SALINAS, CA – A Salinas man has been sentenced to three years in prison after police found him passed out behind the wheel of his car at a local fast-food drive-thru.
The Drive-Thru Arrest
The incident occurred at the In-N-Out Burger located on Kern Street in Salinas. A security guard at the restaurant alerted the California Highway Patrol (CHP) after noticing a driver who appeared to be asleep at the wheel while waiting in the drive-thru lane.
When CHP officers arrived at the scene, they discovered 33-year-old Carlos Alvarez inside the vehicle. According to police reports, responding officers noted a strong, pungent odor of alcohol coming from the car.
A History of Repeat Offenses
Due to his extensive history of impaired driving, Alvarez was immediately taken into custody and charged with a felony.
This latest sentencing marks Alvarez’s seventh overall DUI conviction and his fourth felony DUI conviction within the last 10 years. Under California law, driving under the influence can be prosecuted as a felony if the driver has multiple prior convictions within a specific timeframe.
Cracking Down on Impaired Driving
The successful prosecution was handled by the Monterey County District Attorney’s Vertical DUI Prosecution Unit in collaboration with the CHP.
The specialized unit recently received nearly $800,000 in state grants specifically aimed at funding aggressive prosecution of repeat drug and alcohol-impaired drivers. Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni emphasized that the funding is crucial for holding repeat offenders accountable and improving local road safety.
Alvarez will serve his three-year sentence in a state correctional facility.
