LITTLE ROCK — A Benton woman sentenced on a Saline County jury's recommendation to 10 years in prison last November following her 10th DWI arrest was released from state prison Friday after serving 11 months of her sentence, prison officials said.
Sheila Blair, 44, was released pursuant to the Emergency Powers Act, which gives the Department of Correction the ability to release nonviolent prisoners before they would otherwise be eligible for release.
"The act allows for the release of those inmates who have nonviolent, nonsexual crimes," said Department of Correction spokesman Dina Tyler, adding that prisoners eligible for the program must have no significant disciplinary history while in prison.
"She fit the bill," Tyler said.
Prosecuting Attorney Ken Casady of Saline County said he didn't expect Blair to be released less than a year into her sentence.
"I was surprised that she was getting out," Casady said. "We took her to trial and the jury gave her the absolute maximum she could get."
Casady said he explained to the jury that a 10-year prison sentence doesn't mean a person would spend all 10 years behind bars.
"When we make our arguments to the jury, we tell them a 10-year sentence is the maximum, but we also explain that with good time and certain credit, she might serve as little as a sixth of that," the prosecutor said. "That's what we told that jury, but under this Emergency Powers Act, she served even less than a sixth of it."
Blair was sentenced on Nov. 9, 2007, and released last Friday after serving a little more than 11months in prison.
Teresa Belew, the executive director of the state office of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said she was "outraged" by Blair's release.
"When somebody gets a 10-year sentence and does less than a tenth of the time, that certainly diminishes our confidence in the system," she said.
Belew described the Saline County woman as a "poster child for a repeat offender." According to MADD, including her last arrest in April 2007, Blair has been arrested 10 times in 12 years, resulting in nine convictions.
Department of Community Correction spokesman Rhonda Sharp said Blair will be on supervised probation until March 2013.
"She does have specific conditions set by the parole board, and they include periodic drug testing, total abstinence and community service," Sharp said. "She will be required to meet with a parole officer about twice a week initially."
Casady and Belew have scheduled a news conference to discuss Blair's release for 9 a.m. today at the Saline County prosecuting attorney's office.
Arkansas, Pages 15 on 10/22/2008