“DUI offenders put all of us in danger, and this case involved a repeat offender driving on a suspended license.  Thank you to the officers and criminalists who presented the evidence for the jury’s consideration.” – CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

UKIAH – On May 4, 2022, a Mendocino County Superior Court jury found

Joshua Michael Riccatone, a 35, of Ukiah, guilty of driving a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and driving a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol of .08 or greater, both counts as misdemeanors.

To keep the jury from learning that he was a repeat offender, Riccatone admitted to the judge a sentencing enhancement charged by the DA alleging that he had a December 2019 misdemeanor conviction for driving a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol .08 or greater out of the Ventura County Superior Court.

Riccatone also waived jury and requested a court trial on a third misdemeanor count alleging that on the day in question (10/23/2021) he was knowingly driving on a suspended license, that suspension having been imposed by the DMV as a result of the prior Ventura County DUI conviction.

Riccatone was ordered to return to the Ukiah courthouse on May 12, 2022 for the court trial on the third count, with a sentencing hearing to follow.

The law enforcement agencies that developed the evidence presented to the jury were the California Highway Patrol and the California Department of Justice crime laboratory in Eureka.