5-time drunk driving offender gets 15 and-a-half years in prison

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. – A man was sentenced to spend 15 and-a-half years in prison after getting arrested a fifth time for drunk driving, a spokesperson for the 18^th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday.

Pedro Reynaldo Tun, 40, had four convictions for driving under the influence in Arapahoe, Jefferson and Adams counties when he was arrested by Aurora police on Oct. 31, 2015. He also had a vehicular homicide conviction in Douglas County. In that case, Tun was driving and a passenger in his car died after Tun recklessly crashed in 1995, according to Vikki Migoya, spokesperson for the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

Tun was even deported numerous times, and his drivers license had been revoked as a habitual traffic offender, Migoya said in a press release.

In 2015, Tun was pulled over on 6th Avenue near Interstate 225 because the car he was driving didn’t have a license plate, Migoya said. When the officer interviewed Tun, he smelled alcohol and Tun said he had been drinking beer.  Tun’s eyes were bloodshot, his speech was slurred and he was unable to pass roadside sobriety tests.

A blood test taken two hours later determined his blood-alcohol level was 0.260, according to Migoya.

“This was a drunk driver whose action had already taken a life, and that didn’t wake up him to the consequences of his actions,” said Deputy District Attorney Jesse DuBois, who prosecuted the case. “This case is why we have a felony DUI law – when nothing else has worked.”

It took only 30 minutes for a jury to find him guilty of all counts, including driving under the influence with three or more prior offenses. The jury also found him guilty of the misdemeanor and traffic offenses of alcohol-related driving under restraint, driving as a habitual traffic offender, and driving without insurance or registration, Migoya said.

Arapahoe District Judge Natalie Chase sentenced Tun to 12 years in prison for the DUI felony, and an additional 3½ years in jail on the lesser charges. The sentences will be served consecutively.