66-year-old sent to prison for DUI crash that injured officer

After nine surgeries in three months, a Las Vegas police officer rolled into a packed courtroom on Monday in a wheelchair to tell the person who struck him with a truck that he would try to forgive him.

John Boyd Jr.,66, pleaded guilty in October to driving under the influence resulting in substantial bodily harm.

After an emotional hearing Monday, Clark County District Court Judge Erika Ballou sentenced Boyd to two to 10 years in prison.

“The whole situation just makes me ill,” she said. “If you had just called a freaking Uber.”

Boyd’s blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit on Sept. 3 when he struck Metropolitan Police Department Officer Geren Santos with a 2000 Chevrolet S10 near East Lake Mead Boulevard and North Walnut Road, according to Boyd’s arrest report.

Traffic officers and representatives from Santos’ union, the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, attended the hearing. District Attorney Steve Wolfson sat next to Santos, but he declined to speak after the sentencing.

Prosecutor Yu Meng said Santos, who served a tour in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Marine, worked for Metro as a DUI officer. He was in his last semester of schooling before getting his pilot’s license, and he will not be able to complete the program because of injuries.

Santos said he suffered a brain bleed and a shattered hip. He arrived in court Monday with a large cast around his left foot, which he said could still be amputated.

“I had a very slim to none chance of surviving this incident, but I did and I will keep fighting every day,” Santos said.

Santos said he is angry that he missed his 1-year-old son’s first steps, Thanksgiving with his four children, sharing a bed with his wife and attending Boy Scouts events with his 11-year-old son. He said he endures 16 hours of pain a day and experienced suicidal thoughts after the crash.

“That stupid night I made a choice that I shouldn’t have,” Boyd said before he was sentenced. “At my age, I should have known better.”

Boyd’s attorney, Tracy Hibbets, said Boyd pleaded guilty knowing that he would go to jail, adding that he felt remorse for his actions.

“Thank you for taking accountability,” Gladis Santos, Geren’s wife, said. “We wish no ill will toward you.”

Ballou called the crash abhorrent. The sentence came with a $2,000 fine and Boyd will be required to install an alcohol breath-detector in his vehicle for one to three years after he is released from prison.

After the hearing, Boyd’s two sisters, brother and niece apologized to the Santos family and shook their hands. Gladis Santos said she did not think the prison term was long enough.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.