John Joseph Cicone sentenced in connection with June DUI that seriously injured two people

PASO ROBLES, Calif. (KEYT) – John Joseph Cicone was sentenced to five years of supervised probation with a condition he serve 270 days in county jail in connection with a June 2024 DUI collision that seriously injured a married couple in the other vehicle.

On June 22, 2024, Cicone, an employee of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation who lived in Paso Robles, was driving his truck home while under the influence of alcohol stated a press release from the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.

During his drive home, Cicone was involved in a crash at the intersection of Highway 101 and San Marcos Road with another vehicle that had a married couple inside shared the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.

According to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office, the couple in the vehicle suffered major injuries as a result of the crash.

Cicone got out of his truck after the collision and spoke with the only conscious person in the other vehicle who shared that he was "not okay" noted the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.

The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office shared that Cicone then began to leave the scene on foot towards his nearby home when a passerby stopped and asked him what had happened.

Cicone only responded to the passerby with "no" before continuing to flee the scene without rendering aid, calling for help, or cooperating with first responders stated the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.

The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office shared that the passerby then called 911 and officers with the California Highway Patrol arrived at the scene around 10:55 p.m.

Both victims in the vehicle has serious injuries and were transported to Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center added the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.

Around 11:05 p.m., Cicone called 911 from his home and reported that someone had hit the side of his truck as he attempted to turn into his driveway on San Marcos Road stated the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.

The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office noted that Cicone's description to the dispatcher did not match the physical evidence collected during the investigation of the collision nor the witness statements collected afterwards.

After making the report, Cicone hung up on the 911 operator and did not answer multiple return phone calls from law enforcement and around 1 a.m., officers with the California Highway Patrol arrived at his home to conduct a driving under the influence investigation shared the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.

According to a report from the California Highway Patrol (CHP), Cicone stated he believed the collision he had reported to dispatchers had occurred around 10:30 p.m. and that he had texted a "buddy" with the CHP about the crash.

When asked to show the text message to a CHP officer investigating the collision, Cicone claimed he had deleted the exchange and that he had drank half a Coors Light after arriving home before falling asleep detailed the CHP.

Cicone also shared with CHP officers that he had drank one beer at a Paso Robles bar before driving a friend home.

District Attorney's Office investigators were able to find receipts and surveillance footage from the Paso Robles bar which showed Cicone had drank six beers over a two-hour period.

According to a statement from the prosecutor during court proceedings, Cicone told CHP officers he thought the victims in the collision told him they were okay and he walked home to check on his dogs and horses.

The prosecutor noted that Cicone never asked during his interview with CHP officers about the condition of the victims, but did express that he had just paid off his truck.

A CHP officer shared in their report that they could smell alcohol on Cicone's breath and that his eyes were red and watery and at 1:43 a.m. and 1:46 a.m., Cicone submitted to a breath analysis which revealed he had a blood alcohol content of 0.08 approximately three hours after the collision.

Judge Barry T. LaBarbera sentenced Cicone to five years of supervised probation with a condition that he serve 270 total days, 135 actual days at the time of his sentencing, in the San Luis Obispo County jail over the objection of the prosecutor noted the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.

"While the victim in this case gave a compelling statement describing her forgiveness of the defendant, this light sentence and grant of probation is very disappointing," said San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow. "This defendant who served the public in a law enforcement position owed a special duty to protect and care for the victims of his selfish criminal conduct. I hope that Mr. Cicone takes the grace he was given by the Judge as motivation to never again drink alcohol and drive a motor vehicle. I hope he will become an outspoken advocate for sober driving for the rest of his life. His conduct could have easily taken the lives of this married couple who were driving carefully and expecting to arrive home safely." 

Cicone has retired from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation after an 18-year career and was ordered by the court to surrender for his county jail sentence on Oct. 30 of this year.