Minnesota man who had 28 DWIs dies weeks after leaving prison
Minnesota's most prolific drunken driver died less than a month after leaving prison for his 28th DWI offense.
Danny Lee Bettcher, 67, of New York Mills, died on Oct. 20, with his obituary saying he died "unexpectedly at his home ... of natural causes."
"Although his life may be best described as wayward, Danny would help anyone with anything and deep down had a heart of gold," the obituary says, calling him a "jack of all trades" who was talented when it came to mechanics, always eager to work on a motor.
In February 2018, Bettcher was sentenced to 4.5 years for drunken driving after he was arrested for his 28th DWI in September 2017.
He was out on supervised release on Sept. 28 of this year, according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
Minnesota's DWI laws allow people to get their driver's license back if they complete all the requirements, even if they have dozens of DWIs.
Bettcher's 28th DWI was just of his known offenses – records of his infractions only go back to 1980. Of the 28, four were in North Dakota and 24 in Minnesota. We previously wrote about Bettcher in a 2017 story following his 28th DWI arrested: "How does a guy with 27 DWIs still have a driver's license?"
