At the end of January, Kevin Hoke of Greeley Hill got probation for his part in the murder of Lonnie Ritter of Greeley Hill a year earlier. When he was sentenced, Judge Thomas Ahern warned him against breaking the law again.

That warning apparently went unheeded, as Hoke has been arrested and charged with driving under the influence. He could now face a three-year prison term.

At the time that Christopher McCurdy was convicted by a jury and sentenced to 21 years in prison for manslaughter, Hoke got a five-year probation term and credit for time served. During that hearing, Hoke said that the 405 days he spent in jail gave him time to “stand back and reexamine” his life. “I have reapproached my way of thinking,” Hoke said. “I ask you to give me one more chance to be a correct citizen.”

Hoke said at the time of the crime, he was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after serving in Iraq. He said his mind was “not in the best” state, having just returned from war.

Deputy District Attorney Kim Fletcher also argued that Hoke should get probation and help. “There’s a lot of good in Mr. Hoke,” she said. “He put his life on the line. He stuck his neck out for us,” Fletcher said. “Maybe we ought to do something for him.”

Ahern suggested to Hoke that he leave Mariposa County entirely. He also gave him a stern warning about reoffending, hanging a three-year prison sentence over his head. “If you get picked up,” Ahern said to Hoke, “you will automatically go to prison.” Hoke is being held at the Mariposa County Jail.

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