Man with lengthy criminal history sentenced to 75 years in prison for intoxication assault.

Special to Beneath the Surface News

The following is a narrative from the office of District Attorney Alan Nash:

An Erath County jury of seven women and five men took nine minutes last week to sentence John Elwyn Hanson to 75 years in prison after finding him guilty of intoxication assault.

District Judge Jason Cashon immediately imposed the sentence and remanded Hanson for transfer to the penitentiary.

Testimony began Tuesday, March 11, with Ronald Bush of Midlothian describing hauling a load of cattle from the Stephenville area on Sept. 28, 2022.

While traveling eastbound on Highway 67 toward Glen Rose, just before 1 p.m., Bush saw a car ahead in his path doing “donuts” in the road.

The same car, later learned to be a Dodge Charger operated by Hanson, began driving slowly in the same direction as Bush, slowing down to the point that Bush overtook and passed him on the highway.

Minutes later, Hanson’s Charger failed to navigate a curve, went off the road, and began cartwheeling and tumbling, coming to a rest upside down just off the main lanes of the highway.

As first on scene, Bush helped Hanson exit through the window of the severely-damaged car.

After a few minutes, Hanson asked Bush “where’s Cassandra”—which was the realization for Bush there was a passenger in Hanson’s car.

Bush attempted to assist and communicate with the passenger, later identified as Cassandra Ripley of Crowley. However, she was non-responsive and trapped in the back of the car.

First responders had to use power tools to extract Ripley from the car.

Department of Public Safety Sgt. Justin Becker testified that when he arrived on scene, Hanson denied drinking any alcohol or driving recklessly, and claimed he had his cruise control set on 70.

After taking numerous photographs of the scene and crashed vehicle, skidmarks and path of the crash, and supervising the cleanup process, Sgt. Becker went to the Stephenville hospital to attempt further interviews with Hanson and Ripley.

When Becker arrived at Hanson’s room in the emergency department, Hanson’s condition had worsened and hospital staff and nurses were preparing him for transport to Fort Worth by CareFlite.

Hanson was alert, and Becker was able to speak with Hanson further.

Hanson described having consumed “five or six” drinks that morning and described his level of intoxication as four to four and a half on a scale of one to ten. Becker requested Hanson consent to provide a sample of his blood, and Hanson agreed.

Just over two hours after the crash, DPS Crime Lab chemist Sara Giorgianni performed analysis of Hanson’s blood and found a BAC (blood alcohol concentration) of 0.123, well above the level of intoxication legally defined as 0.08.

Ripley suffered broken ribs and lacerations to the skull requiring nine staples and brain bleed.

Hanson has a lengthy criminal history with convictions for theft, burglary and robbery.

“We have to deal with people like this defendant, drinking and driving, driving dangerously on our public roads when UPS drivers, school buses, moms and dads are going about their business,” District Attorney Alan Nash said after the verdict.

“Too often we are terrified when our spouses, kids, and grandkids have to travel our highways.”