Crime & Safety
Marina Man Pleads No Contest In Deadly DUI Crash
He faces up to 11 years and eight months in prison when he is sentenced on June 26.
SALINAS, CA — A Marina man has pleaded no contest to charges in a 2022 fatal DUI collision case, Monterey County prosecutors said.
Daniel Wetle, 40, pleaded no contest to one count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and one count of driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, admitting to an enhancement that he personally inflicted great bodily injury on the victim.
Just after 6 p.m. on Aug. 13, 2022, Wetle was driving a rented BMW sedan on state Highway 68 near Spreckels when he lost control of the vehicle and swerved into oncoming traffic, hitting a Toyota Camry head-on.
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The driver of the other vehicle was killed instantly and a passenger suffered serious injuries, prosecutors said.
Wetle, who was uninjured in the collision, exhibited signs of being under the influence of alcohol, and a subsequent blood test showed he had a blood-alcohol level of .101.
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He faces up to 11 years and eight months in prison when he is sentenced on June 26.
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