Attorneys for Carbondale Trustee Luis Yllanes are investigating allegations of driving under the influence of alcohol after the 44-year-old first-term town council member was pulled over Jan. 12.
“At this time we are investigating whether Luis was over the legal limit. We trust that Luis’s case will be resolved through the legal process,” Yllanes’ lawyer, Michael Fox, associate attorney with Kalamaya Goscha, said in a statement.
According to a police activity report released Jan. 18, an officer stopped Yllanes shortly after midnight Jan. 12 for speeding on Second Street near the intersection of Snowmass Avenue, just east of State Highway 133.
After being stopped, he was “subsequently arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and issued a summons,” according to the police report.
It is not clear from the activity log or the court summons what Yllanes’ blood alcohol content was, but Fox said the Breathalyzer test showed his BAC was exactly 0.08, the legal limit in Colorado.
He was also charged with speeding between 10 and 19 miles per hour above the speed limit, and speeding while under the influence of alcohol. Though he was arrested, Yllanes was not booked in the Garfield County jail for the alleged offense. He is summoned to appear at the Garfield County court Feb. 28.
“Luis deeply values serving the town and people of Carbondale. He looks forward to learning from his mistakes and growing from this experience,” Fox said.
Fox added that Yllanes only presented himself as a citizen, and not as a member of the Board of Trustees, during his interaction with Carbondale Police officers.
Yllanes was appointed to the town council in April 2017, and was subsequently elected to a four-year term a year later. He has worked with the Aspen Art Museum and has served as chief operating officer since May 2018.