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6NEWS
Investigators take a look at therapy sessions for drunk drivers

10:26 AM EST on Thursday, December 8, 2005
By ANNA CROWLEY / 6NEWS

Since the recent wrong-way interstate crash by an allegedly drunk, illegal immigrant, many people want to know just how many illegal immigrants are driving drunk.

No knows for sure how many illegal immigrants are committing crimes behind the wheel because the police, the sheriff and the jail don't track those numbers.

Illegal or not however, all drunk drivers are treated the same -- they are sent to treatment. 6NEWS spoke to one man who said his mistake changed his life.

The 6NEWS Investigators spent hours sitting in on a closed therapy session with drunk drivers, some who were documented and others who were not. The one thing they have in common, their lives are dramatically changing.

Roger didn't want to be photographed or further identified, but he did want to talk about his mistake.

"It's my fault you know, my fault," he said.

It was a day of drinking. Tequila from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. then more booze with friends.

"I was drinking I think two beers, three beers," Roger said.

Eventually Roger had enough and decided to drive home.

"I was driving very, very drunk," said Roger.

He doesn't remember being pulled over or arrested but he does remember waking up in jail.

Instead of getting bailed out, he decided to sit there for a week and think about what he'd done.

"Everybody can change, but you need somebody else to help you," he said.

Court mandated treatment is one opportunity for offenders to talk about their crime.

"I drank and drove 500 times or more before I got caught one time," said Mario Moraga.

Moraga runs 11 Spanish speaking clinics in the Piedmont.

"When you actually do treatment and complete all your other requirements, you actually have a better life," said Moraga.

Every man we talked to, including Roger, said their lives were changing. They said they had more time with family and more money to pay bills.

"I'm a good person. I'm a good person now. I like my life now," said Roger.

An interesting challenge for officials dealing with Hispanic offenders, out of 124 probation officers in Mecklenburg County, only two speak Spanish.

It's important to note that immigration services doesn't act on information about illegal immigrants unless they've committed an aggravated felony.