Placerville, Calif. On April 27, 2015, an El Dorado County judge sentenced an impaired driver to five years state prison following a jury trial in which the man was convicted of two counts of felony driving under the Influence and suspended license charges. Judge Kenneth Melikian found the allegations true the defendant had four prior driving under the influence convictions, a prior felony driving under the influence conviction and has served two prior prison terms.
On June 1, 2014, an El Dorado County Sheriff Deputy observed Ramirez operating a vehicle that was stopped in the slow lane on Highway 50. The deputy pulled in behind Ramirez and then followed the vehicle as Ramirez drove away. The deputy noted that although it hadn’t rained in weeks, that the windshield wipers were activated, and the vehicle was swerving within its lane. The deputy initiated a traffic stop and Ramirez yielded in the Red Hawk Casino parking lot. Ramirez was arrested after he registered a breath alcohol reading of .11/.12%.
On February 26th, 2015, a jury convicted Michael Charles Ramirez, 45, of Concord, California after hearing evidence and expert testimony presented by Deputy District Attorney Michael P. Pizzuti.
District Attorney Vern Pierson commented “Our Vertical Prosecution team specializes in the prosecution of felony and serious Misdemeanor driving under the influence cases. This case is one of many that have been successfully prosecuted by the grant funded Vertical Prosecution team”.
Funding for the Vertical Prosecution team is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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