Alabama man with 12 DUI arrests sentenced to 131 years in prison

CULLMAN, Ala. — An Alabama man, arrested 12 times for driving under the influence, was sentenced to 131 years in prison on Tuesday for his conviction in a 2018 DUI crash that killed a motorcyclist.

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Brett Steven Amerson, 59, of Morris, was sentenced after his April conviction for reckless murder, DUI and other charges, AL.com reported.

Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker made the announcement after Circuit Court Judge Martha Williams passed sentence, according to the news outlet.

Amerson was convicted in the Dec. 18, 2018, crash that killed Bradley Ray Patterson, 39, of Holly Pond, The Cullman Tribune reported. He had 11 prior DUI arrests when Patterson was killed.

Crocker asked for the maximum sentence because of Amerson’s “egregious crime and lengthy criminal history,” according to AL.com.

According to the Tribune, Cullman police Lt. Jeff Warnke said that Patterson was driving a Harley Davidson motorcycle southbound on Highway 157 at about 5 p.m. when he was struck by a white 1998 GMC box truck driven by Amerson.

Warnke said that the truck failed to yield the right of way while turning left onto Interstate 65 South, the newspaper reported. Amerson allegedly did not stop and continued driving onto the interstate.

Amerson’s DUI arrest record stretched back to 1998, WBMA-TV reported. In at least one case, Amerson completed a DUI diversion program, court records show.

Crocker said members of the Patterson family were present at the sentencing hearing, AL.com reported. They gave victim impact statements, the district attorney said.

“I am so proud we achieved justice for the family of Bradley Patterson,’’ Crocker said after Amerson’s conviction, AL.com reported. “I felt an obligation to see this 2018 case be one of the first cases tried after taking office so that justice could be served.”