Repeat DUI offender arrested again for DUI crash with toddler

BALDWIN, Pa. — Police have arrested a repeat DUI offender accused of driving under the influence with his 3-year-old son in the front seat.

Timothy Maitland was charged with DUI and endangering the welfare of a child after he was allegedly driving drunk through Baldwin Borough on Sunday, crashed into a pole then kept driving and went home.

11 Investigates uncovered Pennsylvania is one of four states where repeat DUI offenses are still misdemeanors, not felonies.  A local family is trying to change that with State Bill 961.

Deb Iwaniec lost her son, Trooper Kenton Iwaniec, 10 years ago when he was hit and killed by a drunk driver.

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Every year she holds the Memorial Race in Latrobe to raise awareness about the dangers of drunk driving.

This year, she's pushing for the passage of Senate Bill 961 that would create stricter penalties for DUI offenders and make a third DUI conviction a felony.

"In our state alone, there are more than 50,000 DUI arrests," Iwaniec said. "Twenty-seven percent of those are repeat DUI offenders. We lose innocent lives, sons and daughters, we lose."

Repeat DUI offenders are responsible for approximately 40 percent of all DUI-related fatalities.  Maitland was first convicted of DUI in 2011.

Cox Media Group