Delaware County man pleads guilty to 12th DUI; prosecutors seek maximum penalty
With methamphetamine and Xanax in his system, Mark Perrotta was charged for the 12th time with a DUI.
PROSPECT PARK, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A Delaware County man pleaded guilty to his 12th DUI on Tuesday.
Now, prosecutors are urging the judge presiding over 60-year-old Mark Perrotta's case to issue the maximum sentence.
"Not only did he choose to drive under the influence, he chose to terrorize another person," noted Prospect Park Police Chief David Madonna.
Prospect Park police made the latest arrest in July 2023 after a woman reported a man in a pickup truck chasing after her.
She drove to the police station looking for help as the pickup truck, driven by Perrotta, followed right behind her.
"He stated he was conducting his own kidnapping investigation," recalled Madonna about when officers stopped Perrotta.
With methamphetamine and Xanax in his system, he was charged for the 12th time with a DUI.
Perotta's license had also been suspended since 1999.
RELATED | Ridley Township man arrested 11 times on DUI charges, police say
Action News asked Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer, how could this happen?
"There is almost nothing you can do to prevent someone from getting behind the wheel of a vehicle. He has spaced them out in such a way, that the sentences aren't as severe as they would be under our law," replied Stollsteimer.
Action News has been following Perotta for decades now. In 2006, he was charged with his 10th DUI.
Action News was there again in 2020 when he was arrested for driving under the influence.
Even though this is Perrotta's 12th DUI arrest, a twist in Pennsylvania law means the his latest case is being treated as a second DUI.
Why?
Because Pennsylvania has what's called a 10-year 'look-back.' It means that if you haven't been arrested for DUI in 10 years after a previous DUI arrest, it's treated as your first offense.
That means Perrotta's 2020 arrest was treated as a first offense since he hadn't been arrested for DUI since 2006, and the latest arrest is being treated as a second.
"Under Pennsylvania law, for DUI sentencing purposes, there is a 10-year 'look-back.' Even though he has got 11 other convictions, in the last 10 years he had only gotten one prior conviction, in that 10 years 'look-back,'" explained Stollsteimer.
Now, prosecutors will be asking for the maximum sentence that's allowed, which is a five to five-and-a-half-year prison term.
"The longer he is away from a car, the less likely some will be killed by him. It's really just a matter of time, he is playing Russian roulette with his life and other people's lives," said Stollsteimer.
Sentencing for Perrotta is scheduled for May.
