Eighth Judicial District Judge Eddie Northcutt sentenced 50-year-old man Larry Tyrone Goodson to 10 years imprisonment on a third or more driving while intoxicated conviction and 25 years for failure to appear, according to court reports.
On Aug. 17, 2021, Goodson pled guilty before Judge Northcutt to the July 5, 2020 third or more driving while intoxicated offense and a June 7, 2021 bail jumping and failure to appear charge, as had been prearranged. The 50-year-old’s sentencing hearing was conducted Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021.
The range of punishment, under Texas law, for both a DWI third or more conviction and a failure to appear conviction is 2-10 years imprisonment in a state penitentiary with an optional fine up to $10,000 for each case.
Goodson has a prior criminal history, which shows him to have been booked into Hopkins County jail more than 2 dozen times, with a total of more than 40 charges. He was booked into jail at least 8 times for violation or parole and at least twice for violation of probation on a controlled substance charge, the latter of which resulted in him being sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2004. He too was sentenced to 6 months in a state jai on a controlled substance charge in 2017.
The 50-year-old’s HCSO jail record also shows Goodson was arrested and jailed in Hopkins County for DWI on July 4, 1996; Oct. 31, 2014-March 12, 2015; and July 5, 2020. He has remained in Hopkins County jail since his arrest June 7, 2021, for bond forfeiture on a third or more DWI charge and for bail jumping/failure to appear.
Goodson’s prior criminal history enhanced the third or more DWI charge and the failure to appear charge. As a result, Goodson faced a potential 2-20 years in a state facility on the DWI conviction, or straight probation on the felony DWI charge, if the judge opted to sentence him to a term of 10 years or less. The FTA conviction carried a possible punishment of 25-99 years or life in prison or deferred adjudication probation.
Assistant District Attorney Zachary Blackmon reportedly asked the judge to sentence Goodson to time in prison, while the defense argued for probation. Ultimately, Northcutt assessed 10 years imprisonment on the DWI conviction and 25 years for failure to appear, according to court reports.
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The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
