By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – A St. John Parish jury convicted a Texas man Tuesday on a third offense DWI charge after he was arrested in the parish in April of last year, according to a release from District Attorney Tom Daley.

Lawrence F. Miller III, 35, of Beaumont, Texas, was found guilty of third offense DWI following a one-day jury trial In Edgard. Upon his conviction, Miller was taken into custody and is being held at the Sherman Walker Correctional Facility in LaPlace in lieu of a $20,000 bond. Miller will remain in jail while awaiting the results of a pending presentence investigation and a sentencing date.

According to the release, Miller was convicted of a DWI on Aug. 1, 2007, and again on April 7, 2008. Both incidents occurred in Beaumont.

Miller’s third arrest happened on April 8, 2009, in St. John Parish. Daley said Miller committed his third offense while on probation for a DWI conviction in Texas. He is now subject to revocation of a 10-year suspended sentence in the state of Texas based on the St. John conviction.

Daley said the conviction was based on the testimony of former St. John Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Nelson, who made the traffic stop and arrest. It is unclear when Nelson left the force, but Daley said he is currently employed with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s office.

“Through the hard work and cooperation between the Sheriff’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office, law enforcement is striving to keep Louisiana highways safe from repeat DWI offenders,” Daley said. “Let this serve as a reminder to please not drink and drive.”