A Carbondale Trustee who was originally cited for driving under the influence of alcohol pleaded guilty to lesser offenses as part of a deal reached on Feb. 28.
Luis Yllanes, 44, was stopped for speeding near the corner of Second Street and Snowmass Ave. just after midnight on Jan. 12. At the time, 9th District Attorney Jeff Cheney declined to release the discovery, but Deputy District Attorney Jill Edinger provided some details at the hearing.
“He was very forthcoming with the officers that he had had something to drink,” she said. “He agreed very politely to do roadsides. He did not complete them as to a sober person.”
With “utmost courtesy” he agreed to a portable breath test and blew .08 — exactly the legal limit.
Defense Attorney Michael Fox characterized the case as “extremely mitigated” both due to the facts and Yllanes’s character.
“First and foremost he values his family, but he also really values serving his community, and that’s show in what he has done,” Fox said.
Yllanes himself told District Judge Paul Metzger that he wanted to continue that service and saw the situation as an opportunity to learn from his mistakes.
For his part, Metzger found the disposition just.
The guilty plea was for one count of careless driving and one count of speeding 10-19 miles per hour over the limit. While the DUI charge was dismissed, it came with the caveat of DWAI protocols, which call for an alcohol evaluation and classes. in addition to one year of court-monitored probation Metzger also included a sentence for 24 hours of useful public service and fines totalling $280, plus court and evaluation costs and a $200 donation to sober living.
“I recognize that the defendant may already be a contributing member of the community, but I also have a desire to see that people are treated relatively similar in similar cases,” he said.
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