[Castro No Longer With Sheriff's Department] Mario Manuel Castro, Sheriff's Deputy, Convicted of Second DUI

UPDATE: March 20, 11:20 A.M.: Jim Amormino, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department, says Castro “separated” from the department on Feb. 22. He wouldn't say if Castro was fired or quit, citing employment privacy laws.


Mario Manuel Castro apparently ditched class the day the Orange County Sheriff's Department conducted training on what not to do when you've had too many pops: drive on the wrong side of the road and toward an Orange police officer. 

Castro was convicted and sentenced Friday for driving under the influence of alcohol with a .24 blood alcohol level on the wrong side of the road toward an oncoming marked police vehicle, according to the Orange County District Attorney's office.

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Castro, 33, of Orange, pleaded guilty to a court offer to one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of alcohol with a prior, one misdemeanor count of driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 percent or more with a prior, and a sentencing enhancement allegation for having a blood alcohol level over .15 percent.

According to the District Attorney's office, he has a prior conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol in Los Angeles County in 2009. Castro was sentenced to 60 days in jail, five years of informal probation, and was ordered to complete an 18-month Multiple Offender Alcohol Program and attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving Victim Impact Panel
At around 2:15 a.m. on Sept. 30, Castro was driving under the influence of alcohol in Orange after guzzling several alcoholic beverages at a bar in Costa Mesa, according to the District Attorney's office. He was off-duty at the time, and alone in his vehicle. 
Castro was driving on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic, directly toward a marked Orange Police Department patrol car, according to the District Attorney's office. 
When stopped by the officer, Castro “displayed objective signs of alcohol intoxication including emitting strong odor of alcohol and extremely unsteady balance”, according to the District Attorney's office. 
Castro had a blood alcohol level of .24 percent, three times the legal limit.

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