‘It just keeps happening’: Judge sentences woman arrested 7 times for DUI

A judge admonished a Las Vegas woman with seven DUI arrests on Wednesday, telling her drunken driving “has absolutely taken over this community” before sentencing her to two to five years in state prison.

District Judge Tierra Jones, addressing defendant Marion Reyes, 35, told her it was fortunate that she did not injure anyone before her arrests.

Reyes, whose last arrest occurred Oct. 13 in Henderson, drew attention from news outlets for her succession of DUI arrests since 2007 and the Clark County Detention Center mistakenly removing her ankle monitor, releasing her and the Metropolitan Police Department at first alleging that she took the monitor off herself.

“I understand all the media that surrounds this case,” Jones said, “and I’m disregarding all of that because that has nothing to do with what this court thinks is fair and or what this court thinks is just.”

“But here’s the problem,” the judge continued. “It’s very lucky for you that no one was hurt in any of these incidents.”

“But like this behavior has absolutely taken over this community and it is absolutely affecting just innocent people who are literally just walking down the street,” she said.

“And in your case, they’re just repeated DUIs,” she said. “I mean it just keeps happening.”

The judge imposed a sentence of 24 to 60 months in state prison, which was lower than the maximum of 72 months she could have set, according to Reyes’ public defender Jeremy Storms.

Court records show that Reyes was arrested seven times for DUI but did not receive convictions in all of the cases.

Reyes, who chose to take jail time in lieu of requesting a stint in a county felony DUI program that may have reduced her sentence, made a brief statement during the hearing.

“I would like to apologize to the community,” she said. “I acknowledge that my choices were extremely selfish.”

Deputy District Attorney Charles Thoman argued for a sentence of 28 to 72 months, with 90 days credit for time served.

“This is her seventh DUI,” he said. “It’s a crime that’s inherently dangerous and potentially creates victimization at random of the community at large.”

Storms requested a sentence of 12 to 30 months because Reyes has “mental health issues” and “wants to do her time” for the offenses.

After the hearing, Storms said Reyes did not complete the Clark County’s serious offender program for felony DUI as ordered by the court.

“She has always taken responsibility for her conduct and the serious offender program seems to have interfered with her family obligations,” he said.

Contact Jeff Burbank at jburbank@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0382. Follow him @JeffBurbank2 on Twitter.