Richard Draxinger

Nearly a decade after a drunken-driving arrest, a Penn Township man on Thursday was sent to state prison.

Richard K. Draxinger, 50, left this state after this — his seventh DUI arrest in Pennsylvania — in August 2001.

Apparently, at least some of his time away was spent in the state of Washington, where he reportedly picked up another two DUIs.

The 31 months he did in prison there was part of his in-court explanation about where he’s been while the charge here was pending, as was another 18 months he spent in a drug-treatment program.

Draxinger, who spoke directly to Butler County Judge William Shaffer, said he also went to church, Bible study, joined Alcoholics Anonymous and started his own business.

“I’ve been doing a lot of positive things,” the defendant said.

The judge sentenced Draxinger to 16 to 60 months in state prison, with the possibility of an early parole after a year if he completes a rehabilitation program.

Draxinger will receive no credit for the past six months that he spent in the Butler County Prison because that time was used to satisfy a violation of his probation from a 1999 DUI conviction.

The new charge and the violation both stem from Draxinger’s arrest Aug. 25, 2001.

Then, according to court records, Draxinger was spotted driving a full-sized van erratically in Saxonburg.

Tests later showed that his blood alcohol level at the time he was behind the wheel was 0.420 percent, which is more than five times the current legal limit.

A level of 0.08 percent is considered intoxicated under state law. In 2001, the legal limit was 0.10 percent.

After his arrest, Draxinger was wanted on an arrest warrant until this summer when a family member reportedly told officials he’d recently moved back into the county.

In January, Draxinger pleaded guilty to the DUI, but did not accept a sentencing recommendation from the county district attorney’s office, which was seeking a 2Z\x- to 5-year prison sentence.

Instead, he left the sentencing decision up to the judge who picked a sentence on the high end of the state’s standard range.

“It’s a fair sentence,” said Draxinger’s defense attorney, chief public defender Kevin Flaherty.