Five-year prison sentence for man’s third DUI conviction

A man whose blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit when he crashed into a family of five in 2014 was sentenced to five years and eight months in state prison this month, the Stanislaus County Distirct Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.

In August, David James Davis, 49, of Tarzana, pleaded no contest to felony driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury and hit-and-run causing injury and misdemeanor driving on a suspended license.

Davis was driving on Highway 99 in Stanislaus County in July 2014 when he rear-ended an SUV occupied by a family of five, knocking it off the road and injuring the occupants.

Davis fled the scene but witnesses followed him and reported his vehicle and location to police.

California Highway Patrol officers found Davis and noted that he smelled of alcohol and had symptoms consistent with being under the influence.

His blood-alcohol content was 0.20 percent, more than twice the legal limit.

In court, Davis also admitted to enhancements and special allegations for injuring multiple people, causing great bodily injury to one person and having previous convictions for driving under the influence in 2012 and 2013.

Davis’ admission to causing great bodily injury makes the crime a “strike” under California’s Three Strikes Law, which can be used to double his sentence if he is convicted in the future of certain felony crimes.

Deputy District Attorney Bianca Yip prosecuted the case. Her position is funded by a grant provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This story was originally published November 16, 2016 at 7:18 PM with the headline "Five-year prison sentence for man’s third DUI conviction."