Lynn man admits to 5th DUI, sentenced to 3 years

SALEM – Thomas Delangis, the 36-year-old Lynn man who admitted driving drunk for his fifth time, will spend up to three years in state prison.Delangis, of 44 Valley Road, pleaded guilty earlier this month to operating a motor vehicle while drunk, his fifth time, and leaving the scene of an accident after causing property damage, but sentencing had been delayed and he had remained free.Tuesday morning Salem Superior Court Judge Howard J. Whitehead sentenced him to serve 2 and one-half to 3 years in state prison.When he gets out of prison, Delangis will be on probation for another two years and will be monitored by a bracelet with a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.He also must refrain from all alcohol use and receive alcohol treatment and counseling as deemed necessary by probation officials.Because this is his fifth drunken driving conviction, Delangis will lose his driving privileges in Massachusetts for life.It was about noon on Nov. 13, 2006 while Delangis was driving a white box truck, when he sideswiped a parked van on Paul Street and kept going.The owner of the van and his friend were on the sidewalk at the time and observed the incident.The friend followed the box truck to a liquor store on Essex Street where he saw Delangis get out of the truck and stagger into the liquor store.In the meantime, he grabbed the keys out of the white truck and called authorities, who later arrested Delangis.Delangis also hit a tree on Harvest Street and ripped the roof off of his truck prior to arriving at the liquor store, police said.Lynn police officer David Spelta said when he arrested Delangis he was barefoot, his eyes were glassy and blood shot and he could smell alcohol on his breath.During a pat frisk a bottle of Sambuca was found in his pocket.Delangis has prior drunken driving convictions dating back to 1986. His latest was in 2002 out of Lynn District Court.Assistant District Attorney Michael Sheehan was seeking a four-to-five year sentence, pointing to his long drunken driving record and also noting the assault and battery convictions.Defense lawyer Nicole Riley told Whitehead that her client has been clean and sober for the last 15 months and has been “vigilant in his efforts.” She pointed out he has been involved in community service and stands before the judge humble as she proposed two years in prison with probation.The judge credited Delangis the 109 days he had spent in jail while held on bail awaiting trial.