By Joshua Cenzano
SANTA BARBARA, CA – A woman (the Vanguard does not usually name misdemeanor suspects) pleaded no contest to charges of driving under the influence and possession of illegal narcotics, both misdemeanor violations, here in Santa Barbara County Superior Court this week.
She and her counsel reached an agreement with the prosecution to accept a sentence of 90 days for a no contest plea, considering this was her first offense.
“I think we have reached a reasonable agreement,” said the Assistant District Attorney Dalia Granados, who appeared in court today along with her counterparts via Zoom.
The accused was alleged to have been caught driving under the influence on May 18 of last year and has been in pretrial motions out of custody until Wednesday’s hearing.
She was found in possession of a minor amount of oxycodone and antidepressant medication without a legitimate prescription while driving on the 101 freeway in Santa Barbara County.
Since she was also not in custody nor appearing in court personally, the judge allowed her until April 1 to report for her sentence, provided she agreed to limited supervision in the meantime.
The judge also imposed a total fine of $500 for both offenses and stated that the fine must be paid by the same date, April 1.
Upon her release, the parties stipulated that the driver will be on unsupervised probation and is required to install an interlock device in her vehicle.
