D.A. charges cop with drunk driving

An Orange County sheriff’s deputy who allegedly drank at a Costa Mesa bar before he was pulled over with a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit was charged Tuesday with drunk driving.

Mario Castro, 33, was driving the wrong way on a street in Orange on Sept. 30 when he was pulled over, according to a news release from the Orange County district attorney’s office.

According to prosecutors, Castro, who lives in Orange, had a blood alcohol content of .24 at the time of his arrest. He was off duty at the time and arrested by Orange police.

Castro is facing one misdemeanor charge for driving under the influence with a prior conviction and a sentencing enhancement for having blood-alcohol content greater than .15, according to the release. The legal limit in California is .08.

Castro is set to be arraigned Nov. 16 in Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana.

— Lauren Williams

Twitter: @lawilliams30