San Diego DUI Lawyer Blog

San Diego drunk driver Anthony Guarino was sentenced to six years in prison on gross vehicular manslaughter charges.

Right before the horrific crash on August twentieth of last year, Guarino consumed eleven shots of whiskey before getting behind the wheel of his BMW where he crashed into Marc Durham’s vehicle. The impact killed Durham and injured six other people whose cars all collided. Guarino explained that he fell asleep driving which resulted in the crash. The San Diego drunk driver had a blood alcohol level of .15 percent a couple hours after the fatal DUI crash took place.

In court, Guarino apologized to the victim’s family by saying "To Mrs. Durham and her family: I'm sorry for what I've done and I ask for your forgiveness." Guarino’s attorney, Brad Patton, asked if the judge could give his client probation and four years in prison however the judge denied the San Diego DUI lawyer's request. Patton also argued that his client should be free from all charges except misdemeanor DUI because he was asleep when he slammed into Durham’s vehicle and that Guarino has no recollection of what happened that night.

Since Guarino had no prior criminal record and was in good standing with the community, San Diego Judge Einom sentenced the drunken driver to six years in prison. The Judge told Guarino that "You had so many chances to avoid doing what you did that night- The law will not tolerate drinking and driving and the resulting carnage."

Man Recieves 6 Years For Fatal Chain-Reaction DUI Crash, San Diego 10 News, March 11, 2011

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In San Diego Officer Anthony Arevalos is possibly facing 11 years or more for the sexual allegations against him from female victims he would pull over.

Victims are saying that 40- year old Arevalos was trying to extract sexual favors from them when he would pull them over. He is facing almost a dozen charges including sexual battery by restraint and false imprisonment. On Monday, during his arraignment, the officer pleaded not guilty to the charges. There have been many victims who are now coming forward with their stories and filing complaints. The victims’ ages range from twenty to thirty.

Sherry Thompson, Deputy District attorney, explained in court that Arevalos would pull women over for “drunk driving” with the intention of asking for sexual favors in return for their release. Thompson described that " ... while it is still preliminary and early on in the investigation, we have identified the fact that many of these girls appeared to be students... young women, who he attempts to identify what it is that they think is of value in their personal nature, asking them what they're working on, what they're studying, so that he can identify for them specifically that they do have a lot at stake." He would use this as a scare tactic to elicit sexual favors from them.

For example, on March 8th, one of the alleged victims was pulled over in the Gaslamp and blew above a .08 percent on a chemical breath test. Arevalos explained to the woman that he would not charge her if she gave him something in exchange. The woman and Officer Arevalos went to a nearby 7-Eleven bathroom where he locked the door and sexually assaulted her. The 7-Eleven surveillance tape has footage of the incident. Another incident similar to this one occurred in December where he pulled over an underage woman on suspicion of driving under the influence. He asked her for sex in exchange for her release.

SDPD Officer Accused Of Sexual Battery Pleads Not Guilty, San Diego 10 News, March 22, 2011

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In Vista, Pamela Marabea’s Ford Explorer was struck by a truck at 82 miles per hour ultimately killing her. The driver of the truck, seventeen year old Jeanette was under the influence of pain killers, anti-depressants, marijuana and alcohol at the time of the horrific crash.

Jeanette’s alcohol intake was more than twice the legal limit at the time of the accident. When the San Diego teenage drunken driver was in the emergency room, there were several instances where she was pronounced dead; however she survived with permanent loss of peripheral vision, short time memory loss as well as no recollection of the deadly collision. Fifty-three year old Marabeas, the driver of the Explorer, died at the scene.

On Friday, the Vista Superior Courthouse had their 10th annual Youth in Court Day where the destroyed SUV was put on view to show for the 1,000 students attending the consequences of drinking and driving. Jeanette, the teenage drunken driver who prefers to be identified by her first name only, spoke at Youth in Court Day. Jeanette told students that she was remorseful of the decisions she made. She also explained that by the time she was seventeen years old, she was into drugs and an alcoholic.

Erin Limonchi, Marabeas daughter attended Youth in Court Day as well. Limonchi told students that “this isn’t an accident. Many of you will make a calculated decision to drink or do drugs and drive…To me this is murder.” At the time of the accident, Jeanette was weeks away before she was going to turn eighteen. She was sentenced to 480 days in Juvenile Hall.

North County Students Get Their Day in Court, Sign on San Diego, March 18, 2011

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A fatal DUI crash that resulted in the death of a 9 year-old girl, by a mother who may have consumed twelve beers beforehand, according to court documents.

Karen Honeycutt who had four prior San Diego DUI convictions was arrested after driving drunk in a fatal DUI crash in January that killed her 9 year-old daughter. The suspected DUI driver had a blood alcohol level of .22 percent which is almost three times the legal limit. According to toxicology reports also found hints of marijuana in her blood. One beer was found in her vehicle and 11 more empty cans were found by authorities at her home.

The fatal Temecula DUI crash happened on January 26 on Vail Ranch Parkway when the 41 year old mother’s jeep flipped after she lost control hitting a light pole, carrying her daughter and two sons. According to more court documents, Myles, the suspected drunken driver’s 8 year old son said that his mother was drinking a beer and cursing while waiting to pick up another child.

The suspected drunken driver has been charged with second degree murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while driving under the influence of a drug and alcohol, driving with a blood alcohol level over .08 percent. Honeycutt’s license had been suspended after her 2010 San Diego DUI conviction, but after completing a DUI alcohol treatment program she was able to get her license back.

Driving Under the Influence in San Diego County

Driving under the influence of any alcoholic beverage or drug in California is against the law.

If you have a 0.08 percent or more by weight, of alcohol in your blood, you will be charged with a DUI if apprehended. You could be facing fines and jail time if convicted.

Mother may have had up to a dozen beers before accident that killed daughter, Examiner.com, March 3, 2011

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Continue reading " Woman Charged with Gross Vehicular Manslaughter Possibly had Twelve Beers before Fatal Crash Occurred " »

On Tuesday in Hollywood, Christina Aguilera was arrested for being under the influence of alcohol in public.

According to the authorities, the “Burlesque” actress will not be prosecuted even though she was “extremely intoxicated.” Steve Whitmore, a Sheriff’s spokesman explained that Aguilera “didn’t really understand where she was” and that she was “not belligerent in any way whatsoever.” The sound of “burning rubber” prompted police to pull over the songbird and her boyfriend which could be heard from a distance. The driver, Matthew Rutler, had a blood alcohol level 0.09 percent which showed up on the field sobriety test. The legal limit for California is a 0.08 percent.

Twenty-five year old Rutler was arrested for being past the legal limit of alcohol while driving and Aguilera was arrested for being drunk in public. Later on, Rutler was released on $5,000 bail and it is still unknown whether or not he has hired an attorney. According to police, the singer was too intoxicated to get herself home so she was held at the West Hollywood Sheriff’s station. Police issued her a breath test; however the results will be kept privately since she will not be brought to court. Unfortunately, she will have a misdemeanor on her record.

The singer, according to Whitmore, had to be fingerprinted and put into a cell until she was sober enough to pass a sobriety test. When Aguilera had sobered up just enough, she was released on $250 bail around 7:30 a.m. where she was driven home safely by someone who came to pick her up.

Christina Aguilera Arrested For Drunkenness,San Diego 10 News, March 1, 2011

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