KENDALL COUNTY, Texas – A Kendall County jury sentenced a man to 50 years in prison after he was convicted of driving while intoxicated for the seventh time, according to a news release.
Dennis Lee Giddings, 58, was found guilty by a jury on June 25, the Kendall County District Attorney’s Office said in a Facebook post.
Giddings crashed his vehicle into a Boerne Fire Department ladder truck on July 4, 2024, the release said.
“Boerne Firefighter Gregory, who was operating the truck, spotted Giddings’ vehicle approaching at a high rate of speed in the wrong lane, towards him, head on,” the district attorney’s office said.
Giddings struck the rear of the fire truck. The district attorney’s office stated that it remains out of service “to this day.”
“Firefighters attempted to render aid to Giddings, who met them with immediate hostility, cursing, and falsely accusing them of causing the collision,” the release said. “Fire personnel immediately noted a strong odor of alcohol emanating from Giddings and his vehicle.”
Authorities found that Giddings “displayed several indicators of impairment, including slurred speech, watery eyes, and an unsteady gait, leaning on his vehicle for support.”
Investigators later found a half-empty bottle of vodka in the glove compartment, an empty vodka bottle in the back seat and three full bottles of liquor in the trunk, the release stated.
‘Extensive’ criminal history
The Kendall County jury was presented with Giddings’ “extensive” criminal history, which includes several charges for driving under the influence and assaults in surrounding counties, according to the district attorney’s office.
- 1985: Bexar County - convicted of driving under the influence of liquor, serving three days in jail
- 1989: Bexar County- convicted of DUI, sentenced to two years’ probation
- 1995: Kerr County - convicted of DWI 2nd, received 18 months probation, which was later revoked, leading to 60 days in jail
- 1996: Kendall County - charged with DWI 3rd or more while on probation for the last case, subsequently convicted and sentenced to three years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ).
- 1997: Kendall County - arrested for DWI 3rd or more charge, occurred while on probation for the 1995 case and on bond for the 1996 case, again received a 3-year sentence
- 2001: Bandera County - charged with aggravated assault while on parole, resulting in a five-year sentence
- 2004: Kendall County - charged with DWI 3rd or more while on parole, leading to another five-year sentence
- 2007: Kendall County- convicted of aggravated assault while on parole, received a 20-year sentence.
- 2024: Kendall County- charged with DWI 3rd or more and resisting arrest.
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