The wheels spun fast in Hermosa Beach, but the wheels of justice - not so much
For the sixth time, sentencing was postponed today for a man who pleaded no contest in August to one count of leaving the scene of an accident. Ruben Vargas, 48, who has a history of driver license suspensions for failing to complete drug and alcohol programs and driving under the influence, crashed his pick-up truck into the side of a Hermosa Beach home in the 900 block of Beach Drive on Oct. 6, 2006.
The truck pinned down a 5-year-old boy, who was asleep in his bottom bunk. When his mother came in, she heard the engine revving and saw the truck reverse and speed away - a stuffed penguin still embedded in its windshield.
Vargas initially denied he was behind the wheel, and said it was his passenger who was driving. In August, he pleaded no contest in exchange for 16 months in state prison. However, every time he returns to Torrance Superior Court to be sentenced, his lawyer gives a reason why the proceeding should be postponed. For a while, there were medical concerns. Today, the lawyer said he needed more time to discuss with his client a 300-page document he received two months ago regarding $1,500 restitution for damages.
Deputy District Attorney Paul Guthrie tried to convince Judge Eric Taylor that enough was enough. But Taylor gave Vargas, who is out of custody, one more continuance and said there will be no more. Vargas returns to court June 12.
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About the Blogger
Larry Altman has covered crime in the South Bay since 1990. He's seen it all - the missing model who turned up dead in the desert, the wives found dead in trunks, the high-school coaches who get a little too close to their players. He drives his young colleagues nuts with his "I remember when" stories. He welcomes your tips and observations about the present, and you can mix in a little Lakers basketball talk if you like.
E-mail Larry at larry.altman@dailybreeze.com.
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About the Blogger
Denise Nix knew as young as grade school, when she spent every summer working on the camp newspaper, that she wanted to be a journalist. Denise has spent most of the last 12 years of her career in the courtroom. She joined the Daily Breeze in 2001, where she tracks and reports on hundreds of cases at every level of the justice system. And she's never, ever, seen a judge use a gavel.
E-mail Denise at denise.nix@dailybreeze.com.
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Holy cow. what a scumbag!
Denise, where does a loser like that get the cash for a lawyer to do all that fancy dodging?
I hope neither of them can sleep at night.
it's been two years. the guy should have been sentenced and jailed in 2006 or 2007 at the latest. this case is a travesty and highlights how flawed our legal system is.