Crime & Safety

O.C. Sheriff's Deputy Charged with DUI

Deputy, who remains on duty, had a blood-alcohol level was three times the legal limit. He was convicted of drunk driving in Los Angeles in 1999.

An Orange County sheriff's deputy was charged today with drunk driving while off duty.

Mario Manuel Castro was drinking at a Costa Mesa bar before he got behind the wheel and nearly collided with a police officer's squad car about 2:15 p.m. Sept. 30, after veering into oncoming traffic in Orange on Chapman Avenue near Lemon Street, prosecutors allege.

The police officer pulled over Castro, who allegedly had a blood-alcohol level of 0.24 percent, three times the legal limit.

Find out what's happening in Newport Beach-Corona Del Marwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Castro, 33, of Orange, has a prior conviction for driving drunk in 2009
in Los Angeles County, according to Deputy District Attorney Rebecca Olivieri.

Castro remains on duty, but the Sheriff's Department has launched an internal  investigation, said sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino.

Find out what's happening in Newport Beach-Corona Del Marwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Castro is charged with driving under the influence of alcohol with a prior conviction, driving with a blood-alcohol level of .08 percent or more with a prior conviction—both misdemeanors—along with a sentencing enhancement for having a blood-alcohol level of more than 0.15 percent.

Castro could face up to a year in jail if convicted, Olivieri said. His arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 16.

—City News Service


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