SUPERIOR Court Associate Judge Kenneth L. Govendo has sentenced attorney David George Banes to a six-month prison term, but all suspended except five days with credit for 12 hours already served.
The judge also placed Banes under house arrest for four days and 12 hours from April 27 to May 1.
Banes, who pled guilty to reckless driving on Thursday, was likewise ordered to pay a fine of $1,000 and $145 for probation and court costs.
In addition, Judge Govendo suspended Banes’s driver’s license for 30 days starting on April 22, but allowed him to drive for work or for medical purposes.
After serving house arrest, Banes will be placed on nine months’ probation during which he must not possess or consume any alcohol.
Judge Govendo noted that Banes has already completed an alcohol information class.
At the change of plea hearing, Banes was represented by attorney Richard Miller while Assistant Attorney General Steven Kessler appeared for the government.
On June 1, 2020, the AG’s office charged Banes with driving under the influence, reckless driving, and leaving the scene of the accident.
According to court documents, Banes, on March 9, 2020 “drove, operated, or was in actual physical control of a vehicle while having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.8% or more, or while under the influence of alcohol or while under the combined influence of alcohol and any drug or drugs to a degree that renders the person incapable of safely driving.”
Banes “drove a vehicle upon a highway in willful or wanton disregard of the safety of persons or property by failing to obey traffic control devices or failing to keep a proper lookout or by failing to maintain his lane of traffic or a combination of violations,” court documents stated.
It added that Banes, “while in operation of his vehicle, was involved in an accident resulting in injury to a person or personal property and failed to stop at the scene of the accident.”
According to the prosecution, Banes struck a parked vehicle and left the scene.
