Disabled Man Jailed in Drunk Driving Case

A severely handicapped Chatsworth man who has been cited with six alcohol-related driving offenses in 3 years was arrested Tuesday.

Brian Charles Chapman, 28, is in jail in lieu of $250,000 bail, San Fernando Municipal Judge Michael S. Luros said. Chapman was “trying to use his handicap as a shield to protect himself and a sword to disarm the court,” said Luros, who issued a bench warrant Monday for Chapman’s arrest.

Chapman has partial use of his arms but is otherwise paralyzed from the neck down. He is confined to a wheelchair and drives a specially equipped van.

Chapman pleaded guilty in May to misdemeanor drunk driving and was free awaiting sentencing Nov. 14. At the time of the plea, Luros said he warned Chapman that if he were arrested for another drunk-driving incident before his sentencing, he would be given the maximum sentence of 2 years and 90 days “to protect the public.”

Since then, Chapman has been charged with two other offenses--felony drunk driving with injuries involving a June accident and misdemeanor driving under the influence in San Fernando on Aug. 25, Luros said.

Chapman was arrested Tuesday when he appeared in court for a hearing on the felony charge, which Luros said he learned about only recently.

Chapman faces a maximum sentence of 7 years in prison on the felony charge. That accident injured occupants of a second vehicle, but details about the incident were not available Tuesday.

Court documents said Chapman had been suffering from depression since he became paralyzed about 8 years ago due to a spinal cord injury and had been a “regular drinker” since he was 14 years old.

Chapman was found guilty of three other misdemeanor offenses since 1985--two for driving under the influence and one for alcohol-related reckless driving. He was sentenced to probation in each case.

Chapman’s attorney and prosecuting attorneys were not available for comment.