Man with 8 DUIs: "I don't want to die a drunk"

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By Bryan Johnson

Summary

Tim Hansen is a 48-year-old alcoholic man who recently got tagged with his eighth DUI and got thrown in jail. Hansen was so drunk when he was pulled over that he took a swig of vodka right in front of the trooper who stopped him.

Story Published: Apr 27, 2007 at 6:34 PM PDT

Story Updated: Jan 13, 2010 at 3:45 PM PDT

Man with 8 DUIs: "I don't want to die a drunk"
CHELAN COUNTY, Wash. - Tim Hansen is a 48-year-old alcoholic man who recently got tagged with his eighth DUI and got thrown in jail. Hansen says he's afraid of someone he calls "the drunk Tim."

"I walk out the door and there's that drunk Tim sitting there like he's been waiting for me. Saying 'come on, I know where the liquor store is,'" he said.

Tim Hansen was so drunk when he was pulled over earlier this month that he took a swig of his drink right in front of the trooper who stopped him.

Hansen was pulled over on April 11th while driving east on Highway 2 in a stolen car. He was swerving and drunk when a trooper stepped in.

Hansen says he looked at the trooper, picked up his bottle of vodka, took a drink and chased it with lime.

"It's like two different people - the sober Tim and the drunk Tim. It's like two different people, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," Hansen said.

Trooper Marc Barger, who pulled Hansen over that day, says he couldn't believe what he saw.

"That's the first time that's happened to me in my career at the state patrol. And I've never seen that before," he said.

Troopers worry Hansen will get out and drive again, drunk. Hansen himself worries about that, too. He says he's on the slippery slope to to nowhere.

"The end result is death or insanity and I feel like I'm knocking at both those doors. So when I lifted that bottle and bit that lime, if I had a gun there I'd of put that to my head and pulled the trigger," he said.

Hansen has been in jail before. He's also been sober before. He says if there's no help, he can't make it.

"The one thing I want in this world - I don't want to die a drunk," he said.

Hansen says he wants one thing - a one-year treatment program. But after his eighth DUI, Hansen says he doesn't expect help. He says people have given up on him.

The state trooper and a jail medical worker agree Hansen's 40 arrests and eight DUIs show there is not enough public attention being given to alcoholism, either in punishment or treatment.