SALINAS, Calif. -- A man arrested for DUI in Salinas had a blood alcohol level five times the legal limit. At that point, police said he should have been in a coma.
Miguel Cabrera with Salinas Police said in the 21 years he's been an officer he's never seen anything like it.
"Disoriented. You're not going to be coherent, because the state of intoxication is going to be such that you're not going to be knowing what you're doing," he said.
On Monday, that's exactly what police ran into. They said that's when Wheelus was driving on Stockton and Rossi streets when he lost control of his Jeep Grand Cherokee.
He hit a family's front yard, knocking down part of their fence.
"It was crazy," said Deborah Olenik. "We came out of our front door and the guy's face just landed on the front steering wheel."
Sources close to Central Coast News said this isn't new for the family. They said certain members are known to drink a lot.
Back in September, police said Jason Wheelus, who sources said is Gary Wheelus Jr.'s cousin, was driving under the influence when he crashed his motorcycle and died on Van Buren Avenue.
But Gary Wheelus Jr.'s sister, Holly Amaya, reached out to Central Coast News, defending him. She left this comment on our Facebook page: "Gary is my brother. It is easy for each and every one of you to sit and judge him with out knowing him, but you have no idea what he is going through. He is an idiot for drinking and driving and my family is thanking god that he didn't injure or kill anyone or himself. He is an addict. He needs help but as someone said prior he needs to want help. No one can force him. He is a great man. He has this one demon that stops him from being an even better man. Everyone needs to remember "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone."
Sources also tell Central Coast News that Gary Wheelus Jr.'s father is a retired commander for the Monterey County Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff's Office would not confirm this.
