A judge recently sentenced a Key Largo man to prison for a 2023 traffic stop in which he was found to be driving while intoxicated — nearly three times Florida’s legal limit.
According to the Monroe County State Attorney’s Office, 43-year old Dustin Lee Pastorius entered a plea of “no contest” for driving under the influence — his third offense in 10 years. On Sept. 5, Circuit Court Judge James Morgan adjudicated Pastorius guilty and sentenced him to 21 months in a Florida prison and 12 months probation upon release.
The State Attorney’s office said Pastorius’ latest DUI conviction stems from a Nov. 2, 2023 traffic stop in which Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies observed him driving north in the southbound lane at MM 99 in Key Largo. Deputies said they noticed clear signs of impairment and found open containers of alcohol in the vehicle, including a half-empty bottle of Tito’s vodka and a box of pinot grigio wine.
Pastorius failed field sobriety exercises and later provided breath samples of .208 and .228, almost three times Florida’s legal limit, which is .08
In addition to his prison sentence, Pastorius must successfully complete a 12-month residential treatment program, install an ignition interlock device for 2 years, serve a 10-year driver’s license suspension, complete Level II DUI School designed for repeat offenders, perform 50 hours of community service, submit to random urinalysis testing with no alcohol consumption during probation, and pay a $4,000 fine plus court costs and prosecution fees.
“Repeat DUI offenders endanger every driver on our roadways,” said State Attorney Dennis Ward. “I commend Deputies Jean Jacques and Jose Hernandez for their thorough work in this case, which ensured the defendant was held accountable. Their investigation, combined with the efforts of our prosecutors, helped remove a dangerous driver from our community.”
The State Attorney’s Office said the community plays a vital role in keeping roads safe and asks anyone who sees someone who appears to be driving impaired or in a dangerous way to call 911 immediately.
