SUBMITTED ARTICLE
GONZALES — Francisco Napoles Medina, 54, of Watsonville, was sentenced by the Honorable Pamela L. Butler to seven years and six months to be served in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, his fifth prison commitment for driving under the influence.
On April 11, 2017, Medina was found guilty by a jury of felony driving under the influence of alcohol with three prior DUI convictions, two of which were felonies. The jury also found true that the defendant has served four prior prison terms for previous DUI convictions.
According to court and other law enforcement records, Medina has at least 12 prior DUI convictions.
The jury trial finding that led to this sentence originated on July 23, 2016, when officers conducted a traffic enforcement stop on Medina because he was swerving on Alta Street in Gonzales. When asked by officers, he refused to submit to field sobriety tests, a breath test as well as a blood test.
Gonzales Police Officer Cesar Castillo authored a search warrant for Medina’s blood, which was signed and approved by the Honorable Efren Iglesia. Despite his repeated attempts at refusing all chemical tests, the search warrant allowed officers to collect Medina’s blood at Natividad Medical Center. His blood alcohol level was .171 four hours after driving.
This case was investigated by Gonzales Police Department and presented by members of the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office specialized DUI Vertical Prosecution Unit. Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
