On August 20, 2015, Wesley Lynn Cravens, 53, of Bonham, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for Driving While Intoxicated – 3rd Or More. The sentence was imposed by 15th District Court Judge Jim Fallon pursuant to a plea agreement Cravens reached with the Grayson County District Attorney’s Office.
On March 29, 2015, at approximately 10 p.m. a concerned motorist called 911 to report a possible intoxicated driver near the intersection of Redbud Street and Cypress Grove Road in Sherman. The caller had followed a white truck and observed it travelling very erratically, to the point that the driver had almost lost control on at least one occasion. Arriving just minutes later, Sherman officer Jamie Bunetto located a truck matching the vehicle description parked in the parking lot of Carrus Specialty Hospital. The truck did not appear occupied, however as Bunetto approached, a man sat upright in the driver’s seat of the truck.
Upon making contact with the man, Bunetto identified him as Wesley Cravens and noticed signs of intoxication, including the smell of alcohol, slurred speech, and glossy eyes. Bunetto also observed an open can of beer next to Cravens. Upon removing Cravens from the vehicle, Bunetto noticed the front of his pants to be wet, and upon questioning, Cravens confirmed that he had urinated on himself. While confrontational with officers, Cravens admitting that he had been driving the vehicle and that he had been drinking. Officers discovered 13 full and cold beer cans in the vehicle, along with four empty cans.
Cravens refused to complete field sobriety tests at the scene, but was taken to Wilson N. Jones hospital for a blood sample after officers applied for a search warrant for his blood. Laboratory test results indicated he had a blood alcohol content of .239, three times the normal limit.
“We are very appreciative of members of the public being willing to call police when they see possible drunk drivers,” said Assistant District Attorney Brett Smith, who prosecuted the case. “Since the officer found him parked, we might not have been able to prove that he had been driving if it wasn’t for the citizen who called in. It is important for folks to give their names and be willing to testify if necessary in these cases.”
“Mr. Cravens criminal history included six prior DWI convictions from other counties, including three felony offenses, and he was on parole at the time he committed after being released from prison on a case out of Denton County,” said Grayson County District Attorney Joe Brown. “By the time you are arrested for your seventh DWI, you have had many opportunities to fix the problem, and you are absolutely endangering the public.”
Cravens was represented by Gainesville attorney Jeremy Oney.
