Law Offices of D.R. Jones Defendant, Rhonda Kay Romero's Vehicular Homicide/DUI Charges Dropped
Golden, CO (PRWEB) December 15, 2013 -- In June of 2012, Ms. Rhonda Kay Romero lost control of her vehicle causing her to veer off the road onto a sidewalk striking two teenagers, killing one. The case was originally prosecuted as a DUI/vehicular homicide because Ms. Romero was, at the time of the accident, in possession of her prescribed medication; Klonopin. Medical literature suggests the use of Klonopin can cause driving impairment in some but also suggests that a person’s ability to drive may not be impaired after developing tolerance to the medication. While under the medical supervision of her doctors, Ms. Romero had been taking this medication and driving safely for 3 years prior to the accident.
According to the Court documents, defense experts hired in the case opined that Ms. Romero was not impaired by her ingestion of Klonopin at the time of the accident, instead the accident was more likely caused by a number of other medical conditions such as Sleep Apnea, vision impairment related to hyperglycemia, as well as a vasovagal reaction. Based on the credibility of the other medical causes cited by defense experts, the prosecution dropped the DUI and vehicular homicide charges and allowed Ms. Romero to plead to a charge where she admitted to negligently causing the death of a child instead of recklessly or while intoxicated.
After hearing arguments, the court sentenced Ms. Romero on November 21, 2013 to a therapeutic half-way house. Ms. Romero told the Court and the child’s family at the sentencing hearing that she wishes she had died in the car accident instead of the 14 year old child. “Ms. Romero has always expressed sincere remorse and sorrow for causing such a devastating loss,” said Ms. Romero’s attorney, David Jones.
The Law Offices of D.R. Jones represented Ms. Romero in this case number 12CR1731 at the Jefferson County Courthouse. “This outcome was far better than the original charges which would have carried a mandatory prison sentence of 16-48 years. Rhonda was not properly diagnosed with sleep apnea before the accident. We learned in this case that the Department of Transportation cites sleep apnea as a leading cause of traffic fatalities. We feel that if Ms. Romero had been diagnosed and treated for sleep apnea before the accident, this tragic loss could have been avoided,” said David Jones.
Mr. Jones also indicated that “This case should serve as a warning to the public that if you are taking medications and driving, be sure you are aware of its effects on your ability to drive. It is never wise to keep these medications in your car because, should you have an accident, those medications can provide an easy basis for law enforcement to accuse you of DUI.”
For more than a decade, the attorneys at the Law Offices of D.R. Jones have been helping good people who are facing bad situations. The team of legal professionals at the Law Offices of D.R. Jones includes Founder and Attorney, David R. Jones, Attorney Patrick Westman and Office Manager, Cheri Saylor Jones.
Law Offices of D.R. Jones’s areas of expertise are criminal defense of all major offenses including crimes of violence, drug and alcohol related driving offenses, sex crimes, allegations concerning children, drug possession and distribution, domestic violence cases and post-conviction relief among others. They are located in both Denver and Golden. For more information, please call 303-279-1586 or visit http://www.drjoneslaw.org.
About Law Offices of D.R. Jones
Founder and Attorney D.R. Jones is a highly-regarded trial attorney in Colorado and has taught and lectured in all areas of trial practice. Their clients are never treated as just a case file passing through the legal system. They offer compassion and comprehensive legal services to people throughout the state of Colorado.
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Tiffani Tendell, Executive Business Services (theNALA), http://www.thenala.com, +1 (805) 650-6121 Ext: 361, [email protected]
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