Former KEYT and KCOY television news anchor Paula Lopez Ochoa applied for and was booked into the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department electronic-monitoring program after being sentenced to serve jail time in her DUI case, authorities say.
Attorneys entered a plea deal in the case at an April hearing, and Lopez was given until July 22 to either report to County Jail to serve her 120-day sentence, or apply for and be granted a spot in the electronic-monitoring program, Chief Deputy District Attorney John Savrnoch said.
Lopez was booked into the electronic-monitoring program June 9, Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Kelly Hoover said.
She said the department doesn’t disclose specific restrictions for people enrolled in the program, but participants are allowed to leave their homes to go to places of employment, education, counseling and religious services.
A Superior Court judge will review the case again on Oct. 28.
Lopez was arrested during a Sept. 6-7 incident in Goleta and subsequently charged with several misdemeanor counts, including driving under the influence and battery on a police officer.
Her attorney, Steven Andrade, and the District Attorney’s Office reached a plea deal that sentenced Lopez to 120 days in jail and a three-year probation term.
Her probation rules include finishing DUI school, continuing her therapy, not using alcohol, and taking the anti-alcohol drug Antabuse for three years, according to the DA’s Office.
The SCRAM continuous alcohol monitoring system (Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor) was not ordered as part of the plea deal.
Lopez has spoken publicly about her ongoing battle with alcoholism. She said she was getting medical treatment after a public intoxication arrest in July 2013 and a day-long disappearance earlier that year.
Savrnoch, who worked out of the Lompoc DA’s Office before being promoted, was initially assigned to the case to avoid a potential conflict of interest since Lopez is married to retired Superior Court Judge Frank Ochoa.
Savrnoch now works out of the Santa Barbara office, and Deputy District Attorney Megan Chanda appeared for the office at the April hearing.
In DUI cases, the Department of Motor Vehicles handles driver’s license issues, and the court is required to send the DMV notice of conviction, after which the DMV suspends the license, Savrnoch said.
The DMV also gets notice of completion of DUI school, and a license can stay indefinitely suspended if an individual never completes DUI school, he said.
— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.