Santa Rosa man gets 6 years in prison for DUI hit-and-run

A Santa Rosa man was sentenced to six years in state prison Wednesday in connection with his no-contest plea to felony charges of hit and run, driving under the influence of alcohol with a prior felony DUI and seriously injuring a child under age 5 in 2019.

Hector Cabrales-Larios, 39, was driving at a time when his privileges had been revoked. He pleaded no contest in March.

The charges stemmed from a collision on July 11, 2019, on Range Avenue near Coddingtown Mall. The victim, 2, had strayed into the street as she and her grandmother were returning from a visit to the Social Security Office, according to a press statement issued by Chief Deputy District Attorney Brian Staebell.

Cabrales-Larios ran over the girl with his van while going 30 to 35 mph. Witnesses told police that he didn’t try to stop and then accelerated away from the crash.

The girl suffered major injuries, including a bruised heart and lung, a skull fracture and a brain bleed, according to Staebell.

She spent three weeks in the pediatric intensive care unit of Children’s Hospital Oakland but has since made a full recovery.

The sentencing hearing was emotional, with the victim and her parents attending the sentencing remotely.

“The victim’s father related how difficult how difficult it was for their family to see their child undergo such an ordeal, that they are grateful she’s healthy and that he’s trying to learn to be more forgiving as a result of this case,” said Deputy District Attorney Sarah Brooks of the District Attorney’s Vertical DUI Unit, who prosecuted the case.

The girl’s mother expressed hope that such an incident would never happen again, according to the news release.

Cabrales-Larios did not make a statement at the hearing.

On the day of the crash, because Cabrales-Larios was driving a distinctive old-fashioned camper van, a Santa Rosa police officer recognized the description from a previous hit-and-run investigation. He contacted the driver at his home, who admitted to driving but denied being involved in the collision.

However, the van’s grill had damage consistent with striking the girl’s head and broken pieces of plastic from the grill matched the plastic found at the crash site, Staebell said.

A blood alcohol test showed Cabrales-Larios had a reading of 0.11%. In California, a person is legally intoxicated if they have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher.

California DMV data shows that alcohol and drug-related crashes and fatalities have been on the rise in recent years, particularly among people who have had at least one prior DUI conviction. Statewide, impaired drivers who make up 1.43% of all drivers are responsible for 59% of all collisions.

You can reach Staff Writer Kathleen Coates at kathleen.coates@pressdemocrat.com.