Gallup woman sentenced to 5 years probation after 8-month-old son dies in drunk driving accident

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GALLUP, NM (KRQE) – A 27-year-old Gallup woman was sentenced in federal court in 2022 after her 8-month-old son was killed in a drunk driving car crash. Mariah Chapo must serve five years’ probation, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Chapo pleaded guilty to manslaughter after she drove while intoxicated and left her son unrestrained in the back seat of her car, according to the Justice Department. Chapo overturned the car and her son died at the scene.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found an empty vodka bottle in the vehicle and Chapo had a blood alcohol content of about 0.12, according to the Justice Department.