FIRST ON 3: State Rep. Dewey Hill plans to address loophole in DWI law

RALEIGH, NC (WWAY) — A state lawmaker says he wants to close a DWI loophole that lets suspects back behind the wheel.

We learned about that huge loophole in the law following up on 42-year-old Richard Constantineau. Highway patrol says he crossed the center line on NC 211 in Brunswick County last month and hit and killed 23-year-old Stephanie Heath.

Constantineau is charged with felony death by vehicle and DWI, but because he was not tested for drugs or alcohol at the scene, Constantineau still has his license.

Rep. Dewey Hill says that law needs to change.

“It’s a bad loophole. This is endangering people’s lives,” said Hill, a Democrat who represents Brunswick and Columbus County in the 20th House District. “They absolutely do not need to have driver’s licenses. We can do an amendment to the existing law and get it changed, and I think we have time to do that in the next three or four weeks we’re in Raleigh. I think that’s an urgent thing, and I think the Speaker (of the House) and the President Pro Tem (of the Senate) will allow us to get that on out so we can get that handled in this session and not have to wait for the next long session next year.”

The Clerk of Court’s office told us last week that the prosecutor in Constantineau’s case did not ask a judge to suspend his driver license.