A Charlotte man is on his way to prison as a habitual drunken driver for the second time.

Jarrett Grier plead guilty to his fifth driving while intoxicated and is facing two years in prison.

He was first convicted of DWI in 2006, and had convictions again in 2007 and 2008.

He spent 14 months in prison after being convicted as a habitual drunken driver in 2010 and was charged as a habitual drunken driver for the second time after he was arrested again in January 2012.

"It's extremely rare," said Ben Royster, the prosecutor who supervises Mecklenburg County's habitual DWI cases.

Royster said Grier's two-year sentence after his guilty plea is the most he could have gotten under the law.

"It is terrifying, but we are restricted to the laws the legislature has handed down," Royster said.

Grier's defense attorney said Grier has been fighting an alcohol problem for years and has not gotten the help he needs.
"I'm going to keep up with Jarrett. He has a mother, brother and wife who care a lot for him," said Chuck Morgan.

Morgan said he is hoping to get Grier into a treatment program when he goes to prison this time, but there are no guarantees.

"It's hard to get into those programs and if he gets in there he has a chance of having the light go off. If he doesn't, he'll get out and not have addressed the problem," Morgan said.