GILROY
–– Legally embattled Councilman Charlie Morales made his first
court appearance Tuesday in a drinking and driving case that began
in late June.
Morales, after learning that sentencing documents he sent to the
court may not have arrived, went to an 11 a.m. hearing at the San
Benito County courthouse with his lawyer Milton Gonzalez, his
attorney’s office said.
GILROY –– Legally embattled Councilman Charlie Morales made his first court appearance Tuesday in a drinking and driving case that began in late June.
Morales, after learning that sentencing documents he sent to the court may not have arrived, went to an 11 a.m. hearing at the San Benito County courthouse with his lawyer Milton Gonzalez, his attorney’s office said.
Morales, who is serving a sentence for his second DUI in the last four years, was required to sign documents stating he would fulfill the requirements of the sentence laid down by Judge Steven Sanders on Nov. 13.
“He had signed the documents, but when we called over to the court (Tuesday) morning the paperwork wasn’t there,” said Robert Landry, Gonzalez’s legal assistant. “It turned out everything was on file.”
Morales’ sentence is multifaceted. Starting Dec. 21, the veteran councilman must wear an ankle bracelet for 40 days. The device will monitor his movements to ensure he leaves his home only for work (in this case, city council meetings) and rehabilitation meetings.
According to Landry, Morales signed up for a multiple offender program in recent days. Morales was convicted for DUI after being arrested Dec. 11, 1999, in Gilroy for a .18 blood alcohol level. In the June arrest, Morales registered a .23 blood alcohol level. The legal limit is .08.
Morales also was ordered by the judge to pay nearly $2,000 in fines and submit to a two-year driver’s license restriction in which he can only drive to and from work and his DUI program.
Morales’ sentence also requires him to pay $540 ($13.50 per day) for the ankle bracelet program. Had Morales not agreed to the program, he would have spent 40 days in a San Benito jail.
Before Tuesday, Morales hadn’t faced the judge. Gonzalez and other lawyers had represented him at court proceedings, including the Nov. 13 hearing in which Morales changed his original not guilty plea to guilty.
