Driver in pickup that struck police car, severely injuring officer, receives sentence
Modesto police officer Juan Arroyo stood in a Stanislaus County courtroom Tuesday morning and said he hopes what happened to him will serve as a lesson to those who drink and drive.
Arroyo, who seven months ago couldn’t even stand, spoke at the sentencing of Nazario Daniel Castillo, 26, who earlier this year pleaded guilty to a charge of assault with a deadly weapon stemming from a DUI crash that critically injured Arroyo.
“I hope more awareness is brought up regarding drinking and driving and following the law,” said Arroyo, who has undergone multiple surgeries and months of physical therapy since the January accident. “It’s not worth it.”
Several representatives of the Modesto Police Department were on hand as Judge Dawna Frenchie Reeves sentenced Castillo to seven years in state prison.
The crash took place in the early morning of Jan. 16 near the intersection of Yosemite Boulevard and Santa Ana Avenue in Modesto. Authorities said a California Highway Patrol officer spotted Castillo driving a Toyota Tundra pickup north in the southbound lanes of Highway 99. CHP officers heading south had to swerve to avoid the truck.
Castillo drove off the highway at Standiford Avenue. A CHP officer tried to pull him over, but he pulled back onto the highway, heading south before getting off at Tuolumne Boulevard in downtown Modesto.
Arroyo was heading west on Yosemite Boulevard to help in the chase. Castillo was driving north on Santa Ana when his truck broadsided Arroyo’s patrol car, flipping the car and sending it into the front yard of a home. Castillo was thrown from his truck; Arroyo was pinned inside his car.
Arroyo suffered multiple injuries, including a compound fracture, broken bones, a bruised lung and a skull fracture.
In an interview before Castillo’s sentencing, Arroyo said he was doing well and able to walk without much pain. He said he expects to be back on the job as soon as October, likely on light duty for about a month as he continues his rehab before taking on the full demands of police work.
“I’m just excited about going back to work,” Arroyo said.
Castillo, wearing an orange and white jumpsuit, smiled at someone in the audience as he walked into the courtroom Tuesday morning but said little other than “Yes, your honor” when asked if he waived his right to be present at future hearings regarding restitution. He also thanked Reeves when the judge wished him good luck at the conclusion of the hearing.
This story was originally published September 4, 2018 at 1:10 PM.