Young man losing weight to join military and avoid jail time
By Rhys Saunders The Daily Times
Farmington Daily Times
Article Launched:01/19/2007 12:00:00 AM MST

AZTEC — A 21-year-old man convicted of injuring his passengers while driving drunk is losing weight to avoid jail time.

Tommy Harwood said he's lost almost 40 pounds since he appealed a three-year prison sentence Oct. 19 for charges of driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor, and great bodily injury caused by a vehicle, a third-degree felony.

"He's been doing what he needs to be doing," said Rick Tedrow, Harwood's attorney.

Still, that may not be enough.

Although District Judge Thomas Hynes suspended two years of the sentence and allowed Harwood the opportunity to join the military in lieu of serving time in the county jail, the judge said Tuesday he is growing impatient.

"I am inclined to tell you to just start your sentence," Hynes said in District Court.

Harwood said he needs to lose 40 more pounds before the U.S. Air Force will accept him into its program.

If Harwood wants to avoid jail, he needs a definite plan by Jan. 29, Hynes said in court Tuesday. That plan may involve joining the U.S. Marines, which Hynes suggested as an alternative to the U.S. Air Force.

"There's only one recruiter at the Marine Corps," Harwood said. "He's been really busy lately."

Before Harwood left the courtroom Tuesday, he smiled and assured Hynes he would immediately begin looking at other military programs, including the U.S. Marines.

Harwood previously attested to the lessons learned while in the San Juan County Detention Center.

"I've had almost 30 days to think about what I've done — the mistakes I've made," he said during the October appeal. "I turned down my great-grandmother when she came to visit me (in jail) because I couldn't let her see me like this."

San Juan County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested Harwood Jan. 4, 2005, after he flipped his truck near County Road 6500, injuring himself and three other passengers, court documents state.

All four occupants had been drinking and driving four-wheelers before getting into the truck and driving away, court documents state.

Two of the three passengers told deputies that Harwood was driving his truck at nearly 60 mph when the crash occurred, court documents state. Blood test results revealed Harwood had a .09 blood alcohol content while being treated at San Juan Regional Medical Center after the crash.

Tedrow previously argued that all four individuals made a conscious decision before getting into the vehicle and allowing Harwood to drive them home.

Rhys Saunders:

rsaunders@daily-times.com

Ellie