A Las Vegas driver has been ordered to prison for a deadly DUI crash that took the life of a motorcyclist on East Tropicana Avenue, closing a months-long case that began with a left turn and ended with a funeral. The collision, which happened last September at East Tropicana Avenue and South McLeod Drive, left 37-year-old Wesley Larsen badly injured. He was rushed to the hospital and later died of his injuries.
Judge Imposes Prison Term and Restitution
On Wednesday, District Judge Ronald Israel sentenced Bryan Vargas-Caicedo to between two and six years in state prison and ordered him to pay more than $30,000 in restitution to Larsen’s family. Prosecutors had pushed hard for the maximum term allowed under the plea agreement, and when the hearing wrapped, Vargas-Caicedo was handcuffed and taken into custody.
Vargas-Caicedo had pleaded guilty to reckless driving in district court and to a misdemeanor DUI in a lower court, a package deal that limited his potential prison exposure under Nevada law, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Crash Details and Charges
Police say the crash occurred on September 5 when Vargas-Caicedo turned a 2010 Honda Accord left into the path of Larsen’s 2020 Harley-Davidson at the intersection of East Tropicana Avenue and South McLeod Drive. Larsen was taken to Sunrise Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Officers arrested Vargas-Caicedo at the scene on suspicion of DUI and other traffic offenses. He was later released on bail under electronic monitoring, according to FOX5 Las Vegas.
Defense Arguments and Plea
In court, defense attorney John Turco said Vargas-Caicedo’s blood-alcohol concentration tested at 0.09. Turco also argued, citing police reports, that Larsen had been traveling about 82 miles per hour in a 45 mile-per-hour zone, a detail he said played a role in how the plea deal was negotiated.
Turco asked Judge Israel to consider probation, pointing to his client’s remorse, steady employment and lack of prior criminal history. Prosecutors responded that Vargas-Caicedo’s actions cost a man his life and urged the court to send him to prison, which the judge ultimately did, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
What Nevada Law Says
Under Nevada law, reckless driving that results in death is a category B felony, which carries a possible sentence of up to six years in prison. A DUI that causes a death can bring a much stiffer penalty, with a potential term of up to 20 years.
The plea agreement in this case reduced Vargas-Caicedo’s exposure under the higher-penalty DUI statute and placed him within the sentencing range for reckless driving. Those penalties are set out in state law in the Nevada Revised Statutes and the Nevada Revised Statutes.
Aftermath
In emotional statements to the court, Larsen’s relatives described him as a devoted father and a journeyman electrician, and they urged Judge Israel to impose the toughest sentence available. With Vargas-Caicedo now sentenced, the criminal case is effectively closed for the moment. Larsen’s family and their attorney still have the option of pursuing civil remedies as they continue to seek accountability beyond the prison term.
