A Chula Vista motorist who was convicted of driving under the influence of heroin and methamphetamine has lost his driver’s license and must perform 10 days of public service work.
Following a 3-day trial, a jury convicted Donald William Monsell, 34, of two misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence of drugs and being an unlicensed driver, according to San Diego Superior Court records.
Judge Dan Link suspended a 30-day jail term, fined him $2,168, and placed him on five years probation. His license suspension is for six months and the sentence is similar to others who are first time offenders of either drunk or drugged driving.
Monsell was also ordered to attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving victim impact panel. No jail time was ordered and he must show proof of attending the MADD panel and progress on probation on Nov. 25.
The incident took place on July 13, 2013 at noon while Monsell was driving eastbound on Interstate 8. His vehicle swerved from the far right lane into the center divider, striking a guard rail.
His vehicle sideswiped a truck, and came to rest on the freeway shoulder, completely disabled, according to the San Diego City Attorney’s office. Deputy City Attorney Taylor Garrot said Monsell was so impaired he did not realize his vehicle was not drivable.
Monsell was sent to a hospital for evaluation, and was arrested for drugged driving following a blood test, said Gerry Braun, City Attorney spokesperson. Resources for prosecuting drunk and drugged driving cases comes from a $263,000 grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
