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Lincoln man, 23, sentenced for 5th DUI

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By the Lincoln Journal Star

Tuesday, Oct 07, 2008 - 07:06:12 pm CDT

A 23-year-old Lincoln man has been sentenced to five to 10 years in prison for his fifth DUI.

Matthew Bliven said he took full responsibility for his actions.

“And I’m ready to accept the sentence you hand down,” he told Judge Jeffre Cheuvront on Monday.

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Cheuvront said not only did Bliven have multiple DUIs, but he also was doing it repeatedly while his license was revoked.

“This is a somewhat tragic case,” he said. “It’s obvious he has a terrible, terrible alcohol problem.”

Cheuvront sentenced Bliven to five to 10 years in prison and revoked his license for 15 years.

Police stopped Bliven at 12:50 a.m. April 17 on Park Boulevard near South Street. He was swerving within his lane and crossed the lane divider twice, according to court records. His blood tested .240, three times the legal limit.


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BicycleMike wrote on October 7, 2008 7:07 pm:
" Well it's good to know it only took 5 DUI's to finally give this guy some serious jail time. He should be glad he didn't kill anyone. "

 j83 wrote on October 7, 2008 7:44 pm:
" Why wasn't treatment/probation recommended earlier? Why did it have to take his 5th DUI to get him 5-10 years? I feel this problem should have been addressed much much sooner. He should have been strictly monitered after his second DUI. After his third and fourth, the consequences just didn't matter. "

 me wrote on October 7, 2008 7:59 pm:
" And he was only 23? "

 living with it wrote on October 7, 2008 8:06 pm:
" I live with a recovering alcoholic and YES they need treatment. Why does it take 5 DUIs to get him in jail. While in jail he can seek treatment. This should have happened after the first or 2nd offense. Thank God he did not kill anyone. They need help.....and there is help out there. We sought it. You can recover with help from therapists, family and friend support. This was tooo long to be taken care of. But I guess he is now in jail and I hope will get the help and treament he needs in jail. But you have to remember he has to WANT to get better or it is all in vain. Been there, done that. If he truly wants to get help he will seek it and use it. "

 Be Harder wrote on October 7, 2008 8:36 pm:
" It is sad that five DUI charges are needed to get punishment. He is lucky he didn't hurt or kill anyone. What was the punishment for DUI 3 or 4? This guy can be out in 2.5 years. A close friend of mine was killed by a drunk driver who already had three DUI charges. When are the penalties going to get stricter? "

 -chet wrote on October 7, 2008 9:00 pm:
" 5th time and finally some meaningful justice?

What message are the courts sending to the good citizens of Nebraska?

There is no "tragedy" on the part of Bliven's actions, Judge Cheuvront. The tragedy is, the courts got 5 free rides to finally get it right, luckily no law abiding citizens were killed in the process.

1st DUI? You learn your lesson. 2nd? You are doing time, because you got a clear, underlying problem. I learned the lesson at the expense of some of my freinds. I suggest that you send that message to 1st offenders before it's too late. "

 Hello wrote on October 7, 2008 9:11 pm:
" So what did he tell the judge the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th times? "

 ellfie wrote on October 7, 2008 10:03 pm:
" Why did it take 5 DUI to get this jerk off the roads?...1 strike and you're out seems more in line "

 Matt P. wrote on October 7, 2008 10:09 pm:
" Yeah, this is a perfect example of a failed system!! "

 Ben wrote on October 7, 2008 11:04 pm:
" And he is eligible to get his license back in 15 years????? Why even take it away to begin with?? Needs to be a more permanent solution to that. "

 Heres a hint wrote on October 7, 2008 11:28 pm:
" If you can't stop drinking, do it at home and don't leave until your sober. HOW DARE YOU FOR RISKING THE LIVES OF OTHERS FOR YOUR OWN SELFISH NEEDS!!! I think you got off easy...for your 5th DUI you should be locked away for a LOT longer...long enough to grow up and think about someone else for a change - like the people who's lives you risked by driving drunk FOR THE 5TH TIME! "

 Justice wrote on October 8, 2008 3:01 am:
" For people's information, the Legislature determines sentencing guidelines. The following is based on whether the criminal had BAC of .08 but less than .15 for all cases. 1st offense DUI is 7-60 days jail. 2nd offense DUI is 30 days-6 months jail. 3rd offense DUI is 90 days-1 year jail. 4th offense max is 0-5 years. 5th offense max 1-20 years. These are maximums and the penalties are greater if the BAC was .15 for offenses. For all cases a court can sentence someone to probation which includes all kinds of services to clean up the act. If you don't like the guidelines, talk to your Senator don't complain about the judges. "

 Terry wrote on October 8, 2008 6:05 am:
" The system is "failed" allright. 5 to 10 for DWI, but rapists get off Scott-free, and judges that run over and kill motorcyclists don't even get a ticket! "

 Carter wrote on October 8, 2008 6:43 am:
" I think that this young mad has problems, but it is nothing that jail is going to be able to fix...after his first DUI he should have realized that he has a problem and checked himself in to a lavish rehab center...i know these things can be expensive, my father had to sell his autographed Meatloaf tapes to pay for my brothers rehab, he is still with us so i think it was worth every penny. jail isn't going to help Bliven or anyone he 'could' have hurt...how can he drive to rehab without a license? "

 a different approach wrote on October 8, 2008 8:20 am:
" I hear about people with DUIs driving with suspended licenses (i think the license thing is mandatory for DUI convictions), but they always drive anyway. What if we changed the laws so that any vehicles registered (only) to that person are impounded or booted (and of course have them pay for the boots or impounding). This would seriously hamper their odds at getting a car to drive around again until the license is granted back. "

 by boss had 4 nothing happened wrote on October 8, 2008 8:33 am:
" One of my ex-bosses got into 2 wrecks caused by DUI, and had 4 overall DUI charges on his record. He never received a single day in jail for his actions. Finally he got a different job and moved out of state, and I hear he got into another DUI wreck. Sorry, but on your second you should be in jail regardless of a wreck or not. The DUI laws (or lack of really) in this state are a danger to everyone. "

 Why wrote on October 8, 2008 9:17 am:
" This is why the State of California has the 3 strikes law. See Lawerence Phillips as an example. In his current prison sentence, which is for assault, one of his strikes is for this assult in Lincoln on his former girlfriend. If Caliornia can have a law like this passed for almost 15 years, why can't we. Are we so far behind!!! It appears so. It's time for this state to get out of the 1960's and get into 2008. Pass laws that mean something, hold people accountable for there actions. "

 Rys wrote on October 8, 2008 9:24 am:
" This guy should have received significant jail time LONG before a 5th DUI. His license should be permantently revoked and his car should be impounded. And he should go to rehab, in addition to jail-time. It's sad that so many otherwise wonderful people insist on doing such stupid acts like driving drunk which threatens the life of everyone around them. I hope he gets the help he needs, and I hope he never gets behind the wheel of a car again. "

 i know wrote on October 8, 2008 9:30 am:
" He would have gotten fined, jail time, probation, licence revocation and forced rehab for the other DUI's. If you have ever known anyone who had gotten one, getting a DUI is not cheap either. Driving while suspended is just showing more stupidity. He's young so we can only hope he learns how to control himself after release. "

 What about.. wrote on October 8, 2008 10:54 am:
" the fact that we as the public are subjected to countless alcohol commercials that imply that because it's legal, it's OK. So he doesn't know when to say when, I bet he was waiting for the More Taste League commissioner, or a pirate captain to stroll up to the bar & say he's had enough. If you want to really get with the scope of punishment for the "crime". Then really make it a crime, don't allow it all over the airwaves, thinking everyone can monitor there behavior. Now does this mean he needs help (clearly) with the problem, yes, but don't be a hipoocrite & go out tonight for a cocktail, then get behind the wheel. One, or one to many doesn't matter, you shouldn't be driving even after the one, your impaired.

Or just level the field, make tobacco, & alcohol as illegal as marijuana. Oh wait, that would just be stupid. "

 lolly wrote on October 8, 2008 11:03 am:
" Justice you say that these are mandated by the legislature. What about a guy who was picked up of agrivated dui loses his license for 12 months but now has a device on his car that he can blow into and still drive. Why even have penalties if they can find a way around them. This is probably the case for this guy, never had to really pay the price for his previous offenses. "

 Response to what about wrote on October 8, 2008 1:23 pm:
" Some people can go out and have A DRINK and not be impaired. "

 penalties wrote on October 8, 2008 4:56 pm:
" A person does get jail time as part of the punishment--and it gets longer with each offense. (like 90 days) Apparently, the urge to drink and drive is bigger than the penalties.
My biggest question, and point, is.....nobody saw this guy stagger out of the bar or wherever and get into his car to drive? There's a remote chance he was home alone drinking, and chose to drive, uh....somewhere. But I would like everyone to have this thought in their head, if only for a brief moment of reading this sentence: If you see someone impaired try to get into a car and drive, especially if it's a friend or family member, PLEASE HAVE THE DIGNITY TO STOP THEM. Or call and turn them in immediately. Please. "

 rediculous wrote on October 8, 2008 6:07 pm:
" I think the sentence was rediculous. He should have gotten probation at the most and a fine. No sense in crowding our prisons for some small time stuff. Dude was out having a godo time not bothering anyone and gets pulled over probably because the cop was bored and this happened. We should keep an eye one when this dude gets out and have a party for him. He was wrongfully jailed on this one. What an injustice. Sad "

 what the... wrote on October 8, 2008 8:55 pm:
" Would it take the death of a 'lawmakers' loved one (by a drunk driver) for them to change laws so criminals actually get punished for wrong doings? No wonder there are so many habitual offenders. Make laws more severe and maybe crime statistics would lessen. Just a thought. "

 What is the point wrote on October 8, 2008 11:20 pm:
" What is the point of taking away the driver's license? Majority still drive without one. "

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