Englewood Man Sentenced in Deadly Drunk-Driving Crash

An Englewood man was sentenced Friday to seven years in prison for a drunk driving crash that killed two of his passengers last year, NorthJersey.com reported.

Heriberto Calles, a 51-year-old immigrant from El Salvador, had a blood alcohol level of 0.117 Jan. 20, 2012 when he lost control of his car on Liberty Road and slammed into trees, killing Elmer Rodriguez and Miguel Molina, both 23 of Englewood, the report said. Two other passengers were also hurt in the crash.

“This was a tragedy, but it was not intentional,” said defense attorney Jerry Gonzalez.

Calles initially faced 20 years in prison on vehicular homicide charges, but accepted a plea deal for a maximum ten year sentence.

Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor Martin Delaney said he hoped the sentence would serve as a cautionary tale to others who get behind the wheel drunk, according to the report.