SAN FRANCISCO—A jury convicted Jorge Rivas, 31, of driving under the influence on Monday, June 22, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office announced.
Rivas was convicted for driving under the influence on the US 101 where it turns into I-80 eastbound near Ninth Street and Brannan Street. He was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol (VC 23152(a)) and driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 percent or greater (VC 23152(b)). The jury also found true allegations that the defendant had a BAC of .15 percent or greater at the time of the incident and that Rivas had previously been convicted of a DUI.
According to testimony and other evidence presented at trial, on February 23, at approximately 2:10 a.m., the defendant crashed his vehicle into the concrete barricade on I-80 southbound leaving it disabled in the number one lane. California Highway Patrol Officers found Rivas walking on the three-lane highway 270 feet from the car. Immediately, they noticed objective signs of intoxication and conducted a DUI investigation. His chemical breath tests measured his BAC to be .174 percent -.170 percent, which is more than two times the legal limit.
The case against Rivas was successfully prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Shauna Kashyap with assistance from District Attorney Investigator Teddy Martin and IT support from Leland Chan. Prosecutors were able to develop a strong case against him as thanks to the California Highway Patrol’s thorough investigation and assistance.
The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office takes all driving under the influence cases seriously and aims to hold offenders accountable in all cases. For the most serious DUI felony cases, the office established a Felony DUI Vertical Prosecution Unit with a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
