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Ceres man sentenced for drunken driving
drunk driving

Joseph Zachariah Placid, 36, of Ceres, was sentenced to three years in state prison for felony driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent.

Placid pled no contest on Sept. 11 to felony driving with a blood alcohol level above 0.08 percent. He also admitted his 2015 convictions and prison sentence. Judge Robert Westbrook sentenced Placid to three years in state prison.

On Jan. 6 Placid was stopped by a Stanislaus County Sheriff's deputy for erratic driving. The deputy detected the smell of alcohol on Placid and called the California Highway Patrol to conduct a DUI investigation which led to Placid's arrest for driving under the influence. A chemical test showed his blood alcohol level to be 0.20 percent, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

In May 2015, Placid was convicted and sentenced to prison in Shasta County for felony driving under the influence and felony evading a police officer. That previous conviction elevated his new offense in Stanislaus County to a felony.

Deputy District Attorney Bianca Yip prosecuted the case. Her position is funded by a grant provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.