UKIAH – On Nov. 15, 2018, a  Mendocino County Superior Court jury returned guilty verdicts against Dulce S. Casillas Andrade, 21, of Ukiah, finding her guilty of child endangerment, driving a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, and driving a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol .08 or greater, all as misdemeanors. The jury also made a special finding that the defendant's blood alcohol was .15 or greater at the time of the driving.

In July 2018, a concerned citizen notified law enforcement that there was a young child in a vehicle being driven by a possible drunk driver. Locating the vehicle and driver in question, officers of the Ukiah Police Department ultimately determined that the defendant was driving the vehicle with a blood alcohol of .19, and that she had a two-year old child onboard at the time of her DUI driving. A second adult passenger was also arrested for public intoxication when it was determined that he was unable to care for his own safety or the safety of others due to his level of inebriation.

Andrade is scheduled to be sentenced November 30, 2018.

The prosecutor who conducted the trial on behalf of the People of the State of California was Deputy District Attorney Melissa Weems. The investigating law enforcement agencies were the Ukiah Police Department and the California Department of Justice forensic crime laboratory.

“California Department of Justice criminalist help local law enforcement agencies and district attorneys with lab work, and by processing evidence, that convicts or exonerates individuals,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona.  “The professionals who work at DOJ labs are beyond valuable to investigations, in many cases, it is their work alone that makes or breaks a case.”