Sonoma County Man Gets State Prison For 10th DUI Conviction
SANTA ROSA (CBS SF) – A man from Santa Rosa was sentenced to state prison Thursday after being convicted of driving under the influence for a 10th time, prosecutors said.
According to the Sonoma County District Attorney's office, a judge sentenced 40-year-old Salvador Moreno-Botello to the maximum sentence of three years, after a jury last month found him guilty of driving while intoxicated.
Prosecutors said on February 12, Moreno-Botello was seen parking near the Joe Rodota Trail off Highway 12 in Santa Rosa before he stumbled out of his car to urinate. A paramedic who contacted Moreno-Botello called police, saying he had fled on foot down the trail.
Moreno-Botello was found by police about 45 minutes later when he tried to walk away from the officers. Testing revealed he had a blood alcohol of 0.24%, three times the legal limit.
"Choosing to drive impaired is choosing to put other lives in danger," District Attorney Jill Ravitch said in a statement. "My office will continue to aggressively prosecute any and all such cases, and will seek lengthy sentences for any repeat offender."
According to Ravitch's office, Moreno-Botello had nine other previous DUI convictions, five of which were felonies. A search of court records showed multiple DUI convictions in Sonoma County dating back to 2002.