Pueblo man convicted of vehicular assault for drunk driving incident on New Year's Eve

A Pueblo man has been sentenced to three years in prison after seriously injuring a woman during a drunken vehicular assault on New Year's Eve.

Ronnie Muniz, 40, previously pleaded guilty to one count of vehicular assault — driving while impaired. All other charges against him, including reckless vehicular assault, leaving the scene of an accident involving serious injury, and driving under the influence, were dropped by the 10th Judicial District Attorney's Office in an April plea deal.

No agreement was made through the plea deal on the sentence to be imposed by the court. The presumptive sentencing range was between one and three years in the Department of Corrections, according to Colorado law.

After release, Muniz will be required to serve two years of mandatory parole. He will also required to pay restitution, the amount of which has not yet been determined.

Muniz was driving a truck on West Orman Avenue at high speed on Dec. 31, 2023, when he struck the victim's car, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the Chieftain .

The victim heard the collision and came outside of her house to confront Muniz, who had since driven down the block and was near the intersection of West Orman and Broadway avenues. When the victim confronted Muniz, she opened his driver's door, reached in, and tried to take his keys so he could not leave.

Muniz then accelerated, causing the victim to fall to the ground. The truck's left tire then ran over the victim as he fled.

The victim was transported to the hospital, which reported that she had sustained a serious bodily injury and faced a substantial risk of death. The victim has been in long-term care since the incident, according to the DA's office.

When Muniz was apprehended, the arresting officer observed that his eyes were bloodshot and glassy and that his breath smelled of alcohol. Muniz's speech was slurred, and he appeared unsteady on his feet, according to the affidavit.

Muniz admitted to drinking three shots of vodka on an empty stomach but said he had stopped drinking two hours before he was pulled over. However, he admitted he felt unsafe to drive, and said he felt a "little buzzed."

Four 100-milliliter bottles of alcohol were found on Muniz's person: one was empty, one was two-thirds empty, one was two-thirds full, and the last was unopened.

Muniz was transported to the police station and later a hospital, where he made several statements about being drunk, fell asleep multiple times and exhibited mood swings, according to the affidavit.

Paint transfers consistent with the victim's vehicle were found on Muniz's truck.

According to 10th Judicial DA Jeff Chostner, the plea agreement was made possible by Muniz's contrition after the incident.

"(Muniz) immediately stopped drinking, started to attend AA, enrolled in treatment and early on, appeared to show genuine remorse," Chostner said. Further, his criminal history was minimal, lacking any prior DUIs.

At sentencing, Judge Amiel Markenson credited the defendant for the mitigation and told the parties if it were not for those efforts, he would not have accepted the agreement, Chostner told the Chieftain.

Chostner also noted that the court had the option to give Muniz probation or community corrections but instead opted to sentence him to the maximum prison sentence allowable.

"All in all, within the confines of the laws passed by (the state) legislature this case was appropriately a DOC sentence," Chostner told the Chieftain in an email. "We are limited somewhat by the law, in that, it seems a vehicular assault DUI should be classified higher or alternatively, a crime of violence; allowing a court to sentence appropriate defendants outside of the presumptive range."

The victim was in the hospital from January through April, and is now home, albeit still recovering, Chostner said.

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This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo man convicted of vehicular assault for drunk driving incident on New Year's Eve