HIGHLAND PARK : Man Gets 3 1/2 Years Without Parole for Drunk Driving

A Highland Park man convicted of his fourth drunk-driving offense in 10 years will spend 3 1/2 years in jail without possibility of early release, authorities said Monday.

Henry Espinoza was sentenced by Los Angeles Municipal Judge William Ryan after a jury found him guilty on one count each of driving under the influence, driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 or above, and driving on a revoked license, and two counts of driving on a license that had been revoked for drunk driving, said Deputy City Atty. Allan Streller.

The charges stemmed from a Dec. 7 incident in which Espinoza repeatedly rammed a parked car with his vehicle, Streller said.

The defendant had been convicted in 1987 and last year of drunk driving, had two prior convictions for driving on a suspended or revoked license, and had a drunk-driving conviction from 10 years ago, the prosecutor said.

Espinoza, 51, had also violated the terms of his probation last year from the drunk-driving conviction and another conviction for petty theft, Streller said.

Ryan on Friday sentenced Espinoza to the maximum allowed under the law--two years in jail--and an additional 500 days for the probation violation.