Convict Arrested in Fatal DUI
By Jonathan Volzke, San Clemente Times
A woman was killed Saturday when a Chevy Blazer slammed into a palm tree, and authorities arrested the driver on suspicion of drunk driving, just four months after he pleaded guilty to another DUI.
Authorities said Tuesday the woman, Andrea Gerdon, 33, of Anaheim was pregnant. That could lead to additional charges.
Danny Calvin Ruiz, 35, was being held on $1 million bail after the wreck at the San Clemente-Dana Point city line. Orange County Superior Court records show Ruiz apparently has a long history with the law: In 1991, he pleaded guilty to robbery and car theft and was sentenced to two years in state prison. In 1995, he was convicted of carjacking and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was also found to be a habitual criminal.
In November 2007, Ruiz was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence and of driving with a blood-alcohol limit above the state’s legal limit of .08. In that case, he pleaded guilty in January and was sentenced to five days in jail, ordered to pay a $390 fine, ordered to participate in a three-month “first offender alcohol program,” a Mothers Against Drunk Driving victim’s impact panel and placed on three years probation.
But he was arrested again on Saturday, after a truck jumped the curb and hit a tree while heading west on Camino de Estrella, just east of the San Diego Freeway in Dana Point. Ruiz and Gerdon were both pinned in the vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Sheriffs spokesman Jim Amormino said she was less than 20 weeks pregnant.
Ruiz suffered moderate to serious injuries and was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange. He was placed under arrest for suspicion of drunken driving, authorities said.
Transportation officials on Monday worked to replace the signal controller on Estrella near the freeway. Stoplights blinked red, while stop signs had been placed in the street. A small memorial of candles was placed at the base of the palm tree the Blazer struck before flipping over.
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HIS AN IDIOT. Hope he rotten in hell and hopefully his guilt will eat him up for killing two innocent people. After reading the article it seems to me that this is his 3rd strike. If you dont get convicted for MURDER you will for MANSLAUGHTER. I know that you are going to rotten in your prison cell for the ret of your miserble life. YOU LOW LIFE.
Ohhh and please, to G.G.S.
Don't point fingers at the dead. Who knows or cares WHY Andrea got in a car with this monster... she did, plain and simple...noone was there, noone knows why. And I'm sure HE will lie about the situation, if he even remembers it since he was DRUNK. I am sorry, but I have NO sympathy for those who drink, drive, and KILL.
SHAME ON YOU! Shame on you for taking the side of killer...thats all there is to it.
I'm sorry, but I hope this "monster", yes I said monster, gets thrown in jail and someone throws away the key. I have lost a half-brother, 2 best friends, and FOUR cousins (all killed in one night, same car) due to DRUNK DRIVERS!
You'd think differently if he killed your child, mother, husband, wife, best friend, etc.
He had NO place to be drinking and driving, especially since he had been in trouble for it before. Give him a break? I think not!! He shouldn't have had chance after chance. Now because of him, a woman and a child lay dead.
I have known & been friends with Danny for 20 years now. What he did was horrible & there is absolutley no excuse to justify driving after you have been drinking. However Danny is not a monster. Yes STUPID STUPID STUPID. He is a flawed human who did not set out that night to kill Andrea or their unborn child. I am so sorry for Andrea's daughter, mother & father. I wish Danny would have had better judgement about that night. He's made several really bad decisions that myself & of our friends just can't understand. However, nobody has mentioned the fact that if Andrea knew Danny had been drinking why would she get in the vehicle with him? Especially pregnant... Please everyone note the fact that she also made a really poor decision that night & it cost her her life. It breaks my heart for all who are involved. I just want to say I'm sorry. Sorry to Andrea's Family & sorry to my friend Danny Cortez (Ruiz Now). Dqt.............
I feel so bad for Andrea and her daughter, now with no mother. There is NO excuse to drink and drive. Someone is killed in the US every 30 minutes by a DRUNK DRIVER. Usually the driver lives and the rest of us suffer for a lifetime. The fact that he still had the privilege to drive (and now kill) after all of his criminal history (including a recent DUI) is beyond me.
I just came from Andrea's funeral as she was a friend of mine and I hope they put him in jail and throw away the key because now her daughter gets to grow up without her Mom. As a matter of fact, I think all drunk drivers should should be put in solitary confinement for the rest of their lives as they obviously don't care what they do to other people.
After a couple of DUI over the years I learned I just can't drink anymore. The Sheriffs Dept. saved my life and that of un knowing bystanders. If you have had more than three get a ride.
P.S.
If your friends #$%@ with you about not drinking then there not your friends. My friends give me a call when there drunk and need a ride and get them.
This is what happens when convits are given repeated chances.