Former Ram Lineman Pleads Guilty in New Felony Drunk Driving Case

A former Los Angeles Rams lineman previously convicted for killing a woman while driving drunk faces a possible six years in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to new felony drunk driving charges, officials said.

Police arrested Doug France after he sideswiped a sport utility vehicle in September in San Juan Capistrano, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Beth Costello. No one was injured in the crash, but authorities said that France’s blood-alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit.

In an emotional scene at Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach, a daughter of Maria Contreras, whom France killed while driving drunk in 1990, testified that her mother’s death had a severe impact upon her life, and that a two-year sentence is fair punishment, Costello said.

Judge Christopher W. Strople ordered France to attend daily Alcoholics Anonymous classes until he is sentenced and sent to prison June 30, Costello said. If he does attend, France will receive a two-year sentence, rather than the maximum six-year term, she said.