‘Just take me in’: Drunk driver who ‘pled the fifth’ after plowing into another car ends up pleading guilty to multiple felonies

A California antheral who told officers to “just instrumentality maine in” portion being questioned aft a car crash successful 2023 pleaded blameworthy to the charges against him and is present headed to prison.

The Tulare County District Attorney’s Office announced successful a press release connected Thursday that Maxwell Barrios, 28, pleaded blameworthy successful February to felony DUI causing injury, felony DUI with a BAC .08% oregon more, and felony driving nether the power of intoxicant and drugs 2 years aft helium crashed his Honda HRV into a car carrying 2 women. Both women survived, but suffered “massive” injuries, according to the DA.

At the country of the crash, the DA stated that Barrios drunkenly told officers to “just instrumentality maine in” aft helium “pled the fifth.”

According to the DA, the clang occurred astatine astir 2:20 a.m. connected April 2, 2023, successful Tulare, California, successful California’s Central Valley. Barrios, driving the reddish HRV, brutally rear-ended a Dodge motortruck “at a precocious complaint of speed” that flipped the car implicit with truthful overmuch momentum that it ended up backmost connected its wheels.

The women inside, who were not identified, were some taken to an country infirmary to beryllium treated for superior injuries. While some victims suffered assorted non-life-threatening injuries, 1 pistillate yet had 1 of her arms partially amputated. The DA stated that she has already undergone 10 surgeries related to her injuries from the clang “with much scheduled.” The different pistillate required “extensive surgery” connected 1 of her hands.

While Barrios was receiving aesculapian attraction aft the crash, the DA said helium was slurring his words and wanted to apologize to the victims. He besides said that “people told him not to thrust drunk” earlier helium got down the instrumentality that night.

Barrios was aboriginal discovered to person a humor intoxicant contented of .23%, good supra the ineligible bounds of .08%. The DA said helium was besides high, with levels of Delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) successful his system.

After pleading blameworthy connected Feb. 25 to each the charges against him, Barrios was sentenced connected Wednesday to 4 years and 4 months successful authorities prison.

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