PEOPLE: SUNDAY VIGIL WILL HONOR VICTIMS OF DRUNKEN DRIVING ACCIDENTS

Decorating the Christmas tree in the Cape Girardeau police station's lobby isn't lighthearted.

Officers, family members of drunk driving victims and others will gather Sunday to place snowflake ornaments on the tree. The ornaments show the names of those who have been killed or injured in an accident.

The candlelight ceremony, which begins at 5 p.m., is better in one respect this year, said Sharee Galnore, a coordinator for Mother's Against Drunk Driving. No new snowflakes are being added.

The MADD candlelight vigil marks its sixth year in Cape Girardeau, Galnore said. Guest speakers will be Cape Girardeau County prosecutor Morley Swingle and police Chief Rick Hetzel.

The event has two main purposes: remembering those who have been killed or injured by drunk drivers and serving as a reminder not to drink and drive, she said.

Drivers need to consider the consequences of getting behind the wheel drunk, said Douglas McDaniel, a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper who has logged several hundred DWI arrests during his six-year career.

"Even if you don't get seriously hurt, you can face serious legal problems," McDaniel said.

Killing a friend

The trooper noted John A. Long, 41, of Decatur, Ill., who will be on trial Feb. 14 for second-degree murder in the death of his friend, John M. Endrizzi, 44.

McDaniel said reports show Long was driving alongside Endrizzi in a drag race on Highway 177 last February when witnesses said the two cars collided. Endrizzi's vehicle turned over several times, and he died at the scene.

A blood-alcohol test showed that Long was well above the legal limit, McDaniel said.

In Missouri, a first-time DWI charge is a class B misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum of six months in jail. After the second DWI within a five-year period, the punishment level doubles, McDaniel said.

But when a third DWI is received within 10 years, the charge becomes and felony that can send the driver to prison for up to five years.

If a driver suspected of being drunk refuses to allow a law enforcement officer to take a chemical test for blood alcohol level, the driver's license is automatically suspended for a year.