San Angelo Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Sixth DWI

A 51-year-old San Angelo man was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on Thursday, after pleading guilty to his sixth driving while intoxicated charge in Judge Gossett’s 391st District Court.

Pedro Monreal was arrested for the offense on Sept. 22, 2013, following a civil dispute call during which Monreal was deemed to be intoxicated. Officer Richard Cercone responded to the area at 37th and Chadbourne, where he located Monreal behind the wheel of a vehicle. Monreal initially gave Cercone false identification information, a District Attorney’s Office press release states, and during the interaction, noticed signs of intoxication.

Monreal refused to perform a field sobriety test and was arrested for DWI. Following his arrest, officers obtained a search warrant and drew a blood sample, which showed his blood alcohol level to be at .178, more than twice as high as the legal limit of .08.

During the punishment phase of the trial, the state introduced Monreal’s previous DWI convictions into evidence in order to enhance the charge. DWI is a misdemeanor for the first two counts; the third becomes a felony. Because Monreal had previously been convicted of two misdemeanor and three felony DWIs, the third-degree felony was enhanced to a felony of the second degree, which carries a punishment range of 2-20 years.

Monreal was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison. Jail records show 20 stays in the county jail Monreal has racked up since 1988.

The District Attorney's Office provided the following statement with regards to the case:

When an individual decides to gamble with the safety and lives of the citizens of Tom Green County by engaging in and continuing to engage in dangerous behavior such as driving while intoxicated it is important to send a message that this behavior will not be tolerated.