I'm LDS, but if I lived in Utah County I'd probably take up drinking too.

We need to extend forgiveness to Mr. Gardner. I know him to be an active member of the Church and a worthy family man. He has been punished enough by the stresses he bares as a civic leader.

I feel bad for his family. Forgiveness is great, but this isn't the first time for this man, and if he doesn't get punished he will do it again. That's only justice.

Veronica from Orem:

It is comments such as yours that drive my non-Mormon friends crazy. What exactly do you mean when you say that we should forgive this man? That justice should not be served? Perhaps you meant that we should have pity for this man. I do feel badly for him, but he must still face the consequences of his actions.

Next, are we supposed to forgive this man because he's "an active member of the Church and a worthy family man"? Does this mean that if he wasn't a member of the Church, we should throw the book at him?

I believe I understand what you were trying to say, but perhaps you could choose your words a little more carefully.

This guy will slip out of the situation
I hope he lears what others are going through in this sad system of justice
Injustice to most
Box Elder County

To "it's not his fault" - Utah County is a great place to live, and we do drink here - Sprite, water, kool-aid, sobe's, milkshakes. You're just jealous.

Sounds like the dude needs some intervention, jail time and 12-step. To go along with marriage and family counseling.

Gardner would have got the help he needed long ago had he simply admitted his mistakes the first time he got a DUI instead of making up some ridiculous story. The problem here is he just has a problem being accountable and owning up to his weakness. He needs help, and he needs to admit that he needs help.

This place in Utah County seems to say one thing and do another. Glad nobody was killed during his binge. But, now that we have the potential to have a crime, is it time to round up all of the children in this county and place them in foster care until this case is resolved. After all...he was a community leader.

I know Dave Gardner and really like him as a person.

How many times do we read stories about a fatal DUI involving someone arrested a dozen times prior?

It is not that I want to ruin Dave, or his family but he has a problem that he has not taken care of. If we all got around on horses or bikes this would not be a problem. A drunk person and a several thousand pound automobile driving who knows how fast is a deadly weapon.

I really care for Dave, and for that I hope they can get him off the streets for an extended period of time so he can sober up, clear his head and reorganize his life. And if this means he goes to jail for a year or so - it is better than hearing in a month or two that he killed someone while drunk.

The most loving, compassionate thing we could do is ask for reasonable justice. It is time for Dave to serve time, as our society expects of all repeat offenders. Let him have his day in court, innocent until proven guilty, then apply the law. And a good therapy.

Sad!

May I suggest something, don't drink alcohol and you won't have to worry about the consequences of a DUI! You won't have to worry about cerosis of the liver either or becoming an alcoholic. It's pretty simple! Don't smoke and your chances of Lung Cancer are MUCH lower! Don't have illicit sex or shoot up and your chances of getting HIV are very low! Don't play to many video games and you won't become a Video Game Addict or any other thing that can be bad for you.