Habitual DUII Offender Convicted

Lorn Hildreth, age 54, of Hillsboro, was on his way home from the Oregon coast when he stopped to urinate on the side of HWY 99 in Washington County.  Sgt. John Carlson of the Sherwood Police Department saw Hildreth's vehicle on the side of the road and stopped to check on him.  Hildreth showed clear signs of impairment and admitted to drinking beer before leaving the coast and while driving home.  He refused to perform field sobriety tests and declined to provide a breath sample.  A nearly empty pint of Dead Guy Ale with an alcohol content of 6.6% was found in the center console of Hildreth's car.  

On 5 separate occasions between 1997 and 2002 Hildreth has been convicted of DUII in the state of Oregon.  On August 4, 2010 a Washington County jury found Hildreth guilty of his sixth DUII.  Judge Steven Price sentenced him to 6 months in the custody of the Washington County Jail and permanently revoked his Oregon Driver's License.  Washington County Deputy District Attorney Rayney Meisel prosecuted the case.  Privately retained criminal defense attorney Robert Thuemmel represented the defendant.  

In November 2010 Oregon voters passed Measure 73, which increased some criminal penalties including those for certain repeat drunk drivers.  However, even under Measure 73, a DUII conviction is not a felony unless it is a defendant's third in a 10 year period.  Before Measure 73, a DUII was not a felony until the fourth conviction within 10 years.