(WUSA) -- We have an update to a story we first brought you in March. 9NEWS NOW photographer Kurt Brooks was headed home from work one night when he spotted what appeared to be a drunk driver on I-95. So he did what he does best -- he videotaped it.
Brooks was subpoenaed to appear in a Stafford County courtroom Tuesday, and it turned out his videotape proved critical to the conviction.
"It was clear this was not just somebody weaving down the road. He almost killed somebody," said Brooks.
Brooks had followed the driver more than 25 miles after calling 9-1-1 and leading police to their suspect. With his dashboard camera rolling, Kurt captured the near head-on collision and the suspect nearly running him off the road. We sped up the video so you can see what the judge saw--the driver straddling the center line and swerving onto the shoulder.
The videotape is heart-stopping. A judge watched as the alleged drunk driver nearly caused a head-on collision.
"The video they just looked at very briefly. The initial near-collision where he nearly ran me into the guardrail. And I slammed on my brakes," said Brooks.
The defendant, 57-year-old Chol Ki Lee, was in court with his daughter. Through a Korean translator, he pleaded guilty to the offense. Police say he registered a blood alcohol content of .14, nearly twice the legal limit.
"To provide evidence of a crime is kind of rare and so that was a good thing to do," said Brooks.
The judge sentenced Lee to a 60-day jail sentence with all but five days suspended. He was fined $300 and will have his license suspended for a year, with the exception of driving for work. Lee delivers beauty supplies for a living.
After the court hearing, the Commonwealth's Attorney personally thanked Brooks. He said if it were not for his videotape, it is very unlikely the defendant would have received jail time.
Lee is considering an appeal. Although he's a legal resident, Lee is in the process of applying for U.S. citizenship and his lawyer is concerned about the impact of this conviction and sentence on his immigration status.