If he would have been in prison he would probably still be alive.



Man known for DUI convictions killed in fire


By Journal staff


The man known in Pennington County for his numerous convictions for driving under the influence has been confirmed as the victim of the fatal house fire in Rapid City on Sunday.



Sgt. Marty Graves of the Pennington County Sheriffs Office confirmed Monday that 67-year-old Jerry Zeller was the victim of the fire.



Zeller was convicted at least 11 times of driving under the influence of alcohol.



Lila Doud, of the Rapid City Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) chapter, said she followed Zellers case history through the years.



Its really sad that he had to die that way, she said.



The fire occurred at about 11:20 a.m. Sunday at a one-level single family house located at 601 Madison St. Zeller was found in the front door of the living area and was removed from the house by firefighters.



He was pronounced dead at the scene.



Zellers smoking materials caused his furniture to ignite after he had fallen asleep, which caused the fire, according to a news release from the Rapid City Fire Department.



Oxygen had been in use at the residence, but it has not been determined whether it was a factor in the ignition of the fire.



Smoking is one of top three causes for home fires, the release said.