A Warren man is headed to state prison on charges stemming from his ninth DUI offense.

Fletcher T. Kay, 64, was sentenced by Judge Gregory Hammond on Friday on charges of DUI: Highest rate of alcohol – a second offense in 10 years and summary careless driving.

The charges stem from an incident last July in Conewango Township, according to online court records.

“I let my guard down for a minute,” Kay told Hammond prior to sentencing. “(I’m) very sorry about this.”

Hammond explained that this was Kay’s 9th lifetime DUI and said this offense occurred while he was on supervision for the eighth offense.

He said he has never seen the “amount of time and effort” spent on someone in the county system that has been spent on Kay and “also by yourself.”

Hammond said that Kay graduated from the county’s treatment court program.

“To see this thing fall apart like this,” he said, “sure is devastating for you.”

He said Kay’s BAC was .242, just over three times the legal limit.

Hammond noted that Kay’s behavior “represents a real danger to the community” and said it was his hope that treatment in the state system would help.

“(You) need to re-engage,” he said. “(You) still have a lot of living to do.”

He said the county system has done all it can for Kay.

Hammond then sentenced Kay to 12 months to five years incarceration in state prison, $2,750 in fines and fees, participation in alcohol highway safety school and victim impact panel programming, an 18-month license suspension, submission of a DNA sample and priority for drug and alcohol treatment in the state system on the DUI offense. He is boot camp but is not recidivism risk reduction incentive eligible. He was fined a total of $70 on the careless driving offense.