In an ongoing battle against impaired driving in Sonoma County, 78-year-old Santa Rosa resident Alberto Salgado-Gonzalez has been sentenced to three years in custody for his most recent DUI conviction. Salgado-Gonzalez's long history of DUI offenses culminated in this maximum sentence after he pleaded "no contest" to felony charges relating to an incident that took place last year.
According to a social media post by the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office, Salgado-Gonzalez has amassed nine DUI convictions over his lifetime. The latest conviction was a result of an event on April 28, 2024, when he was found to have a blood alcohol level of .21/.21, following a single-vehicle collision into a ditch. The Honorable Judge Laura Passaglia issued the sentence last Thursday, which was the culmination of efforts by the District Attorney's office to address such repeat offenses sternly.
In a statement, District Attorney Rodriguez highlighted the challenges of dealing with persistent offenders. "My office is committed to holding impaired drivers accountable for their actions. Unfortunately, there are few tools in our toolbox to deal with the worst offenders. Three years in custody, minus credits, is an insufficient sentence for someone that simply refuses to stop driving drunk. Nevertheless, that is the maximum sentence allowed for this offense, that is what we argued for, and that was what the court imposed. We are appreciative of the court’s sentence," Rodriguez stated, per the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office.
Deputy District Attorney Javier Vaca, a prosecutor from the District Attorney’s Vertical DUI Unit, handled the case against Salgado-Gonzalez. The prosecution and subsequent sentence are part of a broader initiative to reduce the incidence of driving under the influence, with financial support provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. CHP Officer Dylan Van Bavel led the investigation that ultimately led to Salgado-Gonzalez's arrest and conviction this time around.
