Suspect at the centre of Gaudreau tragedy faced DWI in 2005

The man who is facing a litany of charges in the tragic death of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau had been facing DWI charges back to 2005 however they were dropped because the officer did not show up for his court appearance.

Court records show that Higgins was charged with a DWI in North Carolina in 2005 however due to the officer involved in the investigation not showing up to proceedings the charges were dropped.

The tragedy that has taken Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau continues to take difficult turn after turn, this is another gut punch for everyone. The court systems are overwhelmed and understaffed and unfortunately, much like in this case, the officer doesn't show up for one reason or another and a presumably guilty individual manages to walk free.

There is no excuse for driving under the influence and it's time that lawmakers come together to take a tougher stance on these types of situations. Whether you get caught driving while intoxicated or are involved in a motor vehicle accident while being under the influence the consequences of the actions need to be enforced to a greater extent and the penalties for such violations need to be much steeper.