Douglas County prosecutors have filed charges against a 39-year-old Lawrence man, Juan Alonzo Velasco, in connection with a September 2010 incident in which the man’s son fell from the back of a pickup truck.

A judge on Friday ordered a 40-year-old Lawrence man to serve four months in jail and pay a $1,500 fine for a conviction of his third DUI and child endangerment for a September accident that injured his son in southeastern Lawrence.

District Judge Paula Martin also ordered Juan Velasco to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and get a sponsor as part of several conditions of his two-year probation term once he gets out of jail July 29.

Velasco had pleaded guilty in February to his third DUI, which is a felony, and child endangerment. Police said that on Sept. 25 Velasco’s son fell out of the bed of his pickup truck while trying to hold on to a basketball goal in the 1900 block of East 30th Street and that Velasco’s estimated blood-alcohol content after the accident was more than 2.5 times the legal driving limit of 0.08. His sentencing was delayed for two weeks after he showed up to court March 18 and blew a 0.16.

“I apologize for what happened, and I’m going to have to live with that from the day it happened to the rest of my life,” Velasco said. “I want them to be part of our lives.”

Martin had remanded Velasco to jail after he was intoxicated in court March 18 but had allowed him to be released during weekdays for work to make money to pay child support. Martin said jail officials had reported no problems with Velasco in the last two weeks and allowed the work-release to continue as part of his new four-month sentence.

If his probation is ever revoked, Velasco could serve one year in jail.

The accident occurred when the family was moving and Velasco’s pickup truck hit a bump in the street. The boy was trying to hold onto a portable basketball goal in the truck bed, but when the truck hit the bump he and the goal fell out into the street.

The boy was eventually taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., where he stayed for more than one week for treatment, including for burns from falling into the street. A 16-year-old stepson was also in the back of the truck but not injured.

Lee Ann Crawford, the boy’s grandmother who is his legal guardian, was not at Friday’s hearing, but she spoke in court two weeks ago and said Velasco had not respected the law in the past after being convicted twice of DUI.

She said the family moved to Lawrence last summer for her job and that Velasco and his current wife were living with her and the children at the time of the accident. Crawford said she was not aware at the time Velasco drank heavily and that the boys got into the back of his truck that day.

“Even after the incident, Mr. Velasco continued to drink,” Crawford said in court on March 18.

By court order, Velasco is currently not allowed to have contact with the boys, but he said he hoped to gain some visitation rights later this year.

“I’m going to stop (drinking). I’m going to get all the help that I can,” Velasco told Martin.

Attorneys have scheduled a restitution hearing later this summer to discuss Velasco’s responsibility for paying medical bills in the case.