Man Who Drove Drunk With 8-Year-Old in Car Sentenced

On April 21, Ricky Robledo, 43, drove drunk in Oceanside with an 8-year-old child in the car, hitting and killing a pedestrian

A San Diego man who drove under the influence of three times the legal limit of alcohol with a child in his car, striking and killing a pedestrian in Oceanside, will spend the next seven years behind bars.

On Friday, a judge in San Diego's North County sentenced Ricky Robledo, 43, to seven years and four months in prison for the deadly DUI crash.

On April 21, Robledo got behind the wheel of a Kia Sedona while under the influence of alcohol. An 8-year old boy, who was a friend of the family, was also in the car.

"At the level he was at, [his blood-alcohol level was] more than three times the legal limit," said San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Aimee McLeod. "So he was driving with a .24, with a child in the car. Absolutely, he put that child's life in danger."

At around 4 p.m. on the day of the deadly DUI, Robledo drove in the 2100 block of Mission Avenue in Oceanside, east of Mesa Drive. He drifted into the bike lane and hit a man who was walking westbound on Mission Avenue.

The pedestrian, now identified as Charles Roy McGehee, 62, flew 20 to 30 feet in the air upon impact, according to a report from the San Diego County Medical Examiner's (ME) office.

He was rushed to Scripps Memorial La Jolla Hospital by helicopter, but soon died of multiple blunt force injuries suffered in the collision. The ME's report said a toxicology exam determined there were no drugs or alcohol in McGehee's system at the time of his death.

Robledo pulled over at the scene and was arrested. It was then that officers with the Oceanside Police Department discovered he had been driving with the young boy, who witnessed the crash. The boy was not injured.

McLeod said the boy was able to provide law enforcement officers with information about the incident.

According to prosecutors, Robledo showed no remorse at the scene of the collision, blaming the pedestrian when police officers questioned him.

The ME report for the victim said Robledo told police McGehee had darted into his path as he drove on Mission Boulevard, but witnesses said they saw Robledo's car drift into the bike lanes before the victim was hit.

Robledo was booked into the Vista Detention Facility on counts of gross vehicular manslaughter and child endangerment.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story stated that the 8-year-old in the vehicle with Robledo was his son. Prosecutors clarified in court Friday that the boy was a family friend's child. Our story has been edited to reflect his update.

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