Driver with long record of DUIs may keep license

Wichita — A man with four convictions for driving under the influence might not permanently lose his license even if he is convicted a fifth time for an accident that killed a Wichita woman and her 4-year-old daughter. Gary Hammitt is charged with two counts of second-degree murder and driving under the influence after an Oct. 1 accident that killed Claudia Mijares, 37, and her daughter, Gisele, as they walked to the girl’s preschool. Police say Hammitt, 54, was under the influence and speeding when the accident happened. He is being held in the Sedgwick County Jail under a $1 million bond. But because of the way state law is applied by the Division of Motor Vehicles, even if Hammitt is convicted of drunken driving in the crash, he would have to be caught driving under the influence two more times before the state could... [read full story]