A 33-year-old man who has been cited repeatedly for driving without a license — and has never had one in Minnesota — was given a 10-day jail sentence for being behind the wheel when he crashed a van in Apple Valley and killed his front-seat passenger.
Salomon Galacia Adorno, of Farmington, was sentenced Tuesday in Dakota County District Court after being convicted of careless driving, a misdemeanor, in the Dec. 2, 2012, wreck that killed 26-year-old Inocencio Munoz-Gutierrez, of Farmington.
Along with jail time, Adorno's sentence from Judge Shawn Moynihan includes one year's probation and an order to pay restitution.
"Mr. Adorno has never had driving privileges in Minnesota," said Doug Neville, a spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. State records show that Adorno has been convicted three times, in 2008 and 2009, of driving without a license. In two of those instances, he was speeding at the time he was stopped, the records show.
At the time Adorno was charged, County Attorney Jim Backstrom said a felony charge of criminal vehicular homicide did not apply because the driver was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time.
According to the criminal complaint, Adorno was driving south on Cedar Avenue near McAndrews Road about 5:50 p.m., when he lost control of the van. He swerved slightly right, then overcorrected to the left. His vehicle hit a guardrail at McAndrews, flew into the air and landed on its side in the left lane of northbound Cedar. An SUV came along and struck the van.
Adorno was injured, and three people in the other vehicle were slightly hurt.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
