Ramiro Vargas-Toral of Long Beach received the maximum sentence of 18 months in jail after a jury convicted him of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI), fleeing the scene of an accident and driving without a valid driver’s license. This was Vargas-Toral’s second DUI conviction.
On Nov. 10, Long Beach Superior Court Judge Halim Dhanidina sentenced Vargas-Toral to the maximum term, noting “the seriousness of the crimes and the ridiculous nature of the defendant’s testimony,” according to the City Prosecutor’s office.
“The defendant needs to be held accountable for his dangerous driving,” said City Prosecutor Doug Haubert.
Evidence showed Vargas-Toral was driving his flat-bed truck home shortly before midnight on June 13, when he struck his neighbor’s parked SUV. The neighbor was alerted and was outside talking to witnesses and police when Vargas-Toral returned to the scene. Vargas-Toral admitted to officers he had consumed “four beers,” and stated, “I’m drunk,” according to the City Prosecutor’s office.
Shortly thereafter, Vargas-Toral refused to cooperate any further in the investigation, according to the City Prosecutor’s office.
At the trial, Vargas-Toral claimed he had not been drinking and told jurors he could not have damaged his neighbor’s SUV because he does not drive his own truck. Jurors convicted him after hearing testimony from the officers, who found on Vargas-Toral’s flat-bed a piece of the broken taillight that “was exactly the piece that was missing” from the neighbor’s SUV.
Long Beach Deputy City Prosecutor Arlene Anderson argued to jurors that Vargas-Toral refused to perform the tests because he knew from his 2006 DUI arrest how drunk he really was.
“He was trying to hide his intoxication from the officers,” Anderson said.
At sentencing, Judge Dhanidina noted the defendant’s version of the facts were “ridiculous” and imposed the maximum sentence of 18 months.
