long as s/he fails a pee test, require frequent pee tests; breath thingee on the car that keeps car from working if driver isn’t sober (these things are expensive and will help with those who are at the marginal edges of financial stability, but will do less for those with money); force driver to get rid of car/truck; provide driver with a bicycle or tricycle (bike won’t stop drunk driving but damage will be less).
He has a disease which he and the state are not treating. He clearly has a severe alcoholism problem which has lead to this tragedy. He will do prison time.
The poor family of this young girl will never be at peace knowing this was preventable…somehow. What could/should have been done? MORE!
1. Whose name is the vehicle registered under?
2. If it’s his then how does that happen with his history?
3. If it’s someone else then add them as an accessory.
You will be reading the same headlines 5 years from now.
I agree with Gary T, and wonder where to Trumpster went when you brush your teeth with Pepsident.
A tragedy yes, but how is this cutting legal news?
“The question is whether such individuals should be incarcerated.”
~+~
The answer to this question is he must be incarcerated to fully incapacitate his recidivism. This man’s recidivism probability is nearly 100%. If the charges against him are proven justice is in his case the maximum determinate sentence or an indeterminate sentence without parole whereupon his release he is not capable of operating a motor vehicle in the physical sense.
The amount of DUI / OWI convictions of any person of this degree is extremely rare even among habitual traffic offenders and drunks. Therefore, the state can articulate a substantial sentence is reasonable and necessary.
He could get a life sentence, perhaps even without availability for parole The death penalty is not an option for Second Degree Murder in Michigan.
Not only he should have been taken off the street as a direct menace to society but those who slapped his hand at an early age and said ‘now puppy don’t crap on the carpet any more’ should have been and should be held to accounts as well for accessories before and after. Why the dog analogy. Because in the USA we treat our dogs better than our children and no dog is raised and trained to get away with crimes against carpets while our children our not trained to the level of a dog. For every juvenile miscreant there is an responsible adult. Delinquent means failing in duty and that’s an adult trait. No such thing as a juvenile delinquent just juvenile offenders and adult delinquent in their duty probably more than one. Did I come up with that theory on my own. No it was first written up in the 1950’s and has been proven true for more than half a century. Should have read the book instead of watching the movie. Robert Heinlein. Starship Troopers. You should have read the book. Now he faces a death penalty. Unless they let him go free again. Which wouldn’t surprise me. Governments don’t much care about 12 year old victims .
@Edwin
Kewl Guitar! Is that an old Gibson???
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
My thoughts on how should this person be treated should, I think, come from J.T. This case is so tragic, so lawless, so preventable (I think), and so much more, only a person of the caliber of J.T. can really say how this person should be treated.
12 DUIs? Did the guy do some serious time in jail? There is something wrong with the justice system if this guy wasn’t jailed after the fourth or fifth time. After that he should have been put away as a danger to society. I read somewhere that getting one DUI is not an indication of alcoholism or that it will happen again, but the second time changes things seriously. If getting two DUIs indicates an alcohol problem then this guy should have been locked up a long time ago.
People like this are a menace to the public. I always liked that movie “Papillon” – why not have an island somewhere that we can ship these repeated offenders off to? Give ’em shelter and food and let them fend for themselves. They should be removed from society. How heartbreaking for this family to lose their child.
I think I would give him at least 25 years with no parole.