California State Sen. Ben Hueso will serve three years of probation and undergo a six-week alcohol program after he was arrested in August and charged with DUI.
Hueso, a Democrat from San Diego, pleaded no contest Thursday to a lesser “wet reckless” charge, which means he will not face any jail time. Instead, his plea deal requires the probation, alcohol program and a $240 fine.
On Aug. 22, the 44-year-old state senator was reportedly caught driving the wrong way on a one-way street in Sacramento, according to KCRA.
A California Highway Patrol officer pulled Hueso over at a gas station, where surveillance video showed him doing sobriety tests. He was arrested shortly after, and CHP says he had a blood alcohol content of 0.08.
Hueso was offered the wet reckless charge because prosecutors have a difficult time proving DUI when defendants only register a 0.08. There is the possibility of a “scientific error factor” in the tests used to prove people are legally drunk, prosecutors say.
The day after he was released on bond, Hueso released a statement which read, in part, “I am truly and profoundly sorry for the unacceptably poor personal judgment which I demonstrated last night.”
Hueso's 40th District covers southern San Diego County, parts of Riverside County and Imperial County.
