A local judge sentenced a repeat drunken driving offender Monday to 13 months with the Department of Corrections with the possibility of being released on probation sooner.
Twelfth District Judge Kaydee Snipes-Ruiz imposed Carlino Broncho’s sentence on the charge of felony operation of a non-commercial vehicle by a person with an alcohol concentration of .08 or more, fourth or subsequent offense.
Broncho pleaded guilty Jan. 6.
Broncho’s sentence includes placement in a correctional facility or program where he can receive treatment. The judge ordered that if he completes treatment before the 13-month mark, he can serve the rest of his time on probation, followed by another four years of probation.
Broncho’s sentence stems from an offense committed more than a year ago.
On Feb. 2, 2019, a Montana Highway Patrol officer stopped Broncho after noticing one of the headlights on his Chevrolet Silverado wasn’t working.
The trooper said he smelled alcohol as he approached the vehicle. The smell intensified once he started speaking to Broncho, whose eyes were bloodshot and watery. When the trooper asked Broncho if he’d been drinking, he said, “Yeah.”
The trooper ran a check on Broncho’s driver’s license and learned it had been suspended after a 2012 driving under the influence conviction.
The trooper gave Broncho a series of impairment tests, after which he was arrested and taken to the Hill County Detention Center, where he provided two breath samples that showed a .108 blood alcohol level.
Court documents show Broncho had at least six other DUI convictions in Montana and Idaho between 1989 and 1996. In addition, he was convicted of DUI in Rosebud County in April 1998 and aggravated DUI in Hill County in April 2012.
Write to Paul Dragu at [email protected]
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