Cheyenne, Wyoming — On December 27, Judge Steven K. Sharpe sentenced a Nebraska man to probation and incarceration for his fourth DUI conviction, as part of a plea agreement.
Abel R. Anaya, 27, pleaded guilty to felony DUI, his fourth offense, with a maximum sentence of seven years in prison. As part of the plea agreement, Anaya was sentenced to two to five years in prison, with all but 90 days suspended in exchange for three years of supervised probation.
Judge Sharpe also ordered Anaya to serve 90 days at the Cheyenne Transitional Center, or CTC, beginning January 8, 2025. Anaya received credit for the 21 days she had already served.
The sentencing includes $325 in court expenses that Anaya must pay. However, public defender fees of $500 were waived due to the CTC program’s expenditures and Anaya’s inability to pay.
The accusations come from a rollover accident on Wyoming Highway 215, which occurred on January 8 near mile marker 12. Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Rebecca Monnett, the arresting officer, reported finding Anaya’s overturned vehicle in a field.
Firefighters on the scene smelled alcohol on Anaya, who was taken to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center for treatment.
A search of the vehicle turned up an open alcohol container on the driver’s side. Trooper Monnett stated that Anaya eventually submitted a urine sample. Anaya was later detained for DUI, failing to maintain a single lane, and driving without a legal license.
Anaya’s criminal record includes three previous DUI convictions in Scottsbluff County, Nebraska. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed the minor counts of lane usage and driving without a valid license.