Creative sentence gives man a second chance 

The grisly case of a man burned up in a vehicle and left for dead in a soybean field in a remote area of Steele County more than a year ago has finally come to a conclusion with an unusual twist.
A few weeks ago, Peter Escobar, 25, of Albert Lea received an interesting sentence for the death of Herman Hernandez, 64, also of Albert Lea, from October 2016. 
Steele County Judge Joseph Bueltel gave Escobar a staggered sentence for the next three years on the anniversary of the horrible tragedy. 
Escobar will be required to serve three 120-day terms. However, the judge gave Escobar the chance to wipe away two of the terms in the second and third years if he shows that he is sober and compliant with probation.  
To help maintain compliancy, Escobar will be subject to electronic home monitoring at his expense as well as the Ignition Interlock program, which is a device installed in a vehicle where the driver must blow into a tube before starting out. 
While at first glance it may seem as if Escobar is getting off lightly, it’s a sentence that deserves a chance to see if he takes advantage of making some life changes. 
I commend Judge Bueltel, and other court officials involved in this case, for thinking outside the box when it comes to rehabilitation. In many ways, Escobar is getting a second chance.  
As a back-up, Escobar will have a five-year prison sentence hanging over his head if he doesn’t comply.  
From the start, this case has been a real unfortunate set of circumstances for all those involved. 
Escobar got drunk at the Nasty Habit Bar in Albert Lea on a Sunday afternoon while watching the Minnesota Vikings (they lost 21-10 to Philadelphia that day). A pitcher of beer, shots and a liter of gin were all, or at least partially consumed by Escobar before he got behind the wheel with Hernandez in the passenger’s seat.  
For some reason the pair decided to travel more than 30 miles away to Owatonna, where Escobar drove into a soybean field and the vehicle caught fire. Escobar took off running and left Hernandez passed out in the front seat. By the time emergency personnel arrived, the vehicle was engulfed in flames and there was no hope of saving Hernandez. They didn’t even know he was in the car until the flames were extinguished. 
How or why Escobar and Hernandez connected that afternoon remains a mystery. Escobar said he blacked out and doesn’t remember anything after drinking at the bar.  
“I don’t have a good sense of how they hit the road together,” said Steele County Attorney Daniel McIntosh, who prosecuted the case against Escobar. “I don’t know why they came up here,” he said, noting Escobar did not remember many details surrounding the tragedy. 
McIntosh said this case once again points to the devastating impact of drunk driving. 
“This is one of the examples we get from very poor decision-making,” he said.  
Partial blame for this tragedy can also be cast on the victim. 
“A large chunk of crime victims are under the influence,” McIntosh points out. “It makes them more susceptible to something happening.” 
As for the creative sentence, McIntosh credits Hernandez’s family with having input on the outcome. 
“They had a lot of say in how it came out,” McIntosh said.  
The county attorney admits the sentence deviates from the norm of what is usually given out in these types of cases. 
“We’re always open to finding the best way of punishment and rehabilitation,” McIntosh said. “We hope it never happens again. We want to make sure we change the behavior for the long term so he doesn’t pose a risk again.” 
Without divulging the results of a chemical dependency evaluation completed on Escobar prior to sentencing, McIntosh said alcohol played a role in his background. 
“It was my conclusion he had a problem with alcohol, though nothing ever came out before in criminal behavior,” he said. Escobar had no criminal history prior to this criminal vehicular homicide. 
“There is hope that there will be long term changes,” McIntosh said. 
Let’s hope Escobar takes advantage of Judge Bueltel’s creative sentence and goes in hot pursuit of staying sober.