Tallahassee,FL : Hooker in the passenger seat helps convict Florida man in DUI crash on January, Tuesday 9th 2018

A jury convicted Velazco in November of driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury. The collision was captured by a red light video camera.

During the trial, Velazco tried to claim the prostitute, Leticia Suri, was the one behind the wheel. But independent witnesses put a man, not a woman, behind the wheel. And Suri, whose testimony was videotaped in advanced, proved more than credible.

“She was a very unlikely state’s witness,” said Sally Matson, a victim’s advocate for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, who watched the testimony played for jurors. “She risked harm and consequences. Without her, justice would never have been possible.”

The sentencing was bittersweet for the victim, Alex Rodas, 34, who suffered extensive injuries, including brain trauma and broken bones. The nerves on half his face are destroyed, leaving him in excruciating pain.

He must take a battery of pills every day and he suffers frequent memory lapses and barely sleeps, his wife told the judge. Rodas, a father of three who used to be employed as a bar back at a salsa club, can no longer work. He isn’t sure he’ll qualify for government medical assistance in the future.

“This tragedy — my whole life has been destroyed,” Rodas said.

As for Velazco, he’d racked up over 20 convictions before the accident, 11 alone for cocaine possession, as well as ones for burglary and grand-theft auto. In another state, he also pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a minor, Miami-Dade prosecutor Desiree Staeffler told the judge.

“The victim was 15 years of age,” Staeffler said. “Not only did the defendant almost kill someone, he also raped someone.”

Velazco, dressed in a jail jumpsuit, did not apologize to Rodas or the judge. He did, however, mouth “F--- You” to the police officer seated in the front row.

Source :
Hooker in the passenger seat helps convict Florida man in DUI crash