ASSUMPTION PARISH- Questions are being raised about whether the system failed after a man was killed in a collision with an alleged drunk driver in March.

That driver, Latasha Hicks, was booked this week. She had been arrested four prior times for DWI at the time she slammed into Brian Gros' Jr.'s pickup truck back in March. According to investigators, she was more than two times over the legal limit of .08 when she caused the wreck. Crash reports indicate her blood alcohol was a .190.

Hicks was severely injured in the March crash and was hospitalized until recently. She was arrested this week and booked on vehicular homicide and DWI charges.

Gros Jr.'s girlfriend, Marcie Rousseau, said he was the love of her life and she had just spoken to him before his death.

"His birthday was in June," Rousseau said. "He would have been 29. He was good as gold, best guy in the world."

Rousseau said she is speaking up because she wants justice.

The WBRZ Investigative Unit found Latasha Hicks has been no stranger to getting arrested for drinking and driving.

Records show her troubles:

2006, DWI arrest in Assumption

2011, DWI arrest in Ascension

2011, DWI arrest in Ascension

2012, DWI arrest in Ascension

2020, DWI arrest in Assumption after Gros Jr.'s death.

In all of the prior DWI's, Hicks did not injure anyone until 2020.

"Most DWI's are not crimes of violence," District Attorney Ricky Babin said. "They are paroled and they beat us out of court back home."

Babin said with one of her DWI's being older than 10 years, it can't be used to enhance any penalties in this case.

"It's a horror story," Babin said. "This is what you fear with DWI's. I think it's been watered down in recent history, but that's why the severity of DWI's are what they are. Sooner or later, luck's going to run out. And it did here, and it killed an innocent individual."

Rousseau said with Hicks now out on a $75,000 bond, no one is safe.

"She needs to be locked up," Rousseau said. "I said when she got released I'm fearful to be on the road. What's going to stop her, her fifth DWI and had no insurance and no license. What's going to stop her from doing it again? Is it going to take another person's family member to get killed?"

Babin said he has been waiting for this case to cross his desk since he heard about the crash in March. He said formal charges will be coming next week.