Santa Rosa man gets three-year prison sentence after 10th DUI

A 40-year-old Santa Rosa man has been sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted of driving under the influence for the 10th time, Sonoma County prosecutors said.

The man received the sentence Thursday following his arrest on Feb. 12. He had parked near Joe Rodota Trail off state Highway 12 and got out of the vehicle to urinate and a paramedic called police after saying he contacted the suspect, who fled down the trail, according to the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office.

Officers found him hiding about 45 minutes later and testing found he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.24, well above the 0.08 minimum, prosecutors said.

The man’s previous nine convictions included five felonies, and his three-year sentence was the maximum allowed under state law, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

District Attorney Jill Ravitch said in a statement:

“Far too many individuals continue to drive impaired in Sonoma County. Choosing to drive impaired is choosing to put other lives in danger. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute any and all such cases, and will seek lengthy sentences for any repeat offender.”