Judge sentences 19-year-old to six years in prison for DUI-related fatal crash
A 19-year-old Fresno man was sentenced to six years in prison Monday for causing a fatal crash west of Highway 99 in Fresno in 2017, killing one man and injuring several others.
The victim, Carlos Ortega, 35, was driving home with his family after celebrating his stepson’s birthday when Thomas Dela Pena’s vehicle ran through a red light at Ashlan and Cornelia avenues, slamming into Ortega’s car. Ortega died a day later from his injuries.
Dela Pena was charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and DUI causing injury. He recently changed his plea from not guilty to no contest.
Danielle Brown, whose son’s birthday was being celebrated that night, said she and her family’s lives have been changed forever. She was also in the car the night of the Dec. 26 crash.
“One minute we are talking and laughing and the next we are being slammed into the intersection,” Brown said.
Hours later she would learn Ortega was dead.
“No more hugs, no more phone calls, no more time to share as parents,” she said.
Fresno County Superior Court Judge Michael Idiart said there was evidence that Dela Pena had Xanax, alcohol and marijuana in his system at the time of the crash. Idiart noted that Dela Pena did not have a prior record, and the 19-year-old’s father, Francisco Dela Pena, pleaded with Idiart for leniency, but the judge said probation was not suitable.
“When you take someone’s life, there has to be consequences,” Idiart said.
He gave Dela Pena six years with credit for time served. And he gave him a warning: If he were to ever drink and drive again and cause another fatal accident, the consequences will be severe.
“You can be charged with murder and get a life sentence,” he said.
This story was originally published March 25, 2019 at 3:41 PM.
