March 24, 2023
A Shreveport man was convicted Friday, March 24, 2023, of fourth-offense DWI and faces decades in prison.
A six-person jury in Caddo District Judge Donald E. Hathaway Jr.’s court unanimously convicted Cleveland Earl Richardson Jr., 59, after an hour’s deliberation.
A Caddo Sheriff’s deputy approached Richardson after Richardson crashed his car on the side of the road on December 20, 2020. Upon approach, the deputy smelled a strong odor of alcohol and asked Richardson to perform standard field sobriety tests. That led to Richardson becoming extremely irate, threatening the deputy with violence and refusing any tests, including a breath test or a blood draw.
Richardson has multiple DWI convictions spanning 25 years.
Richardson was remanded pending sentencing April 4, 2023, when he faces at least 10 years and up to 30 years in prison with or without hard labor.
Assistant District Attorneys Bryce Kinley and Jason Waltman prosecuted Richardson. He was represented by Elizabeth Gibson and Carter Lawrence of the Caddo Parish Public Defender’s office.
The case was docket No. 380341.
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