Being the wife of one of Utah's most powerful political leaders has not shielded Anna Kay Waddoups from an overworked justice system that has yet to prosecute the man charged with injuring her in a drunken-driving crash eight years ago.

Her husband, Senate President Michael Waddoups, has taken a leading role in restricting alcohol sales, often citing the injuries she suffered at the hands of an alleged drunken driver.

What the couple didn't know was the suspect had been charged in 27 other cases for alcohol-related offenses and has been in and out of jail in a revolving door of arrest-and-release dating back to the early 1990s.

"I tried to stay out of the case because I didn't want to appear to be pulling rank," said Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, who expressed shock when told of the dozens of other charges in Salt Lake, Utah and Weber counties. "I only know that in our case, the man was released because there wasn't enough bed space to keep him in jail."

The suspect, Mark McKnight Oroszi, has yet to answer charges in the 9 a.m. collision on Feb. 14, 2001, that injured Anna Kay Waddoups as her car sat idling at a stop light on North Temple in downtown Salt Lake City.

Oroszi, 47, whose last known Utah address was in Ogden, according to court records, has a history of failing to appear for hearings -- one of several snafus prosecutors point to for the long lag in the Waddoups' case. If he again fails to show up on March 11 for a 3rd District Court arraignment, another bench warrant will be sworn out for his arrest -- making a total of 11 warrants issued against him over the years.

"It's not that this guy is an anomaly. There are hundreds or thousands of other people like him," said Salt Lake City prosecutor Sim Gill. "We need a better mechanism to catch these folks, we must be able to talk internationally, and we've got to have the resources to get these people down where they need to be."

For Anna Kay Waddoups, Valentine's Day is no longer a happy holiday. She was driving to the Capitol to join her husband when a Chevrolet pickup crashed into her Toyota, totaling her car and severely injuring her back and neck. Witnesses said the suspect had been driving erratically and almost ran another vehicle off the road before rear-ending her car.

"I used to be active. I loved to water ski, but I rarely get into a boat anymore, and when I'm with my grandchildren, I can't lift them up," she said. "I'll always have problems. I'm always dealing with pain."

Oroszi was charged with driving under the influence, a class A misdemeanor, negligent collision, operating a vehicle without insurance and driving on a suspended Nevada driver license. A month later, he failed to show up for the arraignment and the first of three warrants in the case was sworn out for his arrest.

Anna Kay Waddoups said she was assured that her day in court would come because a warrant had been issued, which would alert police as soon as Oroszi was picked up for some other offense.

In Ogden, police arrested Oroszi two years later on a misdemeanor charge of illegal possession of a controlled substance.

But because officers had a different date of birth, the warrant did not come up, officials say. In fact, in the 32 instances of Ogden police contact with Oroszi, they had a different birth date than the one listed on the Salt Lake warrant.

"I've contacted our records people," said Ogden Police Lt. Scott Conley. "If he gave false information to police, it's a crime."

In 2004, Oroszi also was charged with assault, criminal mischief and intoxication and sent to Weber County jail, where those booked into jail are routinely fingerprinted. But he was booked during a time when one of Salt Lake City's warrants had expired and had not yet been reissued.

Since the alleged drunken-driving crash, Oroszi pleaded guilty in three Ogden cases, all alcohol-related. He was released after serving three days of a 90-day jail sentence. His fines went into debt collection and he failed to show up for treatment. Records do not indicate if he completed the court-ordered alcohol counseling and anger-management programs.

"It's frustrating when people get arrested over and over," said Anna Kay Waddoups. "They don't need to go to jail, and then, in a few days, they're back on the roads or out in the public again. My personal feelings is that treatment is the best option to overcome the difficulties that they have."

Both Michael and Anna Kay Waddoups say the accident has underscored their efforts in combating alcohol abuse.

The senator has concentrated on control of alcohol sales at bars and restaurants. Anna Kay Waddoups is chairwoman of the DUI Committee for the Governor's Substance Abuse and Anti-Violence Coordinating Council, focusing on alcohol abusers.

The debate on alcohol control and punishment is complicated. After much criticism, Michael Waddoups backed off the creation of a database to keep track of drinkers. Last year, Anna Kay Waddoups and Gill -- the man whose office is prosecuting her case -- found themselves on different sides of a bill that prohibited expunging DUI charges from records. She supported the option as an incentive for defendants who complete drug treatment. Gill successfully argued for tougher rules, saying lesser sentences are enough of an incentive for abusers to get help.

Oroszi, meantime, moved to northern Nevada, where he was charged in 17 more misdemeanor cases in Reno and Sparks, primarily involving alcohol abuse. Unlike Utah's computerized, online court system, Nevada cases can only be researched through each county and city jurisdiction.

Most courts do not have online services -- making it virtually impossible to know whether any other cases are pending.

Oroszi could not be found for comment.

dawn@sltrib.com