A Buffalo Township man said he went on a drinking spree and committed his 11th driving-under-the-influence offense last summer because his pregnant girlfriend left him and moved into a crack house.
Dean E. Hixenbaugh Jr., 49, of 520 Rural Valley Road, offered the explanation Thursday to Washington County Judge John DiSalle, just moments prior to being sentenced to 30 to 60 months in prison followed by 8 years in the Intermediate Punishment Program with the first year on electronic home monitoring and SCRAM monitor.
Last week, Hixenbaugh entered an open guilty plea to four DUI offenses and four counts of driving with a suspended license related to DUI offenses, along with habitual offender charges. An open plea means the sentence is up to the discretion of the judge.
Hixenbaugh had seven prior DUI convictions and two license suspension violations dating to 1987.
The latest four DUI offenses occurred during a four-month period last summer.
He was first charged June 28 after he was found parked in the middle of Wylie Avenue in Canton Township with a 0.151 percent blood-alcohol content. When questioned by police, he falsely identified himself as another person.
He was next picked up July 10 when he was found slumped over the wheel of a vehicle on West Chestnut Street in North Franklin Township with a 0.208 percent BAC.
On Aug. 26, Hixenbaugh was arrested following a traffic stop on McCarrell Avenue in Washington with a 0.158 percent BAC.
Finally, he was charged Sept. 26 following a two-vehicle crash on Pleasant Valley Road in Buffalo Township. His BAC was 0.122 percent.
In addition, Hixenbaugh pleaded guilty Tuesday to drug charges stemming from a more recent case.
While Hixenbaugh received a substantial prison term, DiSalle said that he could be eligible for the state's 24-month Intermediate Punishment Program or the Recidivism Risk Reduction Incentive, which could result in lesser time behind bars.
Hixenbaugh also will be required to pay about $10,000 in fines. He also will have to undergo drug and alcohol evaluation and have his driver's license suspended for about 20 years.