By Robert Lewis
rlewis@sacbee.com
Some drunk drivers just aren't good at following instructions. As a result, nine were arrested on July 29 as part of a sting to catch people driving on a suspended license.
The Sacramento County Probation Department conducted a sting of probationers with four or more convictions for drunk driving who came to the department's offices for a meeting with their probation officer. As the probationers -- or "hard-core" drunk drivers, as they're called -- were about the leave, officers warned them not to drive home on a suspended license, Probation Chief Don Meyer said.
Sacramento and Rancho Cordova police were stationed nearby surveying the scene. When nine of the drunk drivers hopped behind the wheel of a car and drove away, police were there to make the stop. The cars were impounded and the nine were taken to jail.
"They kill as many people as any other category of violent offenders," Meyer said.
The hard-core drunks the department targeted -- thanks to a traffic safety grant -- are some of the worst. One of the probationers has 10 drunk-driving arrests on his record, Meyer said.
"Somebody who gets arrested once or twice a year is probably driving under the influence every single day," he said.
Some of the arrested probationers could go back to jail, depending on what happens when their cases go before a judge, Meyer said.
"The big deal is impounding their cars," he added.
Call The Bee's Robert Lewis, (916) 321-1061.
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