A man who accrued his eighth drunken driving conviction in July was sentenced to three years in prison Wednesday morning.

Thomas Pepp, 48, was arrested earlier this year after he crashed his car on the interstate in Mentor and refused to take a breathalyzer test.

He then pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle while intoxicated July 19.

Lake County Court of Common Pleas Judge Joseph Gibson sentenced Pepp to three years in prison and fined him $1,350.

He also revoked Pepp's license for five years and ordered him to undergo drug and alcohol treatment.

Pepp, who lives in Perry, drove off the right side of the Route 2's eastbound lanes and crashed into a guardrail back in January, police said.

When officers responded to the crash, they said Pepp had glossy eyes, slurred speech and the smell of alcohol on his breath. They also found a pipe with marijuana residue on it in the center cup holder, according to police.

The officers gave Pepp field sobriety tests that he failed.

Then Pepp told the police that his back hurt so they took him to TriPoint Medical Center in Concord Township. At the hospital, Pepp refused to take any blood or breath tests for alcohol.