LAKE HAVASU CITY – A young man who caused damage at Wheeler Park in Lake Havasu City while driving drunk is reportedly committed to sobriety. Defense attorney Brad Rideout told Mohave County Superior Court Judge Megan McCoy that Angelo Quintero, 25 has quit drinking since the June 1 incident.
Rideout said the veteran had been partying in a reunion of sorts with other buddies from his former military unit. He said they were engaged in “binge drinking culture” and that Quintero “tied one on.”
A police report indicated Quintero’s blood alcohol content was .164, twice the legal limit for driving, after the vehicle he was driving left the roadway while speeding, crashing into a road sign and several benches at Wheeler Park.
Quintero sustained a head injury while one of his passengers was transported to the hospital for treatment of more serious injuries. He told police he was speeding about 75 miles an hour in a 30-mile-per-hour zone when he failed to navigate the roundabout surrounding Wheeler Park on McCulloch Boulevard.
“I am deeply sorry about this incident,” Quintero told Judge McCoy during an October 24 sentencing hearing. “I never wanted to put my friends lives in danger and I did that, and I hurt one of them pretty bad.”
Rideout said Quintero is engaged in a 12-step program and another recovery involvement and recently achieved four months of sobriety. “He’s trying to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Rideout said.
“I’m definitely a changed man,” said Quintero, convicted of aggravated assault in a plea agreement.
Judge McCoy placed Quintero on probation for three years. She ordered a one-day jail sentence, crediting him for the day he already served in custody.
