Former Weatherford Football Star Gets 15 Years For Drunk Driving Manslaughter

A former Weatherford High School football star plead guilty to killing a Burleson man in a drunken-driving crash last year while he was on probation for a Parker County drug conviction. The judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison on Thursday.

Mark Charles Pierce, 27, played for the University of Arkansas before run-ins with the law ended his football career. He is already serving an eight-year prison term related to the 2006 drug conviction. He was driving home after a night of drinking on December 29, 2008 when he collided with Lance Shetler’s car.

After Pierce's plea was entered, state District Judge Louis Sturns sentenced him to 15 years in prison to run concurrently with the Parker County sentence. Because he used a vehicle as a deadly weapon, Pierce must serve at least half of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

The victim’s sister, Tamra Shetler-Colbert, then addressed Pierce, describing her brother and how his loss affected her family.

"Your thoughtless, reckless behavior destroyed the purity and innocence of three beautiful children," she said. "You had a dad who taught you to play football. Their dad will not be around to teach them football and baseball and cheer them on. And his daughter will no longer be Daddy's little girl,” Shetler-Colbert said.

During his 11/2 years in prison, Pierce said, his first thought when he awakes and goes to sleep are with the Shetler family and his own.

"A lot of lives were turned upside down," he said. "I don't know how to ask for forgiveness. I haven't forgiven myself. But I truly am sorry for what happened, and I hope one day you can forgive me."

Afterwards, Shetler-Colbert said it was up to God, not her family, to judge Pierce.

"My hope is that he will break his cycle of bad choices," she said.

I also hope that he will break his cycle of bad choices. Drunk-driving is a serious crime. I can’t even call this a car “accident” because it is something that would have been prevented if not for Pierce’s poor choices. On average, someone is killed by a drunk driver every 40 minutes. Is it really that hard to have someone sober drive you home?

Statistically speaking Friday and Saturday nights are the most common nights that drunk drivers are out, even though this particular tragedy happened on a Monday. If you are driving at these high-risk times late at night, be sure to drive defensively, just in case there is a drunk driver on the road.

Our sympathies go out to the Shetler family; this is something that unfortunately they will never forget. I just hope Pierce learns his lesson, serves his time, and stops driving while intoxicated.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Mark Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or in Dallas at 214-327-8000. If you have questions about drunk driving accidents, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.