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An area man with a half-dozen DWI convictions to his name has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for igniting an alcohol-infused crash just north of Nederland.

Texas Department of Public Safety troopers investigated the January 2020 crash on Beauxart Gardens Road involving Kevin Stark, 60, of Orange.

“After decades of committing DWIs and several convictions, we are lucky no one was seriously injured or killed by Stark,” prosecutor Luke Nichols said. “The only way to keep Jefferson County safe from his behavior is a lengthy prison sentence.”

On Wednesday, Jefferson County Criminal District Attorney Bob Wortham announced Stark pleaded guilty in Judge Raquel West’s 252nd Criminal District Court and was sentenced to 15 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Authorities said he rear-ended a pickup truck that stopped at a stop sign. Troopers obtained a search warrant to take and test his blood.

Analysis revealed Stark had a blood alcohol content of .208 — .008 is considered intoxicated while driving in Texas.

According to Wortham, Stark had been previously convicted of six felony DWI offenses, most recently receiving a six-year sentence in 1999.