Tina’s Law needs a fresh face. Walter Gilmore Noble will do.

Noble, 63, of Wilton, has achieved notorious status with police for his record of criminal driving infractions. His license has been suspended 29 times, stemming from 41 convictions for breaking motor vehicle laws.

He’s now been charged with driving with an open container of alcohol inside the vehicle and giving police a false name, even though cops recognize him. He’s a menace on Maine’s roads, yet nothing seems to stop him.

Noble’s latest charges should have emboldened judicial resolve to make him an example. Instead, he was released Wednesday for $5,000 surety, meaning nary a penny came from Noble’s pocket to regain freedom. Freeing Noble on surety is like saying, “Please don’t do this again, or you’re in trouble.”

Noble will drive again. As Jay Police Chief Larry White Sr. said, “He just continues to violate.” Nothing in Noble’s miles of driving convictions indicates he knows how to change. Call police if you see this man – his picture is above – driving. Let’s work to keep him off the road.

More frustrating about Noble are the still-fresh scars left by Tina Turcotte, who died on the Maine Turnpike last year. Turcotte, 40, was killed by a tractor-trailer driver, Scott Hewitt, with a record like Noble’s. Her death spurred emphatic legislation to stiffen punishments for habitual offenders of Maine driving laws.

“Tina’s Law” went into effect in August, with great fanfare. But a law, as every policymaker, police officer and park ranger in Maine knows, is only as useful as its enforcement. Maine can take a tough stand on offenders, but if the punishment doesn’t fit the crime, its efficacy as a deterrent is weak.

Public disgust with offenders is clear, as illustrated by the vigorous lawmaking to honor Turcotte. Prosecutors also seem eager to harshly punish repeat offenders. This week, a district attorney in Augusta voiced displeasure at statutory restrictions for sentencing a man convicted of operating under the influence for the 12th time.

“The only unfortunate thing is that the maximum sentence in the case is five years,” said District Attorney Evert Fowle, according to the Morning Sentinel. Clayton Bryant, of Winslow, ended up receiving a five-year sentence, with all but one year suspended, and a $2,000 fine.

Noble, by comparison, has served four years in prison for his driving infractions. Yet he still drives, and, amazingly, apparently believes a hasty switcheroo outside a tire shop would fool a police officer into believing he’s a passenger. His decision-making is as poor as any excuse he might muster.

Bryant got off easy. Noble should not. He is exactly the type of offender targeted by Tina’s Law: a deep-seated habitual offender unwilling to forfeit driving, regardless of punishment. Tina’s Law is about 90 days old now, and its public image has waned.

Let’s ramp it up with Noble. Throw the book at him.