Tampa, Florida -- A judge ordered a Thonotosassa man to stay behind bars, after being charged with his fourth DUI, three counts of child neglect and driving without a valid license. Tuesday morning, Judge Walter Heinrich denied bond and ordered Jose Rico to stay away from his three children.
Judge Heinrich stated, "Your relationship with these three children is over with ... you also will not get out [of jail] for a long time."
The judge emphasized that the 41-year-old suspect was already on probation for felony DUI manslaughter when he violated his probation with this offense. Rico's license had already been suspended for life.
Early Monday morning, Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies were called to investigate a suspicious van. Investigators say they found Rico's 2005 Ford van stopped on Grant Street near Drexel Avenue in Dover.
The suspect was reportedly found by deputies slumped behind the wheel and his three children inside crying. The children are ages 7, 8 and 11.
Deputies used ammonia capsules to wake Rico. According to reports, Rico was unstable on his feet and told a deputy he was too drunk to finish the sobriety test.
Rico reportedly had a blood alcohol level of 0.231 and 0.220, nearly three times Florida's legal limit of 0.08.
Reports indicate that Rico has previously been arrested for DUI in 1996, 1990 and 1987.
Reply With Quote
4 Member(s) thanked for this post
Bookmarks