A man convicted of driving drunk and killing a Montgomery County police officer in 2015 is being released from prison, WTOP confirmed Friday with the county state’s attorney’s office.
Luis Reluzco was given a sentence of 10 years for the crash that killed officer Noah Leotta, but Reluzco is getting out now five years early for good behavior.
Leotta’s father Rich Leotta told NBC Washington he doesn’t think it’s right.
“He may show good behavior, but he did not take responsibility then and I don’t know if he does now,” Leotta said.
Noah Leotta was hit during a holiday season drunk driving enforcement operation on Rockville Pike, ultimately leading to the Maryland law known as “Noah’s Law” which requires ignition interlock devices for convicted DUI offenders.
Rich Leotta said the only thing he can do now is advocate for tougher drunk driving laws, and what he has focused on over the past five years. He is currently lobbying for legislation in Congress that would require drunk driving prevention technology to be installed in all new cars.
“This will save thousands of lives,” Rich Leotta said.
The legislation — known as the HALT Act in the House and the RIDE Act in the Senate — would require the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to create rules for implementing the technology.
It could lead to vehicles being equipped with cameras and sensors that can tell if a driver is intoxicated or distracted. The technology would be able to safely slow down or pull a vehicle to the side of the road if a driver is swerving or not responding properly.
