LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Defendants dealing with DUI fees throughout the Las Vegas valley are seeing judges quicker following an 8 Information Now Investigators’ report exposing points within the felony justice system.
The March investigation centered on the case of Alfredo Jauregui, 23, who Las Vegas Metro police arrested on Oct. 5, 2025, on fees of DUI leading to demise. Jauregui, who didn’t have a driver’s license, killed Airman George Brown, 48, as Brown was within the street on Marion Drive close to Nellis Boulevard and Cheyenne Avenue.
On the time of Jauregui’s arrest for Brown’s demise in October 2024, he had racked up three misdemeanor DUI convictions: one on Jan. 8, 2021; a second on Sept. 4, 2021; and a 3rd on Jan. 1, 2022, information mentioned.
The 8 Information Now Investigators discovered Jauregui’s fifth DUI arrest occurred as prosecutors awaited blood outcomes from a fourth DUI arrest in Could 2024. The delay impaired judges’ talents to limit or jail him, the investigation discovered.
Defendants dealing with DUI fees throughout the Las Vegas valley are seeing judges quicker following an 8 Information Now Investigators’ report exposing points within the felony justice system. (KLAS)
The typical turnaround time for Metro police as of early this yr was 55 days for traditional blood testing and 90 days for toxicology, a spokesperson mentioned. North Las Vegas police, the company that arrested Jauregui for that fourth DUI, mentioned it examined his outcomes a few month after his arrest. Nevertheless, the outcome was not added to his felony case by the point he returned to court docket months later.
On prime of his launch, the corporate operating the alcohol monitoring program terminated Jauregui as a result of he did not pay fines related to it, a court docket spokesperson mentioned.
In gentle of the 8 Information Now Investigators’ reporting, Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill pushed to expedite adjustments throughout the division.
“There’s really not a bigger forest fire in our community right now than people dying on our roadways from drunk and drunk driving,” McMahill mentioned.
In September, Clark County District Court docket Decide Christy Craig sentenced Jauregui to the phrases of a plea settlement he made with prosecutors. The settlement referred to as for Jauregui to serve 3-10 years in jail and pay the price of Brown’s funeral. (KLAS)
In March, Las Vegas Justice Court docket Chief Decide Melisa De La Garza mentioned the testing delays and delays in paperwork meant DUI defendants waited 4 months earlier than seeing a choose.
De La Garza added {that a} Clark County committee comprised of judges, police and different stakeholders was engaged on curbing the delays. The Clark County Prison Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) describes itself as “a partnership of decision makers and community agency representatives who have a stake in the effective administration of justice.”
Metro has since lowered its common DUI testing turnaround time to 29 days. Prosecutors will rush blood leads to some instances, principally involving a fatality.
“I’ve always believed that the swifter that justice is associated to the time that a person committed a crime, the better that we all are for it,” McMahill mentioned.
A memorial stands close to the positioning the place Alfredo Jauregui collided with George Brown, killing him. (KLAS)
Metro assessments many of the blood for police companies throughout Nevada. Nevada is considered one of two states with no statewide crime lab, that means all state police instances additionally come to Metro. The lab was testing blood for alcohol and different medicine. Now, if take a look at outcomes come again with a blood-alcohol content material of 0.12, the toxicologist will cease and transfer on to the subsequent case since 0.12 is effectively over the authorized restrict of 0.08.
To decrease the testing time, Metro added a further toxicologist to work in its forensic laboratory. Two extra are in coaching, based on LVMPD Deputy Chief Branden Clarkson.
“Being able to speed up this process and work with to get successful prosecution is speeding up that testing process so we can get more turnaround quicker and hold people accountable for DUIs,” Clarkson mentioned.
Final month, Clark County District Court docket Decide Christy Craig sentenced Jauregui to the phrases of a plea settlement he made with prosecutors. The settlement referred to as for Jauregui to serve 3-10 years in jail and pay the price of Brown’s funeral.
The sheriff mentioned that whereas his division and the CJCC recognized the delays, the 8 Information Now Investigators’ story pushed it into the general public eye.
“That is absolutely beneficial for you all to report on those types of things because people pay attention, particularly elected people. Right?” McMahill mentioned. “I appreciate you guys bringing attention to it. First off, because it helps us get things done quicker.”
With Metro processing blood assessments extra rapidly, the Las Vegas Justice Court docket was scheduling out DUI instances inside two months of an arrest, not 4. As well as, the Las Vegas Municipal Court docket, which hears DUI instances inside metropolis limits, was working to shorten its scheduling interval as effectively, a spokesperson mentioned.
“Over the last two years, the city has lowered its wait time from an average of six months to four months, and we continue to work to lower it further and hit the two-month threshold,” a spokesperson mentioned.
Amid this investigation, the 8 Information Now Investigators discovered the director of the CJCC faces her personal DUI cost. Although a state trooper arrested her in April, she was not ordered to seem in municipal court docket, the place she later pleaded not responsible, till the top of August.
8 Information Now Investigator David Charns could be reached at [email protected].
