Johnathan D. Gonzales
Johnathan D. Gonzales, 29, of Los Alamos was found guilty of driving under the influence and open container Thursday in Los Alamos Municipal Court in connection with his March 8 arrest.
Additional charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia were dismissed under a plea agreement and the original charge of aggravated DWI was changed to DWI first offense.
Judge Alan Kirk gave Gonzales a 90-day suspended sentence and five days in jail or on electronic monitoring, a $750 fine and $250 fees on the DWI charge. He was placed on probation for one year and has to perform 48 hours of community service. He also was ordered to undergo an alcohol assessment within 30 days and will be required to obtain the treatment recommended.
Los Alamos Police Cpl. Jaime Gonzales arrested Gonzales March 8 after reports that he was driving recklessly. When he pulled Gonzales over, he asked him if he knew why he had been stopped. He replied that it was probably because he had tapped the vehicle in front of him. Cpl. Gonzales stated in his report that he noticed he was slurring his words, had red bloodshot watery eyes and that there was an odor of alcohol emanating from the vehicle.
Cpl. Gonzales asked him if there was anything in the vehicle he should be concerned about and he allegedly admitted to having marijuana and a pipe in the center console. Asked how much he had to drink that day, he allegedly replied that he had three drinks and that he was going to jail, “because this is Los Alamos”.
Cpl. Ben Hinrichs then notified Cpl. Gonzales that a woman parked nearby claimed Gonzales had hit the rear bumper of her vehicle at the intersection of Knecht and Diamond Drive. Cpl. Gonzales attempted to conduct field sobriety tests but Gonzales refused to participate. Cpl. Gonzales asked him if he was willing to provide a breath sample because the Detention Center requires anyone who tests above a certain limit to be medically cleared before detention.
Based on the results, Gonzales was taken to Los Alamos Medical Center and returned to the Detention where he was charged with aggravated DWI, open container, possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia.
