FARMINGTON, N.M. (KRQE) – An elderly New Mexico man with a history of reckless driving will now spend the next nine and a half years behind bars. 82-year-old George Platero has taken a plea deal following his eighth DWI stop.
In April 2022, then 81-year-old Platero was spotted driving his car around 100 miles per hour in Farmington. Platero drove toward an officer with his car on the wrong side of the road.
After police pulled Platero over, they found a water bottle filled with vodka. Platero was unable to walk or blow into a breathalyzer at the time, and the EMTs had to make sure he was alright.
According to records, that was the eighth DWI stop for Platero. He took a plea deal last month, admitting to drunk driving, which allowed his other charges to be dropped.
Platero has been sentenced to 12 years, with two years suspended and 96 days credit for pre-sentence confinement – putting him at a total of nine and a half years left in prison.
