Sacto 9-1-1

A Yolo County jury has found a Sacramento man guilty of second-degree murder in the death of a passenger in the vehicle he was driving in January 2012.

The jury also convicted 23-year-old Ryan Scott Baird of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated with two prior convictions for driving under the influence, driving under the influence causing injury and driving with blood alcohol at or above .08 causing injury, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release. Killed in the crash was Robert Sunderland III.

In addition, the jury found Baird guilty of enhancements for causing great bodily injury to Oscar Saeed Rodriguez, causing great bodily injury with a coma to James Black and causing injury to multiple victims.

A woman driving under the influence of methamphetamine and other drugs who ran over and killed a 6-year-old boy walking to school last year and injured his 8-year-old brother pleaded no contest today to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

Tresa Bales-Sterba, who was 52 at the time of the fatal Oct. 5 collision, is facing a maximum term of 15 years in state prison. She will be sentenced July 15 by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Laurel D. White.

Prosecutors said Bales-Sterba ran a red light while speeding through an intersection in Citrus Heights at Mariposa Avenue and Greenback Lane. According to police reports, Bales-Sterba's Chrysler 300 hit a Chevrolet Suburban and then spun into Henry Perez-Rocha and his big brother Juan. Henry died Jan. 16 at UC Davis Medical Center. Juan was released from the hospital four days after the wreck.

The two boys were walking in the crosswalk with their mother to Skycrest Elementary School at the time of the collision.

Folsom police released the results of last Friday's drunk driver checkpoint.

Last Friday's checkpoint was conducted from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. at East Bidwell Street and Orchard Drive. The results:

• 752 vehicles screened

• 2 DUI-alcohol suspects arrested

• 3 drivers cited or arrested for operating a vehicle without a valid license

• 1 arrested on other criminal charges

• 6 citations issued

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: Why don't you do a story about Brian Mays? He killed somebody in 2007, only received a two-year sentence. Now he is back in Sacramento, was arrested again for DUI, then released on bail and is a no show.
Submitted by: Dennis H., Sacramento

ANSWER: Brian James Mays pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in the January 2007 death of 48-year-old Janusz Porembski of Sacramento.

A drunken driving checkpoint in West Sacramento was a busy place on Friday night.

The checkpoint was conducted at Harbor Boulevard and Duluth Street. Here are the stats from police Lt. Tod Sockman, division commander:

• A total of 522 cars came through the checkpoint.

• Four citations were issued for unlicensed driving.

• Four field sobriety checks were conducted.

• There was one DUI arrest

• One car was towed.

An early morning car crash in Greenhaven took a wild turn when the driver reportedly nearly missed striking a police officer, and then led officers on a brief chase with the pole and a street sign still perched on the top of the car, Sacramento police said.

Officers responded to a call about a vehicle colliding with a city light pole in the 6700 block of Greenhaven Drive about 1 a.m. They found the car with the driver still seated inside and the pole lying across the top of the vehicle, police said.

The driver first attempted to get out of the passenger door, then got back into the driver's seat and tried to drive away, officer said. The car backed into the parked patrol car, and an officer had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit, police reports said.

A former Sacramento police officer was sentenced today to one year in jail for falsifying drunken driving reports and lying at a state Department of Motor Vehicles administrative hearing.

Brandon Michael Mullock, 27, was sentenced to five years in prison, but Judge Patrick Marlette suspended that sentence and instead ordered that Mullock serve one year in county jail in order to get five years of probation. If he violates the terms of his probation, he will be forced to serve the prison sentence.

Mullock was taken into custody at the conclusion of this morning's hearings as his family members wept in the audience.

In March, Mullock entered no-contest pleas on four felony charges.

Authorities began their investigation into Mullock after defense attorneys in drunken driving cases reported in 2010 that some of the visuals taken from the officer's in-car patrol videos did not match up with the written reports he prepared.

Defense lawyers also complained that some of the testimony Mullock gave at DMV driver's license revocation hearings strayed from the video evidence.

As a result of the discrepancies, prosecutors were forced to dismiss 79 cases involving Mullock, District Attorney Jan Scully told reporters at a May 2011 news conference, before criminal charges were filed against Mullock in the case.

The DA's Office already had obtained convictions in 73 of those cases before it was forced to dump them, according to prosecutors.

At today's sentencing, Judge Patrick Marlette said that he was particularly disturbed by how Mullock's actions threatened the integrity of the criminal justice system and violated due process of the accused.

Mullock's lawyers argued that their client didn't act with malice. They said his intentions were good: he wanted drunken drivers off the streets. Mullock, they noted, was remorseful for his actions.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: What happened to the person in the Folsom Lake Bowl car accident a year or two ago?
Submitted by: Dave, Folsom

ANSWER: Tera Lee Nicholson of Folsom was arrested Jan. 10, 2012 after her car barreled through the bar patio at Folsom Lake Bowl on East Bidwell Street, injuring five people.

By Tony Bizjak
tbizjak@sacbee.com

The California Highway Patrol and local law enforcement agencies report they will be on special alert on St. Patrick's Day for drunken drivers.

More than 300 people were arrested for DUI last year statewide, CHP officials said. They and state Office of Traffic Safety representatives advise people who will be drinking Sunday to designate one member of their party as a non-drinking driver. They also suggest taking a taxi or calling a sober friend or family member to pick you up.

Drivers who see a suspected drunken driver can call 911 to report the vehicle.

A Sacramento police officer in South Sacramento last night arrested a woman who hit the back of his patrol car.

While stopped at a red light at Mack Road and Center Parkway, the officer's patrol vehicle was rear-ended. The driver, Celia Gonzalez, 20, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to police.

No injuries were reported and damage to the patrol car was minimal, police said.

A man is dead after being hit by a driver who was under the influence of alcohol, South Lake Tahoe police said.

The fatality occurred Friday evening shortly before 7 p.m. in the 2600 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd., when a 51-year-old male pedestrian was crossing the street and was struck by a black SUV, authorities said. Emergency personnel transported the unconscious man to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police are not releasing his name at this time.

The driver of the SUV, Gregory Stearns, 49, of South Lake Tahoe was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and with a suspended license, according to reports. Police are still investigating the incident but said the pedestrian may have also been intoxicated.

A man allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol was arrested after he led police on a chase, authorities said.

While Citrus Heights police were conducting a DUI checkpoint on Friday at Greenback Lane and Birdcage Drive, officers noticed a reckless driver around Sayonara and San Simeon Drives, according to reports.

Police attempted to stop the driver, but he refused to stop. The suspect, later identified as 25-year-old Michael Ballard, allegedly led police on a chase toward the DUI checkpoint, driving the wrong way on Greenback Lane and striking the center divider.

Ballard's vehicle eventually became disabled, and he fled on foot, police said. Moments later, he was apprehended and arrested on suspicion of multiple violations, including driving under the influence.

Motorists arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in El Dorado County will face specially trained prosecutors, thanks to a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.

The $313,325 grant to the District Attorney's Office will fund a "vertical prosecution" team that will work on DUI cases from arrest through sentencing, according to District Attorney's Office news release.

"The new vertical prosecution team will aggressively investigate and prosecute the most serious DUIs in our county in order to properly punish DUI offenders, and ultimately, to save lives and make the roads a little safer for the residents of El Dorado County," District Attorney Vern Pierson said in written statement.

The California Highway Patrol believes that alcohol may have played a part in a crash that killed a Sacramento driver.

Joshua C. Hanson, 37, was driving on the Garden Highway about a mile west of Power Line Road about 8 p.m. Saturday when he failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway. His pickup truck traveled down a grassy embankment, hit metal gate posts and then overturned several times.

The truck then struck a tree and came to rest on the passenger side. Hanson was taken to UC Davis Medical Center where he died from his injuries.

Two passengers suffered minor-to-moderate injuries. Alcohol is suspected to be a contributing factor in the crash, according to a CHP press release.

A drunk driver checkpoint will be in place tonight in Natomas.

Sacramento police will be conducting the checkpoint on Truxel Road near Bannon Creek Drive beginning at 8 p.m. and continuing for about six hours.

Officers will be looking for drivers impaired by alcohol or drugs. They will also checking to see if drivers have a valid license.

The goal of the checkpoint is to "promote public safety, increase awareness of the dangers associated with drinking and driving and serve as a deterrent to potential impaired and unlicensed drivers," according to a police press release.

The Sacramento Police Department will conduct a sobriety and driver license checkpoint tonight in the South Natomas area.

Beginning at 8 p.m. and continuing for five to seven hours, motorists traveling on Truxel Road near Bannon Creek Drive will be contacted by uniformed officers, who will check for alcohol or drug-impaired drivers. When possible, specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving, according to a Police Department news release.

Motorists caught driving impaired can expect jail, license suspension and insurance increases, as well as fines, fees, DUI classes and other expenses that can exceed $10,000, police said.

Allegedly abandoning his crashed pickup got one young man in Linda more than a DUI.

The California Highway Patrol reported that an officer was dispatched about 3 a.m. this morning to Alicia Avenue in the Yuba County community of Linda where a Ford 150 truck had hit a power pole, knocking out electricity in the area.

The driver was nowhere to be seen. Officers eventually located the suspected driver, Aldo Ivan Marcial, 21, in an apartment not far from the crash.

He was booked into Yuba County jail on suspicion of hit and run, driving under the influence, driving without a license and delaying or obstructing an investigation.

New Year's revelers are reminded to designate a non-drinking driver before heading out to celebrations.

The California Highway Patrol's New Year's maximum enforcement period began at 6 this evening and will continue through 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.

The increased enforcement effort follows a similar one during the recent Christmas holiday. During that 102-hour reporting period in California, 39 people were killed in collisions and CHP officers arrested 1,170 drivers for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, according to a CHP news release.

Sacramento police say a woman was driving under the influence with her young son in the back seat when her vehicle hit a parked car.

Patricia Hemenway, 27, hit the parked car about 6 p.m. Wednesday near Riverside Boulevard and Broadway in the Land Park area. When officers arrived they determined that Hemenway was DUI.

Her 5-year-old son, riding in her car at the time of the crash, received minor injuries, according to a police log.

In addition to being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, Hemenway was also arrested for suspicion of child endangerment, police said.

PHOTO CAPTION: Patricia Hemenway

Davis police officials say they will be deploying extra officers in an effort to decrease drunk or impaired driving on Halloween.

"Local revelers should be aware that their Halloween disguises won't make them invisible to the police, sheriff or CHP officers who will crack down on drunk and drug impaired drivers throughout the region with an aggressive Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement effort," said Davis Police Chief Landy Black in a news release.

Police officials advise revelers to plan a safe way home.

  

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Little Juan Perez-Rocha (above, right) is finally out of the hospital, but he keeps wanting to go back.

That's where his little brother, 6-year-old Henry (above, left), remains, still slumbering in a coma that set in when the two boys were struck by a car while walking to school Friday morning.

Eight-year-old Juan seems to understand what's going on around him, said the boys' aunt, Candice Perez, and he wants to be there for his brother.

The suspected drunk driver who killed a man, seriously injured his girlfriend and killed her four dogs in a July hit-and-run in Carmichael has been charged with murder.

Prosecutors filed the murder charge in Sacramento Superior Court this morning, when Paul William Walden appeared for a hearing on the nine charges he originally faced in connection with the collision.

According to authorities, Walden, 31, was driving drunk and with a suspended license July 19 when he struck the couple as they walked in a crosswalk at Engle and Garfield roads. He did not stop, authorities allege.

A former Folsom resident has been arrested in connection with a fatal collision in June.

Ryan Young (pictured), 35, was arrested Wednesday night on a warrant for vehicular manslaughter and drugged impaired driving, according to a Folsom Police Department news release.

About 11:15 a.m. June 3, Young was driving a Honda van northbound on Blue Ravine Road north of Riley Street when he crossed over the double yellow lines and collided with a southbound Toyota driven by 50-year-old Keven Carmichael of Folsom, authorities said.

A 29-year-old Davis man has been sentenced to eight years in state prison for causing great bodily injury while driving under the influence of alcohol.

Rogelio Cardenas Sanchez pleaded no contest to the charge in June and was sentenced last week by Yolo Superior Court Judge Paul Richardson.

On May 19, a Winters man was driving with his teenage daughter after visiting his wife in the hospital. They were en route to a graduation party for one of the daughter's friends when Sanchez ran a stop sign and crashed into the passenger side the victim's car where the daughter was seated.

The young woman suffered major trauma. She was airlifted from the crash scene and later went into a coma, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release. Officials said she remains in a coma and is on a feeding tube.

The Sacramento Police Department will conduct two sobriety and driver's license checkpoints this weekend in an effort to keep impaired drivers off the road.

This first will be held Saturday night at Northgate Boulevard and Patio Drive in the South Natomas area. The second is scheduled Sunday night at Arden and Challenge ways near Arden Fair mall.

Checkpoint operations will begin at 8 p.m. each evening and continue for five to seven hours.

Drunk driving checkpoints are planned in Citrus Heights and Davis during the long Labor Day weekend.

The Citrus Heights checkpoint begins tonight at 7 p.m. and continues to 3 a.m. Saturday at a still-undisclosed location. Officers at the checkpoint will also check to see if motorists have proper driver's licenses.

Officers from a variety of Yolo County jurisdictions will be conducting a drunk driving checkpoint in Davis from 7 p.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday. Exact location of the checkpoint has not been released.

Participating officers include Woodland police, Davis police, Winters police, Yolo County sheriff's deputies and the California Highway Patrol.

The California Highway Patrol will be out in force from Friday night through Monday looking for drunk drivers and speeding vehicles. The CHP averages about 1,500 arrests for drunk or drugged driving every Labor Day enforcement period.

Last year, during the Labor Day weekend, 29 people were killed in traffic crashes in California. Some died because they didn't buckle up.

"It is disheartening to know that 19 people lost their lives last Labor Day weekend as a result of not wearing their seat belt," said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow.

A company serving the Sacramento region is ready to drive people to and from backyard beer and barbecue this Labor Day weekend.

For $26.95 an hour, with no restrictions on distance, number of stops and how long the party goes, Driver Please is in business to take the client in their own car to the party and return them home.

Driver Please, based in Roseville, provides screened drivers who drive the client in their own car to special events, the airport and other destinations. The driving services is also an option for seniors who can't drive anymore. Driver Please is at (877) 687-3748.

On Labor Day, Driver Please owner Mike Dumke said in a press release, his drivers provide a way to get home safely after drinking - during a crackdown on drunk driving.

Law enforcement agencies are continuing their summer/Labor Day campaign to keep impaired drivers off the road, with sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols scheduled this weekend in the Sacramento region.

The campaign began Aug. 17 and runs through Labor Day. Through midnight Thursday, officers representing 17 law enforcement agencies in Sacramento County reported a total of 132 arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In Placer County, officers representing seven agencies arrested 23 individuals for driving under the influence through midnight Wednesday, according to a news release. No DUI-related deaths were reported in either county since the campaign began last week.

A sobriety checkpoint is scheduled tonight in the city of Sacramento as the second week of the campaign gets under way. Extra DUI saturation patrols will be deployed in the cities of Folsom and Elk Grove tonight and in Citrus Heights and Elk Grove on Saturday night. Extra patrols also will be deployed in Elk Grove on Sunday night.

Law enforcement agencies throughout the Sacramento region have launched a summer campaign to crack down on impaired drivers.

The "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" anti-DUI campaign began today and will continue through the Labor Day weekend. During that period officers in various jurisdictions will conduct sobriety and driver's license checkpoints as well as roving patrols targeting motorists driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The statewide campaign, led by the California Office of Traffic Safety, is intended to heighten public awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and to deter people from driving under the influence.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: A deputy district attorney in El Dorado County was arrested last year for driving under the influence. What was the outcome of that case?
Submitted by: Anonymous, Sacramento

ANSWER: Deputy District Attorney Gloria Mas was arrested in the early afternoon of July 25, 2011, at the El Dorado County District Attorney's Office after witnesses said she drove into the parking lot there, appearing to be intoxicated.

A man who killed two people in a car crash in Folsom earlier this year while he was driving under the influence of nitrous oxide pleaded no contest today in Sacramento Superior Court.

Michael Dean Sharp, 22, is likely to be sentenced to nine years and eight months in state prison as a result of the plea he entered in front of Judge Geoffrey A. Goodman.

The judge scheduled Sharp's sentencing for Aug. 31.

Sacramento police have released statistics from a drunk driver checkpoint earlier this week that shows they contacted more than 1,200 motorists.

The late night checkpoint Tuesday at Five Star Way and Del Paso Road near Power Balance Pavilion resulted in 1,204 vehicles contacted, 49 citations issued, six drivers screened for possible drunk driving and three arrested for suspicion of DUI.

In addition, according to a police activity log, Elijah Odums, 22, was arrested on suspicion of having a loaded gun and various vehicle code violations. Police say that an officer working the DUI checkpoint tried to stop Odums' vehicle.

Police allege he was driving at a high speed and tried to avoid the checkpoint. Odums, police said, eventually ran from his vehicle and was arrested.

The Sacramento Police Department will conduct a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint tonight at Del Paso Road and Five Star Way in the North Natomas area.

Beginning at 8 p.m. and continuing for five to seven hours, motorists traveling through the intersection will be stopped by uniformed officers who will check for drivers impaired by alcohol or drugs. They will also check to make sure all drivers have a valid driver's license.

The purpose of the checkpoint is to promote public safety, increase awareness of the dangers associated with drinking and driving, and to deter potential impaired and unlicensed drivers, officials said.

Funding for the program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Fourteen people were arrested in Sacramento County on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol during stepped-up enforcement activities over the Independence Day holiday.

The arrests, which occurred between 12:01 a.m. Tuesday and midnight Wednesday, were carried out as part of a campaign by 17 law enforcement agencies within the county to keep impaired drivers off the road.

No DUI deaths occurred in Sacramento County during this year's holiday enforcement period, but authorities reported a major injury collision involving a suspected drunken driver. The driver allegedly reached speeds up to 140 mph while being chased by California Highway Patrol officers. The driver exited Highway 50 at Bradshaw Road, then tried to get back on the highway going eastbound before slamming into a sport-utility vehicle on the ramp, according to a news release. Five people were taken to the hospital. They included the suspect's passenger, who suffered major facial and head injuries, authorities said.

To encourage a safe and sober celebration of Independence Day, the Sacramento Police Department will conduct a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint tonight at Howe and University avenues.

Beginning at 8 p.m. and continuing for up to seven hours, uniformed officers will contact motorists traveling through the intersection to check for alcohol- or drug-impaired drivers. Officers also will check to make sure all drivers have a valid driver's license.

The purpose of the checkpoint is to promote public safety, increase awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving, and to deter potentially impaired or unlicensed drivers.

Funding for the program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Elk Grove police arrested a father for drunken driving who they said allowed his 10-year-old daughter to drive his vehicle while seated on his lap.

Officers were called about 10:30 a.m. Saturday to the area near Mykonos Way and Freitag Way on a report of a girl driving a vehicle. Once they arrived, officers saw a girl sitting on her father's lap while driving.

Police said the adult showed signs of impairment when stopped. The father refused to comply with instructions, resisted handcuffing and had to be taken to the ground for officers to gain control, according to a police watch summary.

Police said Kenneth Grau, 55, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, child endangerment and resisting arrest.

The California Highway Patrol will conduct a sobriety checkpoint tonight at 47th Avenue and Steiner Drive in the south area of Sacramento County.

The checkpoint will begin operations about 9 p.m. and continue for about five hours.

CHP officers will control traffic at the intersection to evaluate the sobriety of drivers passing through the checkpoint and hand out literature warning of the dangers of drinking and driving.

The Elk Grove Police Department will operate a sobriety checkpoint this Saturday between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. Officers will check passing drivers for signs of intoxication and for proper licensing at an undisclosed location in Elk Grove.

Well-publicized sobriety checkpoints are a way for police departments to remind motorists not to drink and drive. When they are conducted regularly, the frequency of wrecks involving alcohol can drop by as much as 20 percent, according to a press release from the department.

A grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will fund this weekend's checkpoint.

A DUI and Driver's License checkpoint will be in an undisclosed Lodi location June 15 between 6:30 p.m. and 2:30 a.m.

The Lodi Police Department reported they will check for signs of alcohol impairment, drug impairment and proper licensing. Drivers who appear to be under the influence will be subjected to a field sobriety test.

Officers warned that if people fail their field sobriety tests, they should be prepared to face jail, vehicle storage fees, license suspensions, insurance rate increases, fines, fees and DUI classes. The total cost could exceed $10,000.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: In the early 2000s, there was an accident at Fair Oaks Boulevard and Watt Avenue. It was a Tuesday evening and a woman was returning from the opera. She was hit by a woman drunk driver and was killed. The drunk driver had hit some cars previously at Fair Oaks and Arden. Who was the woman killed and what happened to the drunk driver?
Submitted by: Chris, Sacramento

ANSWER: Sima Spector, a retired schoolteacher and prominent leader in the Sacramento Jewish community, was killed March 1, 2006 when the vehicle she was driving was struck at the intersection of Fair Oaks Boulevard and Watt Avenue by a vehicle that ran a red light.

By Carlos Alcalá

Police arrested a woman Friday who allegedly drove erratically, hit two vehicles, a tree, a traffic signal and a pedestrian while driving from Highway 50 at 65th Street to Fair Oaks Boulevard and Howe Avenue.

Police were called at about 2:30 p.m. regarding a possible drunk driver.

A witness followed the driver from the highway, saying she hit another vehicle and was nearly hit head on when she drifted into oncoming traffic on the J Street bridge.

A former Sacramento police officer accused of filing false police reports and then lying about it has been ordered to stand trial.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Patrick Marlette issued the holding order Tuesday on Brandon Michael Mullock, 27, on 23 counts of filing false police reports and 11 counts of perjury.

Marlette ordered Mullock back into court on June 8 to set a trial date.

Sacramento area law enforcement agencies report that arrests for driving under the influence during the Memorial Day weekend were up this year, but no deaths were attributed to drugged or drunken drivers.

From 12:01 a.m. Friday through midnight Monday, officers representing 17 county law enforcement agencies arrested 137 individuals for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, according to a news release. In 2011, 74 DUI arrests occurred during the Memorial Day weekend. No deaths were reported during the four-day special enforcement period this year, compared with one alcohol-related death last year, officials said.

Special enforcement activities included a sobriety checkpoint and a DUI saturation patrol. Officers on routine patrol also focused on impaired drivers.

By Edward Ortiz
eortiz@sacbee.com

A Sacramento County-wide crackdown for the Memorial Day weekend has resulted in the arrest of 111 individuals driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs since Friday, authorities said. That number is a significant rise in arrests compared to the 55 DUI arrests made in 2011 during the same period.

The holiday weekend crackdown is being enforced by 17 county law enforcement agencies and the crackdown will continue through midnight Monday.

No alcohol-related driving fatalities have been reported this weekend, said Officer Brian Fritsch of the Citrus Heights Police Department, one of the agencies participating in the crackdown. Last year one alcohol-related fatality was reported.

The crackdown in Sacramento County netted the second-most DUI arrests statewide among the law enforcement agencies participating in the holiday crackdown. Orange County's crackdown resulted in 135 DUI arrests, so far, since Friday.

The Sacramento Police Department will conduct a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint at Meadowview Road and Amherst Street in the Meadowview area Saturday night.

Beginning at 8 p.m. and continuing for five to seven hours, motorists traveling through the checkpoint will be contacted by uniformed officers, who will check for drivers under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. They also will check to make sure all drivers have a valid driver's license.

The checkpoint it intended to promote public safety, increase awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving, and to serve as a deterrent to potential impaired and unlicensed drivers.

Funding for the program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Sacramento police responded to an unspecified call for service in the 7200 block of Greenhaven Drive before 5 a.m. today.

While police were there, a person unrelated to the original call backed into the patrol vehicle, causing minor damage, accord to the Sacramento activity log.

The driver was found to be intoxicated and was arrested for driving under the influence.

The suspect's name was not released.

Sacramento police say they will conduct a sobriety and drivers license checkpoint at Marysville Boulevard and Harris Avenue in Del Paso Heights on Saturday.

The checkpoint, during which officers will check for drivers impaired by drugs or alcohol, is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. and run for five to seven hours.

Officials say 791 Californians were killed as a result of alcohol-impaired driving in 2010.

Nineteen people with convictions for driving under the influence were arrested last month following a special Sacramento County Probation Department operation aimed at habitual DUI offenders.

The department's DUI Supervision and Enforcement Program targets high-risk, repeat DUI offenders to see whether they are driving illegally.

Of the 76 individuals observed, the Probation Department reported:

The preliminary hearing for a former Sacramento police officer accused of falsifying DUI reports began today with the prosecutor focusing on the first of 24 examples that are expected to come out over the next three weeks.

Deputy District Attorney Chris Carlson played the in-car camera video of Officer Brandon Mullock's Jan. 9, 2010, late-night traffic stop at 16th and I streets in downtown Sacramento and contrasted it with the police report of the arrest.

The key discrepancies that came out over the stop appeared to be the timing of when Mullock's administered his preliminary alcohol screening of the motorist. He said in his report that he waited 16 minutes. The car camera clock put the timing at four minutes and 26 seconds. Sacramento police officers are trained to wait 15 minutes before giving what amounts to a field breathalyzer test.

El Dorado County Sheriff's Deputy Bryan Payne will be recognized June 2 by Mothers Against Drunk Driving at the organization's annual awards event in Sacramento.

Payne was named April 25 as a recipient of the MADD 23152 Pin and a California Office of Traffic Safety commemorative badge.

The number is the California vehicle code section for driving under the influence.

Payne, with the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office for nearly four years, arrested 56 people for DUI in 2011, working out of the South Lake Tahoe Office.

Sacramento police officers conducting a sobriety checkpoint at Broadway and 65th Street Friday night noticed one driver turning and speeding away before reaching the checkpoint.

The driver was found, however, after he hit another vehicle and was followed by the victim to a gas station near 14th Avenue and Stockton Boulevard.

Police responding to that call attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver refused to stop until hitting a curb at 12th Avenue and 37th Street.

Boat patrol officers stopped a ski boat on the American River Friday afternoon, after seeing it speeding in a no-wake zone with a passenger riding unsafely on the gunwale, Sacramento police reported.

The driver, Nicholas Torson, was arrested for operating a vessel under the influence.

His boat, truck and trailer were all towed because all his passengers were too intoxicated to take custody of them.

It was later determined that registrations were expired on both Torson's truck and his boat.

California Highway Patrol officers will conduct a sobriety checkpoint in unincorporated south Sacramento tonight, officials announced.

The checkpoint near 47th Avenue and Steiner Drive will be operational by 9 p.m. and will continue until 2 a.m. Sunday.

Officers slow traffic to evaluate driving safety and hand out materials warning against drinking and driving.

The Elk Grove Police Department announced that it will conduct a sobriety checkpoint and several special patrols this month as part of a program aimed at keeping impaired drivers off the road.

A sobriety/driver's license checkpoint is to be conducted from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. May 18 at an undisclosed location within the city limits. Roving DUI saturation patrols also will be deployed from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. every weekend in May.

Over the past three years, people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs have resulted in 78 crashes in Elk Grove, claiming the lives of eight people and injuring 110, according to a Police Department news release.

A 52-year-old Pride Industries transit bus driver was arrested this morning on suspicion of driving under the influence of a prescription drug after the vehicle she was driving ran off the highway in Olivehurst.

Ellen Kay Enright of Olivehurst was northbound on Highway 65 at northbound Highway 70 at 7:45 a.m. transporting a passenger who uses a wheelchair. Because of her alleged altered level of consciousness, Enright allowed the bus to weave back and forth on the roadway, according to a California Highway Patrol news release. The bus left the pavement and struck a roadway sign on the right dirt shoulder, officials said. The vehicle then glanced off a tree and continued short distance before Enright brought it to a stop.

Neither Enright nor her passenger, a 24-year-old woman from Wheatland, was injured.

Saturation patrols on surface streets and Sacramento freeways are scheduled for Cinco de Mayo.

The deploying of saturation patrols to cut down on drunk driving begins at 7 p.m. Saturday. Friends gather to celebrate the Mexican holiday with barbecues, beer and margaritas, but be careful after the party ends, warned law enforcement.

"Everyone, including hosts, local bars and restaurants must be sure to promote designated sober drivers in advance, before the festivities begin," said Citrus Heights Police Chief Chris Boyd.

The greatest number of DUI deaths and injuries occur late Saturday night and early Sunday morning, according to a press release from the police department.

A robbery victim ended up being arrested in Lodi after he helped police catch the culprits who he said held him up at gunpoint.

Humberto Ramos, 42, telephoned police as he followed two men who he said held him up with a firearm in the 400 block of East Locust Street. He told police that he was following the two men who were on bikes.

Police eventually made contact with him on Central Avenue. The English-speaking officers were unable to understand the Spanish-speaking Ramos until he said "Follow me."

He then made a u-turn and made his way to where Adam Ramirez, 29, and Victor Alvarado, 23, were riding down the middle of Vine Street.

It was at that point that police said Ramos used his vehicle to hit Ramirez, causing him to fall off his bike. Both suspected bike-riding robbers were taken into custody.

A man with multiple convictions for driving under the influence has been indicted for murder in the September death of a South Lake Tahoe man.

An El Dorado County criminal grand jury on Thursday returned an indictment against Larry L. Halverson, 60, charging him with murder and other offenses in connection with the death 51-year-old Patrick Purnell, according to an El Dorado County District Attorney's Office news release. Purnell died when he was struck by a car driven by Halverson, who investigators allege was under the combined influence of alcohol and cocaine at the time.

Halverson did not immediately stop but returned to the scene later. At the time, authorities said, his driver's license was both revoked and suspended for prior DUI convictions.

Nineteen Sacramento police officers have received awards from Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.

For their superior enforcement efforts in stemming drunk driving MADD handed out awards to officers Luis Canela, Stephen Chipp, Christopher Clatterbuck, William Conner, Tim Davis, Deo Farrales, Curtis Gates, Ethan Hanson, Amber Hawley, Ken Leonard, Marcel Loriaux, Tim Monelo, Daniel Morlan, Nvard Msryan, Christina O'Shea, Christopher Swift, Andrew Stewart, Keri Wilson and Sgt. Chris Prince.

Officers Chipp and Clatterbuck were also recognized for their outstanding performance in the "Avoid the 17" campaign, a partnership of 17 law enforcement agencies in the county that combined to fight DUI driving and enforce traffic-related laws.

A 22-year-old Folsom man who allegedly was driving under the influence of nitrous oxide when he crossed into oncoming traffic in a collision that killed two men was ordered by a judge today to stand trial on two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter.

Michael Dean Sharp's trial in the Jan. 7 deaths of the brothers Christopher Stephen Ohlander Martell, 37, and Robert Todd Ohlander, 32, was set for July 26 by Sacramento Superior Court judge Greta Curtis Fall.

According to testimony at today's preliminary hearing, Sharp had purchased 50 "whip-it" cannisters of nitrous oxide at a Folsom smoke shop, cracked one into a balloon and inhaled it while driving southbound on Folsom Boulevard.

The California Highway Patrol is continuing its investigation into a Saturday night roll-over crash in El Dorado Hills in which the driver suffered major injuries after being ejected from the vehicle.

The crash occurred shortly after 8 p.m. on Francisco Drive near Marina Park Drive. Liza Lombardi, 20, of El Dorado Hills was driving a 1995 Nissan Pathfinder. As she approached a slightly curved portion of the roadway, she failed to negotiate the curve. Her vehicle ran off the roadway and struck a roadway sign, a large boulder and two property fences before overturning several times and coming to rest on its side in the backyard of a residence, according to a CHP news release.

Authorities said Lombardi was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle. She suffered major injuries and was taken by air ambulance to Sutter Roseville Medical Center in Roseville.

Although hospitalized, Lombardi has been arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage, according to the CHP.

A 16-year-old Olivehurst boy was killed early today when the car in which he was a passenger overturned after going off the road in West Linda, striking a pole and a parked vehicle, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The car's driver, another 16-year-old, from Marysville, was arrested in connection with the crash.

No identities were released because of their ages.

Members of fraternities and sororities at UC Davis have signed a pledge this year designed to curb out-of-control drinking on Picnic Day this Saturday.

Among the points in the 10-point covenant signed by 51 of 75 Greek organizations are pledges not to serve alcohol before noon and refraining from drinking games.

"The covenant demonstrates that we are doing our part," said Matt Chemin, president of the Interfraternity Council.

Picnic Day typically draws 75,000 people. The on-campus open house, now in its 98th year, is a wholesome event featuring a parade, music, educational exhibits, animal events and sport.

Friday the 13th could be an unlucky day for impaired drivers.

The Sacramento Police Department will conduct a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint at Norwood Avenue and Silver Eagle Road in the Del Paso Heights area beginning at 8 p.m. and continuing for five to seven hours.

Motorists traveling through the checkpoint will be contacted by uniformed officers, who will check for alcohol and/or drug-impaired drivers. Officers also will check to make sure all drivers have a valid driver's license.

By Carlos Alcalá

calcala@sacbee.com

Redding police arrested a driver after responding to a second DUI crash in three months at the same residence.

Police say Lucas C. Muncy, 18, of Redding told them he was driving about 60 mph on Alta Mesa Drive, which has a posted limit of 35 mph.

Muncy was unable to negotiate the turn where Alta Mesa forms a T intersection with Rancho Road and went off the road on the far side of Rancho.

California Highway Patrol officers arrested a woman on a variety of charges after a struggle at Woodland Memorial Hospital last night.

During the arrest of Victoria Marie Sanders, 50, of Esparto, she allegedly struggled and kicked at officers before being taken to the ground, a CHP press release said. Sanders suffered abrasions in the process.

A leg restraint was used to keep her from kicking.

The incident began about 8 p.m. when an officer was dispatched to the hospital to take a stolen vehicle report. A man said that his girlfriend, Sanders, had taken his vehicle.

The CHP said that during the interview of the man, Sanders drove up. The officer contacted Sanders and the struggle began during her arrest, according to the CHP.

She was arrested on suspicion of resisting, battery on a peace officer, driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license.

A Citrus Heights man identified as a convicted felon is in jail after he allegedly broadsided a vehicle at a Rio Linda intersection while leading CHP officers on a chase Thursday afternoon.

About 2:40 p.m., a CHP officer attempted to make a vehicle stop on a green 2003 GMC Yukon at Q Street and 26th Street in Rio Linda. The driver of the Yukon failed to yield to the patrol vehicle's lights and siren, and instead continued at high speeds down Q Street to Rio Linda Boulevard, according to a CHP news release.

The Yukon then headed south on Rio Linda Boulevard, and as it approached Elkhorn Boulevard, the driver failed to stop for a red traffic light. The Yukon broadsided a silver 2006 Chrysler 300 that was westbound on Elkhorn.

Police in Sacramento and Rancho Cordova will be on the lookout for impaired and unlicensed drivers Friday night.

The Sacramento Police Department will conduct a sobriety and drivers license checkpoint at Florin Road and 24th Street beginning at 8 p.m. and continuing for five to seven hours. Motorists traveling through the checkpoint will be contacted by uniformed officers, who will be looking for alcohol and/or drug-impaired drivers. Officers also will check to make sure all drivers have a valid driver's license.

The Rancho Cordova Police Department Traffic Unit will conduct a checkpoint at an undisclosed location within the Rancho Cordova city limits from 7 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday. Authorities warn that motorists caught driving impaired can expect jail, license suspension and insurance cost increases, as well as fines, fees, DUI classes and other expenses that can exceed $10,000.

A St. Patrick's Day and night crackdown on drunken driving in Sacramento County resulted in nearly a dozen DUI arrests.

Sacramento's DUI Task Force was made up of officers from Sacramento, Folsom, Citrus Heights, Twin Rivers and Rancho Cordova police department. The task force's next enforcement operation is planned for Cinco de Mayo.

Results of the St. Patrick's Day saturation patrols:

DUI arrests: 11

Citations: 22

Non-DUI-related arrests: 1

Vehicles towed: 6

A Sacramento woman has been arrested on suspicion of felony drunken driving after allegedly running a red light and striking a carload of teenagers in the Foothill Farms area early Sunday morning.

Kaitlin Bennett had a blood alcohol content exceeding the legal limit of 0.08 percent, according to a California Highway Patrol news release.

About 12:50 a.m. Sunday, Bennett, 26, was driving a white 1996 GMC Jimmy westbound on Madison Avenue, just east of Hackberry Lane, approaching a red traffic signal. Bennett failed to stop for the red light and broadsided the right side of a 1991 Ford Probe, driven by an 18-year-old Sacramento woman who was turning left onto northbound Hackberry Lane on a green arrow, officials said.

A 32-year-old woman suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol caused a serious head-on collision in Folsom Friday, police reported.

The woman, Karen Ann Benedict of El Dorado Hills, was reportedly driving a Nissan Sentra the wrong way in westbound lanes of Iron Point Road when she crashed head-on into a Toyota Camry at Black Diamond Drive.

Both cars were believed to be traveling at the speed limit of 45 mph, and Benedict and the three people in the Camry were taken to the hospital for treatment.

Citrus Heights Police Department will hold a DUI and drivers license checkpoint tonight, beginning at 7:30 p.m. and lasting until 3 a.m. Sunday.

The checkpoint location is not disclosed in advance.

Officers contact motorists passing through the checkpoint to look for signs of impaired driving.

Checkpoints are proven to reduce deaths from alcohol-related crashes, police said.

A Sacramento Superior Court jury today convicted Arondrei Abel-Bey of first-degree murder in the Jan. 18, 2011, stabbing death of his 83-year-old grandfather, Isaac Williams.

Abel-Bey, 34, had initially reported to police that his grandfather was killed during a burglary of the victim's home near 64th Avenue and Amherst Street. Abel-Bey testified in his own defense he had been under the influence of methamphetamine when he choked and stabbed his grandfather.

Judge Helena R. Gweon scheduled Abel-Bey's sentencing for April 13.

The Sacramento Police Department will conduct a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint Saturday night at Fruitridge Road and Mendocino Avenue.

Beginning at 8 p.m. and continuing for up to seven hours, motorists passing through the checkpoint will be contacted by uniformed officers, who will check for alcohol- or drug-impaired drivers. Officers also will check to make sure all drivers have a valid driver's license.

Police said the checkpoint is intended to promote public safety, increase awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving, and to deter potential impaired and unlicensed drivers.

Funding for the program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Redding police said they arrested a man who told officers he had used mushrooms and marijuana before he was found standing next to his burning car.

Jacoby C. Oates, 19, of Redding, was found on the third level of the Mercy Medical Center about 2 a.m. this morning. Nearby, was his fully engulfed Toyota Camry.

Oates, police said, made conflicting statements about what caused the fire to erupt. Police said an investigation revealed that he had been driving recklessly in the garage and hit some wires used as a barricade.

It is unclear how the fire started.

Officers suspected Oates was under the influence. Police said he told them he had a medical OK to smoke marijuana and that he had been smoking pot throughout the day.

A press release stated that he also admitted to have been using mushrooms.

Oates was booked into Shasta County Jail for suspicion of driving under the influence.

A suspected drunk driver slammed into a family in a small car last night in the community of Sutter west of Yuba City, according to a California Highway Patrol press release.

Juan M. Duran was driving his family in his Honda Civic shortly before midnight eastbound on Butte House Road east of Cedar Street when Timothy M. Roberts, 24, of Sutter driving westbound in a van crossed into Duran's traffic lane, according to the CHP.

The head-on collision caused minor back, chest and knee injuries to Duran, 61, of Live Oak. Also injured in Duran's car were Yesenia Vasquez, 36, moderate abdominal, chest, back and shoulder pain, Lexxinn Vazquez, 11, minor back pain, and Ivan Vazquez, 3, a cut to his mouth.

Roberts was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after receiving stitches to his knee.

They are being called hero dogs.

Credited with saving the lives of their owners from an early Tuesday morning house fire in the Yolo County community of Zamora, Gizzy, a 4-year-old Shih Tzu, and Honey, a 3-year-old Great Pyranees, were released this afternoon from UC Davis' veterinary medical teaching hospital, where they were treated for smoke inhalation.

Cheryl Washington, 63, said she must have already been experiencing effects of smoke about 5 a.m. Tuesday when her dogs began barking. When they had trouble rousing her, they didn't give up.

Five people were injured and the driver arrested when a car barreled through a bar patio at a Folsom bowling alley early this morning.

Tera Lee Nicholson, 41, of Folsom was arrested at the scene for suspicion of drunken driving causing major injury.

Folsom police and firefighters were called to Folsom Lake Bowl on East Bidwell Street about 12:30 a.m. today where a vehicle had crashed through a wrought iron fence and into a patio containing patrons of the bar.

When officers and firefighters arrived they found five people who were hurt. None of the injuries were considered critical, according to a police press release.

The venerable Lake Bowl, a mainstay on East Bidwell for more than 40 years, is a combination bowling alley, bar and casino. The patio, where smokers go for a cigarette, extends off the bar.

PHOTO CAPTION: Tera Lee Nicholson

Editor's note: Comments on this post were closed Jan. 10 because of personal attacks and other inappropriate comments.

A 21-year-old man was arrested this morning for suspicion of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated after he allegedly caused a head-on crash in Folsom on Saturday evening, killing two people, Sacramento Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Jason Browning said.

Browning said Michael Sharp of Folsom was arrested also for investigation of drug-impaired driving causing serious injury or death in connection with the crash, which occurred about 6:45 p.m.

Browning said Sharp was driving a sports utility vehicle south on Folsom Boulevard when his vehicle crossed the center line into the northbound lane, hitting a Saturn head-on near Parkshore Drive.

A single-car crash killed one of four people Friday after an automobile overturned on a Woodland off-ramp, California Highway Patrol officials reported.

The 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse was on the off-ramp from southbound Interstate 5 to County Road 102 at about 9 p.m. when the driver, a 22-year-old man from Sacramento, lost control.

The vehicle overturned several times and came to rest on its roof.

By Phillip Reese

preese@sacbee.com

Sacramento County law enforcement officials arrested nearly 70 motorists for allegedly driving while intoxicated on New Year's Eve and early New Year's Day. That's a typical haul on one of the busiest party nights of the year. The heaviest concentration of arrests this year were in downtown Sacramento and South Sacramento.

Read more here.

Officers in the California Highway Patrol's Valley Division issued 111 citations for violating state cell phone laws and four citations to individuals who were texting while driving during a 24-hour crackdown on distracted drivers.

The zero-tolerance cell phone enforcement period, aimed at citing drivers distracted by their cell phones, extended from 6 a.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Saturday. The campaign was intended to deter motorists from using their cell phones without a hands-free device or texting while driving.

In addition to the citations, one arrest - by the CHP in Stockton - was made as a result of the cell phone stops, according to a CHP news release. Sixteen verbal warnings were issued to motorists not complying with California's cell phone laws. A total of 376 citations also were issued for unsafe speed.

Sacramento police conducting a DUI checkpoint at 21st Street and Capitol Avenue overnight Friday arrested three people, according to the department's activity log.

Police encountered 798 vehicles during the check.

They screened 32 drivers for license violations, with 19 citations issued.

Eight drivers were screened for possible impaired driving and officers had 14 vehicles towed.

Police also encountered two subjects with outstanding warrants.

Related stories:
Don't drive drunk after New Year's parties
Checkpoints, patrols to target drunken, drugged drivers

Law enforcement agencies will be out in force during the New Year's weekend in an effort to keep impaired drivers off the road.

See ARREST LOGS for 18 cities

Agencies in Sacramento and Placer counties report that arrests of drunken or drugged drivers during the first 14 days of an anti-DUI campaign are down from the same period last year. And so far, no DUI-related deaths have been reported in either county during the winter holiday crackdown.

From 12:01 a.m. Dec. 16 through midnight Thursday, officers representing 17 law enforcement agencies in Sacramento County had arrested 261 individuals for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, according to a news release. In 2010, 317 DUI arrests occurred during the same 14-day time period.

Sobriety and driver's license checkpoints will be held in Sacramento's midtown area and in the south area of Sacramento County on Friday night.

The Sacramento Police Department will conduct a checkpoint at 21st Street and Capitol Avenue beginning at 9 p.m. and continuing for five to seven hours.

The California Highway Patrol will operate a checkpoint at 47th Avenue and Steiner Drive from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Highway 70 north of Marysville was closed today after a suspected drunk driver knocked down telephone poles into the roadway.

The driver of a pickup truck ran into a telephone pole around 4 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol. That crash pulled down 7 poles, shutting down Highway 70 from Laurellen Road to 6 miles west of the Yuba-Butte county line at Woodruff Lane.

Alternating one-way traffic is now being allowed past the site.

During the first six days of a winter holiday crackdown on motorists driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, no DUI fatalities have been reported in Sacramento or Placer counties.

From 12:01 a.m. Friday through midnight Wednesday, officers representing 17 law enforcement agencies in Sacramento County arrested 112 individuals for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, according to a news release from the California Office of Traffic Safety's DUI enforcement campaign. In 2010, 157 DUI arrests occurred in the county during the same six-day period.

In Placer County, officers representing seven law enforcement agencies arrested 24 individuals for DUI offenses Friday through Wednesday, compared with 27 such arrests during the same six-day period last year.

The Sacramento Police Department will conduct a sobriety and drivers license checkpoint Thursday night at El Camino Avenue and Erickson Street in North Sacramento.

Beginning at 8 p.m. and continuing for five to seven hours, motorists traveling through the checkpoint will be contacted by uniformed officers, who will check for drivers who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. They also will check to make sure all drivers have a valid driver's license.

The purpose of the checkpoint is to promote public safety, increase awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving, and to serve as a deterrent to potential impaired and unlicensed drivers, according to a Police Department news release.

The program is funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Fifty-seven people were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs during the first 48 hours of a holiday campaign to keep impaired drivers off the road in Sacramento County, authorities said today.

The number of arrests carried out by 17 agencies in the county was down modestly from the same period in 2011, when 60 people were taken into custody, the Citrus Heights Police Department reported today. This year's campaign started Friday at 12:01 a.m.

The campaign, known as "Avoid the Capital 17 DUI," is an annual effort by local law enforcement agencies to keep roadways safe for 17 days through the holidays. The campaign ends at midnight, Jan. 1, 2012.

The Sacramento Police Department will conduct a sobriety and drivers license checkpoint in the area of Florin Road and Franklin Boulevard tonight.

From 8 p.m. today to 2 a.m. Sunday, motorists traveling through the checkpoint will be contacted by uniformed officers on the lookout for drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs, according to a Police Department news release. Officers also will check to make sure all drivers have a valid drivers license.

The checkpoint is intended to promote public safety, increase awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving, and to serve as a deterrent to potential impaired and unlicensed drivers.

The program is funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

A driver with a blood alcohol level of 0.11 percent crashed into the back of a South Lake Tahoe motel today, rupturing a natural gas main, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department said.

The accident occurred at about 8:30 a.m. when a driver identified as Ronald MacKenzie, 26, of Colorado tried to turn from La Salle Avenue onto Cedar Avenue.

Because he did not slow from a speed estimated at 40 mph, the driver lost control and ran his Toyota pickup into the back side of the Ski Haus Lodge.

Arriving personnel could smell the gas leak from a block away and evacuated the area while the gas main was secured.

MacKenzie was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Photo caption: Crash photo/South Lake Tahoe Police Department

A drunken driver whose car crash led to the death of a 19-year-old Rocklin man pleaded no contest Thursday to vehicular manslaughter.

Jacinto Roy Mendoza, 21, is scheduled for a Jan. 26 sentencing by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Lawrence G. Brown for the death of Matthew Jacob George.

Mendoza is facing a 10-year state prison term with a promise of getting half of his time off if he behaves in prison, according to his attorney, Larry Pilgrim.

Pilgrim said Mendoza on Aug. 13 had taken light rail and walked to Paradise Beach where he met up with a crowd of young people who had gathered at the popular American River party spot near Sacramento State.

According to Pilgrim, Mendoza, after a day of drinking, agreed to drive when the crowd left the river. He then crashed on Highway 50.

George, who was riding in the trunk of the car, was ejected from the vehicle. Authorities said his body was found the next day in a field beneath the freeway.

Mendoza registered a .15 blood-alcohol level in a reading taken several hours after the crash, Pilgrim said.
.

Folsom police will be stopping drivers tonight at a checkpoint on East Natoma Street in an effort to catch drunken drivers.

The checkpoint will be set up at 7 p.m. on East Natoma Street at Briggs Ranch Drive. The checkpoint will continue through the night and into the early morning hours.

The effort by uniformed officers, Community Service officers and public safety volunteers is funded by a state grant. Officers will also cite unlicensed drivers.

The Folsom Police Department will conduct a checkpoint tonight as part of an effort to keep impaired and unlicensed drivers off the road.

The checkpoint will begin at 7 p.m. on East Natoma Street at Briggs Ranch Drive and will continue into Saturday morning.

Uniformed police officers, community service officers and Citizens Assisting Public Safety volunteers will staff the checkpoint. Officers will be on the lookout for drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs, as well as motorists without a valid drivers license.

The activity is funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.

A 31-year-old Sacramento woman and her 34-year-old boyfriend were killed Sunday in a collision with a suspected drunken driver in Clovis, according to authorities.

The collision occurred at a Clovis intersection about 2 a.m. Sunday, Clovis police say. The Fresno County Coroner's Office identified the victims as Jessica Matthes of Sacramento and Keith Smith of Clovis.

The driver of the car that allegedly struck them, 29-year-old Larry Garcia of Clovis, was arrested later that day on suspicion of two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one count of driving under the influence causing great bodily injury, said police spokeswoman Janet Stoll-Lee.

The Sacramento County Probation Department announced that it has been awarded a grant to step-up supervision of individuals repeatedly convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The $360,000 grant awarded by the California Office of Traffic Safety will help fund special probation supervision measures targeting high-risk, felony and repeat DUI offenders, according to a Probation Department news release.

"Over the past year, multiple probation home searches of repeat DUI offenders have resulted in the recovery of methamphetamines, a still producing 84 proof alcohol, a loaded handgun, a MAC-10 machine gun and ammunition, and the revocation of a dozen of mature marijuana plants," Chief Probation Officer Don L. Meyer said in a written statement.

Police will respond if you report a possible DUI - at least, they did in Marysville, police reported Wednesday.

Marysville Police reported getting a call around 7 p.m. Tuesday from a citizen worried about a small, brown car with Nevada license plates driving erratically.

An officer found the car a few minutes later and stopped the driver for a sobriety check.

The Sacramento Police Department will conduct a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint Friday in the area of 16th and C streets.

Between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. motorists traveling through the checkpoint will be contacted by uniformed officers, who will check for alcohol and/or drug-impaired drivers. They also will check to make sure all drivers have a valid driver's license.

The checkpoint is intended to promote public safety, increase awareness of the dangers associated with drinking and driving, and serve as a deterrent to potential impaired and unlicensed drivers, according to a Police Department news release.

Funding for the program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

A 17-year-old boy from Meadow Vista has been arrested following a fatal crash near Applegate in Placer County on Thursday night.

The crash occurred about 7:30 p.m. The teenager was driving a 1997 Subaru Outback on Applegate Road north of Boole Road when he failed to negotiate a curve and hit a tree, fatally injuring three of his four passengers, according to a California Highway Patrol news release.

Lukas Warren, 21, and Daniel Silverman, 31, both of Meadow Vista, were pronounced dead at the scene. A 21-year-old man from Auburn was ejected from the vehicle and was airlifted to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where he later died of his injuries. His name has not been released pending notification of family members.

A fired former Sacramento sheriff's deputy who ran her car into a Natomas-area Starbucks and injured an 85-year-old woman two years ago was sentenced today to two years in state prison.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Gary E. Ransom imposed the term on Lisa Gargano, 39, who pleaded no contest in June to two counts of driving under the influence of prescription drugs.

Gargano was on pain killers and other medications at the time of the Sept. 6, 2009, collision that resulted in the injury to the woman in the coffee shop on Duckhorn Drive. Her attorney, Michael Bowman, said she began taking the pain killers as a result of a lower-back injury suffered in her deputy's job.

CHP officers with a suspected drunken driver in the back seat of their patrol car were crashed into by another motorist suspected to be under the influence.

Neither officer was injured in the early morning collision in South Sacramento. Both suspects were booked.

The incident began about 2:25 a.m. when the squad car was traveling southbound on Stockton Boulevard near Lemon Hill Avenue. A car driven by Gustavo Guerrero, 31, traveling in the opposite direction, turned in front of the officers and collided.

A car was slammed into by a passenger train last night east of Davis after the suspected drunk driver left the disabled vehicle on the tracks, the California Highway Patrol reported.

Alexius Russell, 29, of Sacramento was driving her Honda Civic westbound on Country Road 32a west of County Road 105a about 7:50 p.m. when she drove her car off the road and onto the tracks because she had been drinking, according to a CHP press release.

She got out of her car and called for help, but while waiting for assistance, a westbound AMTRAK train hit the Honda. The car caught fire.

About 20 passengers were aboard the train, but no injuries were reported. Russell was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, the CHP.

Liquor-related arrests were up, drug arrests were down and assaults pretty much held steady last year on UC Davis property compared to the previous year, according a press release from the university.

The annual statistics were prepared for the federal Clery Act.

"UC Davis is a relatively safe campus, but no community of our size is crime-free," said campus Police Chief Annette Spicuzza.

Comparisons between 2010 and 2009:

A 57-year-old Roseville man was arrested Wednesday night after he allegedly struck a fire truck and narrowly missed a firefighter while driving drunk, according to authorities.

Thomas Rolland Michael was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license, according to a Roseville Fire Department news release. Michael was booked into the Placer County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail, the release states.

Firefighters were at an emergency call at 707 Sunrise Boulevard when a man drove his Mazda sedan through the parking lot, struck a parked ladder truck and narrowly missed a firefighter on foot, according to the release.

The firefighter took the driver's keys, and then held the man until police arrived.

The release states that there were no injuries and only minor damage to the ladder truck.

Woodland police said that a suspected drunken driver allegedly tried to drive away after hitting a parked pickup last night.

Police said that about 10 p.m. they were called to the 200 block of Muir Street where a car had hit a parked, unoccupied pickup. Police said that it was reported that the driver of the car had attempted to leave the scene prior to the arrival of officers.

When police arrived, they found the car was able to travel just a short distance because of damage sustained in the crash. Officers arrested Jessica Maria Chavarin, 22, on suspicion of "probable cause" involving felony drunken driving and felony hit and run, according to a department press release.

A passenger in the car driven by Chavarin was hurt and was transported to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries, police said.

The Sacramento Police Department will conduct a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint tonight at Fifth and L streets as part of the "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign, an intensive crackdown on impaired driving.

The checkpoint will begin at 8 p.m. and last for five to seven hours, according to a Police Department news release. Motorists traveling through the checkpoint will be contacted by uniformed officers, who will check for alcohol- and/or drug-impaired drivers. Officers also will check to make sure all drivers have a valid driver's license.

Approximately 10,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide are participating in the campaign, which began Aug. 19. The effort is led by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which reports that in 2009 alone, 10,839 people nationwide died in crashes in which a driver or motorcycle rider had a blood alcohol level at or above the legal limit. Drivers age 21 to 24 years old had the highest percentage of alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities in motor vehicle crashes.

The California Highway Patrol will conduct a sobriety checkpoint and roving patrols in El Dorado County on Saturday night as part of an effort to keep impaired drivers off the road.

The checkpoint, staffed by CHP officers, will be set up about 8 p.m. and will continue throughout the evening, according to a news release. Officers will control traffic at the checkpoint to evaluate drivers' sobriety, check drivers' licenses and hand out literature warning of the dangers of drinking and driving.

CHP officers also will be assigned to roving patrols in the checkpoint area to seek out motorist who are driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

A Sacramento man was arrested in Woodland early Saturday morning after allegedly running his car into a power pole, rolling his vehicle, and knocking power out of a portion of Woodland.

Ralph Soto, 69, was reportedly driving under the influence when he ran in to the power pole at County Road 98 and W. Beamer Street at around 1:19 a.m, injuring a 29-year-old passenger.

PG&E arrived at the scene to handle the live wires that were down, and public works crewsclosed County Road 98 at west Kentucky Avenue and west Main Street to all but emergency vehicles. Roads were closed for about seven hours.

The passenger was taken to the UC Davis Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries.

Automobile travel is expected to be up slightly this Labor Day weekend -- and the California Highway Patrol will be ready to pull over any drunken drivers.

The American Automobile Association estimates that 27.3 million people plan to travel on the nation's roadways, a 0.5 percent increase from last year. Overall, travel is expected to dip due in part to higher air fare costs.

A DUI checkpoint in Marysville found only one suspected drunk driver, but netted more than a dozen motorists for other alleged offenses.

Marysville police screened 1,165 vehicles last night for intoxicated or unlicensed drivers. One 25-year-old man from Rocklin was arrested for driving under the influence.

The Marysville Police Department reported that a number of DUI warrants were cleared during a DUI Task Force warrant sweep Tuesday.

Police and California Highway Patrol officers fanned out into Yuba, Sutter and Butte counties to serve warrants on individuals who violated court orders, terms of their DUI probation or failed to appear in court for their DUI arrest.

During the seven-hour operation, officers attempted service on 40 warrants. Four of the subjects were found, arrested and booked into jail, according to a Police Department news release.

Elk Grove police will conduct a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint Sunday night at an undisclosed location in the city, the police department reported.

Officers will staff the checkpoint beginning at 8 p.m. Sunday until 3 a.m. the following morning, with the goal of removing impaired and unlicensed drivers from the roadways, according to a police department news release.

Members of the public are also encouraged to call the Elk Grove Police Department at (916) 714-5111 (emergency line), or 911, if they see a driver they suspect may be impaired, the release states.

Funding for the checkpoint is provided through a grant made available by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the release states.

A woman who triggered a fiery crash in Redding Friday was cited by Redding police, but the motorcyclist she collided with was arrested for DUI, officials said in a press release.

Police responded shortly after 7 p.m. Friday to reports of a crash and vehicle fire.

A Toyota RAV4 making a left turn onto an Interstate 5 freeway onramp at Twin View Boulevard collided nearly head-on with a motorcycle going the opposite direction on Twin View.

Law enforcement agencies throughout the Sacramento region will join in a nationwide campaign to crack down on impaired drivers.

Stepped-up enforcement efforts are scheduled to begin Friday and continue through Labor Day.

The Sacramento Police Department will begin its " Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign with a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Northgate Boulevard and Patio Avenue.

Motorists traveling through the checkpoint will be contacted by uniformed officers, who will check for alcohol or drug-impaired drivers. Officers also will check to make sure all drivers have a valid driver's license.

The Woodland Area California Highway Patrol will conduct a sobriety checkpoint Friday night in Yolo County, the CHP reported.

The checkpoint will run from 8 p.m. to midnight at an undisclosed location in the unincorporated area of the county, according to a Woodland CHP news release.

Officers will also check drivers for valid driver's licenses, the release states.

The Elk Grove Police Department will conduct a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint within the city beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday and continuing until 3 a.m. Sunday.

The purpose of the checkpoint is to remove impaired and unlicensed drivers from the roadways. Educational materials on the dangers of driving under the influence will be handed to motorists passing through the checkpoint.

The public also is encouraged to call the Elk Grove Police Department's emergency line, (916) 714-5111, or 911, if they observe a driver they suspect is impaired.

Funding for the sobriety checkpoint is provided through a DUI Enforcement and Awareness Grant by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Folsom drivers on East Bidwell will be checked to see if they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol Friday evening.

The police department will be staffing a checkpoint from 7 p.m. Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday on East Bidwell at Orchard Drive, which is between Glenn Drive and Blue Ravine Road. In addition to looking for impaired motorists, police will be citing unlicensed drivers.

Community Service Officers and Citizens Assisting Public Safety volunteers will help uniformed officers. Funding for the checkpoint comes from the state Office of Traffic Safety's Selective Traffic Enforcement Program.

Sacramento police were kept in the early morning hours with three separate incidents involving patrons in bars or restaurants in the grid.

The first was reported at 1:58 a.m. today when a 31-year-old man who was kicked out of a bar near 29th and J streets began yelling at a group attempting to leave the area in a vehicle. Police said the man then punched out the driver's side window of the vehicle.

A passenger in the car got out and was punched, knocking him out and possibly breaking his jaw. The man was booked on suspicion of battery and vandalism.

A 5-year-old girl suffered a broken leg when a pickup hit a Lodi home this morning, police said, resulting in the arrest of a man suspected of driving under the influence.

Lodi police said they arrested Jeff Dobretz (left), 21, of Lodi on suspicion of drunken driving, hit and run and reckless driving with injury.

Police said in a press release that at 4:20 a.m. a pickup crashed through a fence and into a home in the 700 block of Pinot Noir Drive. The pickup crashed into the little girl's bedroom, pushing her bed into a wall.

The Sacramento Police Department will conduct a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint Friday night at Amherst Street and Meadowview Road.

Beginning at 7:30 p.m. and continuing for five to seven hours, motorists traveling through the checkpoint site will be stopped by uniformed officers, who will check for alcohol and/or drug impaired drivers. Officers will also check to make sure all drivers have a valid driver's license.

The purpose of the checkpoint is to promote public safety, increase awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving, and to serve as a deterrent to potential impaired and unlicensed drivers, according to a Police Department news release.

An elderly man was killed by a suspected drunken driver in a head-on collision Thursday evening in Magalia, northeast of Chico.

The 80-year-old victim was driving at about 20 mph in the northbound lane of Skyway Road when he was hit by a southbound car driven at about 35 mph by Jordan Fischbach, 23. Authorities said Fischbach's vehicle had drifted across double yellow lines into the path of the victim's car.

After the collision, Fischbach waited at the scene for emergency personnel to arrive. The victim died at the scene.

Fischbach was taken to Enloe Hospital where he was treated for moderate injuries and was arrested for a felony DUI.

Auburn police say they arrested a Placer County man Thursday after receiving a report at 1:09 p.m. that the suspect was selling marijuana out of a five gallon bucket at the Auburn Dam Overlook.

Auburn police officer Stan Hamelin used the license plate of the vehicle associated with the suspect to locate David S. Robles, 21, of Auburn, at his home on Live Oak Lane in Placer County, according to a police department news release.

The department said Robles was wanted on a warrant for a D.U.I. offense. Hamelin found Ketamine, or the "Date Rape" drug, in Robles' possession, along with a .45 caliber handgun, a switchblade, and hashish, the news release said.

The officer followed a lead to a storage facility where he found more marijuana, the release said.

Robles is being held in Placer County Jail for possession of the gun, knife, narcotics and narcotics for sales.

The Sacramento Police Department will conduct a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint Friday night at Del Paso Boulevard and El Camino Avenue.

Beginning at 8:30 p.m. and continuing for up to seven hours, motorists traveling through the checkpoint site will be contacted by uniformed officers, who will check for alcohol- and drug-impaired drivers, according to a Police Department news release. Officers also will make sure all drivers have a valid driver's license.

The checkpoint is part of an effort to promote public safety by increasing awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving, and to serve as a deterrent to potential impaired and unlicensed drivers, officials said.

Funding for the program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Safety Administration.

The Folsom Police Department will be checking drivers for sobriety and licenses at a safety checkpoint Saturday night.

The checkpoint will be stationed on Blue Ravine Road near Parkway Drive from 7 p.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday.

The California Office of Traffic Safety is sponsoring the event through the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (S.T.E.P) to promote public safety and awareness about drunken driving risks and to deter people from driving without a license.

For information about the impaired driving and drivers license checkpoint contact Officer Paul Rice at price@folsom.ca.us.

The Yolo County Coroner's office has released the name of a 21-year-old man who died in a car crash into a tree late Saturday night in rural Yolo County.

He was identified as Joel Lowell, 21, of Brooks, Yolo County.

Lowell was traveling at a high rate of speed about 11:30 p.m. along County Road 23 west of County Road 89, which is just southeast of Esparto. Lowell for an unknown reason lost control and hit a walnut tree.

Officers suspect Lowell was not wearing a seatbelt when he was ejected from the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro. The California Highway Patrol said in a press release that alcohol is believed to be involved in the crash.

Law enforcement agencies across Northern California are scheduling a crackdown on drivers impaired by alcohol asot the long Fourth of July weekend begins.

Enforcement activities under the statewide AVOID anti-DUI campaign, including sobriety checkpoints and roving DUI patrols, are scheduled to begin tonight. The California Highway Patrol also has declared a Maximum Enforcement Period beginning tonight at 6 p.m. and continuing through Monday.

Throughout the weekend, the CHP will assign available officers to freeways, state highways and unincorporated roads to keep an eye out for motorists driving under the influence and encourage all motorists to use their seatbelts, according to a CHP news release.

The driver of a carload of teens was arrested Wednesday just outside of Davis after running over a traffic sign in full view of a Yolo County Sheriff's deputy, the CHP said.

The California Highway Patrol said a 17-year-old boy was driving westbound on Russell Boulevard from Davis at 45 mph about 4:45 p.m. when he tried to make a turn onto Patwin Road. In the process, he took the turn too fast and struck a sign for bicyclists.

Watching this occur was a Yolo County Sheriff's deputy, who also saw the driver continue down the road. The teen then pulled into a driveway. .

California Highway Patrol officers will be conducting a drunken-driving checkpoint in southern Sacramento County on Saturday night.

Drivers will be stopped not long after officers begin setting up the checkpoint at 8 p.m. at an undisclosed location. The checkpoint is expected to conclude at 2 a.m.

The CHP will be evaluating the sobriety of drivers and handing out literature warning of the dangers of drinking and driving.

If rainy weather makes a checkpoint unsafe for the officers, the units will be assigned to roving DUI patrols.

A California Highway Patrol captain has been arrested in El Dorado County on suspicion of drunken driving after crashing his motorcycle.

Robert D. Patrick, 47, who the CHP said works out of the Valley Division Office in Rancho Cordova, was southbound about 8:45 p.m. Friday on Mt. Aukum road south of Fairplay Road when he failed to negotiate a turn. The Harley-Davidson Fatboy motorcycle drifted off the paved road and into a dirt embankment where the vehicle overturned.

Patrick was transported to the hospital for treatment of moderate injuries, the CHP said. "Due to his injuries his level of sobriety was undetermined and is under investigation," state a CHP press release.

The CHP is waiting for test results, a spokesman said.

Special enforcement by Folsom police on Cinco de Mayo resulted in a variety of arrests, ranging from public intoxication to fighting with bouncers, according to a police spokesman.

The department's special investigations unit, working in plainclothes, covered the entire community. The special enforcement funding was provided by a grant from California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control.

Arrests or citations included:

- Two Sacramento men in their 20s for causing a public disturbance by fist fighting.

A parolee swam across a Folsom pond to evade capture Wednesday night, but was eventually nabbed by a police dog, a Folsom police spokesman said today.

The soggy escapade began when a motorist reported a suspected drunken driver swerving down Blue Ravine Road near Big Valley Road, the spokesman said.

The caller provided a license plate number, which allowed police to catch up with the driver near Oak Avenue Parkway and Blue Ravine.

The spokesman gave this account of events:

A chase escalated to 100 mph in two minutes.

The driver, Eric Joseph Souza, left, 29, of Mather, crashed the stolen Acura Integra when he missed at turn onto Iron Point Road from Oak Avenue Parkway.

Police will be out in force on Cinco de Mayo in Yolo County thanks to special state funding to catch drunk drivers.

"Drunk driving is simply not worth the risk. Not only do you risk killing yourself or someone else, but the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for impaired driving can be significant," said Davis Police Chief Landy Black in a news release. "Violators often face jail time, the loss of their driver's license, higher insurance rates, attorney fees, time away from work, and many other expenses."

The Yolo County task force on Thursday will be deploying overtime patrols on city streets and the California Highway Patrol will be in greater force on the freeways and in the unincorporated parts of the county.

The California Office of Traffic Safety provides grant funding to deploy additional officers in areas where DUI drivers are likely to be traveling. Increased enforcement periods are planned during holiday periods such as Cinco de Mayo.

Sacramento police said a man was arrested after he caused a disturbance at the city pound in an effort to get his dog back.

Police said they initially arrested Timothy Parkinson, 38, for having an open alcoholic container and warrants. His dog was taken by animal control for safekeeping.

Parkinson later showed up at the Sacramento City Animal Care Services, 2127 Front St., looking for his dog.

By Laurel Rosenhall
lrosenhall@sacbee.com

A single-car crash on a rural El Dorado County road Friday night has left one man dead and another seriously injured and arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The two men were in a BMW traveling west on Pleasant Valley Road around 12:25 a.m. when they failed to negotiate a curve in the road about a quarter-mile east of Mother Lode Drive, said CHP Sgt. John MacDowell. The car hit an embankment and then a tree before landing in a field.

The passenger, Timothy Chapman, a 40-year-old from El Dorado, died. The driver was airlifted to Sutter Roseville with major injuries, including serious head trauma, MacDowell said.

The Sacramento Police Department will conduct a DUI/ driver's license checkpoint on Saturday at Truxel Road and Pebblewood Drive.

The operation will at 8:30 p.m. and run for five to seven hours, according to a Police Department news release.

Office will check for alcohol and/or drug-impaired drivers. Officers will also check driver's licenses.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

A 63-year-old Newcastle man has been arrested by Auburn police after he allegedly hit two vehicles and a metal gate while driving drunk Tuesday evening, according to an Auburn Police Department news release.

Auburn police officers responded to the area of Sacramento Street and Auburn Folsom Road at about 6 p.m. Tuesday, after receiving a report of a suspected drunk driver who had been involved in multiple hit-and-run collisions, the release states.

Officers found that the suspect had hit two motorists on Auburn Folsom Road and driven through a gate in a residential neighborhood, according to the release. When officers located the suspect and attempted to stop him, he led them on a brief pursuit.

The Davis Police Department today released preliminary statistics showing that Picnic Day enforcement efforts resulted in 54 arrests and 207 citations Friday and Saturday.

Officers patrolling on foot, bicycle and in cars focused their attention on downtown Davis and neighborhoods that traditionally hold large house parties. The California highway Patrol and a countywide DUI enforcement team kept a lookout for drunken drivers, and California Alcohol Beverage Control agents were in town enforcing violations associated with alcohol consumption and sales, according to a Police Department news release.

Police officials in a written statement said they were not prepared to issue opinions on whether this year's Picnic Day was better or worse than last year, saying they would further analyze enforcement activities, and would seek comment from the community and other interested parties before offering conclusions.

A Sacramento judge today sentenced Michael Bruce Weisz to four years in state prison for his hit-and-run conviction last month in a nightclub parking lot traffic collision that killed a security guard.

Weisz, 24, had been charged with second-degree murder in the Sept. 23, 2009, death of Leroy Berry Fisher III, but a jury acquitted him of manslaughter as well as the murder charge.

Superior Court Judge Maryanne G. Gilliard also sentenced Weisz to a concurrent six-month term for a drunken driving arrest he picked up while he was out on bail in the murder case.

Yolo County law enforcement agencies will team up in an effort to keep drunken drivers off the road during UC Davis Picnic Day on Saturday, police said.

Police, sheriff's and California Highway Patrol officers will be patrolling throughout the city of Davis, looking for signs of impaired driving, according to a Davis Police Department news release.

Officials warn that drunken drivers often face jail time, loss of their driver's license, higher insurance rates, attorney fees, time away from work and other expenses.

Traffic signal data will be analyzed to find out who was at fault in a collision that resulted in minor injuries to three students on a bus Tuesday morning in Elk Grove.

The accident occurred about 7:20 a.m. when an e-tran Elk Grove city bus collided with another vehicle at Franklin Boulevard and Elk Grove Boulevard.

"At this point, based on a witness statement, it appears that the four-door sedan did have some type of right-of-way violation," said Elk Grove police spokesman Chris Trim. "Whether it is red light or failure to yield, that will be determined. We will be pulling the data from signal lights to determine there were no malfunctions and that the information we received from witnesses matches up with signal light information."

Three people hit by a suspected drunken driver suffered major injuries Sunday night in a Yolo County crash, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A car traveling eastbound on Highway 128 outside of Winters near Pleasants Valley Road about 7:30 p.m. crossed over the double yellow line when the driver, Fernando Ramirez, 31, of Esparto, made an unsafe turn, a CHP press release states. His car struck another vehicle driven by Megan Espinosa, 19, of Vacaville.

The CHP said that Ramirez displayed "signs and symptoms" of intoxication and was arrested on felony driving under the influence causing injury. He suffered major injuries.

Espinosa and two passengers in her car, Tiffany Canerday, 17, and Michelle Canerday, 21, both of Vacaville, suffered major injuries.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

An Elk Grove police officer suffered an injury to his leg tonight after he was struck by a car - possibly driven by an intoxicated driver - while conducting a traffic stop, according to authorities.

The injuries are not life-threatening and appear to involve a broken leg or ankle, said police spokesman Officer Chris Trim. The officer, whose name was not released, is being treated at an area hospital.

The collision occurred about 9:40 p.m. today, after two officers assigned to traffic enforcement pulled over a vehicle on Big Horn Boulevard just east of Bruceville Road, Trim said.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Law enforcement agencies throughout the Sacramento region encourage St. Patrick's Day revelers those who drink not to drive.

Agencies in Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado and Yolo counties will deploy DUI task forces Thursday.

In Placer County, additional roving saturation patrols will be on duty in Roseville, keeping an eye out for people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

By Bee Staff

The Sacramento Police Department will hit hard next week at drunken drivers, sellers of liquor to minors and people who have DUI warrants.

The police also urged those celebrating St. Patrick's Day with alcohol to designate a sober driver.

The department news release said these enforcement efforts will be pursed during the week of March 13:

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

A Woodland police sergeant was arrested earlier this week on suspicion of driving under the influence, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said.

Woodland police Sgt. Steve Sexton was pulled over and arrested at 4:32 p.m. Monday while riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle at Maxwell Avenue and County Road 102 in east Woodland, said CHP Sgt. Andy Hill.

Shortly before, at a different location, a citizen had seen a motorcycle rider come to a stop and lose control of the motorcycle, Hill said. The citizen stopped to help pick up the bike and smelled the odor of an alcoholic beverage on the rider, Hill said.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The California Highway Patrol said a drunk driver ran his pickup truck into a drainage ditch Thursday night in Olivehurst, causing major injuries to his passenger.

The CHP said that Michael W. Shaeffer, 38, of Olivehurst was southound on Feather River Boulevard, south of Myrna Avenue, near the Yuba County Airport, about 7 p.m., when due to his level of intoxication, he allowed his pickup to leave the right side of the roadway.

Shaeffer was able to pull back from the edge, but lost control and the truck ran off the left side of Feather River Boulevard. The front of Shaeffer's truck hit a partially filled drainage ditch.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

South Lake Tahoe police arrested a heavy equipment operator Sunday night on suspicion of driving under the influence and other charges after he turned his front end loader on an officer's car and tried to ram it, according to a press release.

Steve Beattie, 55, was taken into custody after the 9 p.m. confrontation with officers that came to a conclusion on dead-end Terry Lane. He was booked on charges of drunken driving, assault with a deadly weapon on an officer and felony evasion of officers, the press release said.

Police said they responded to a call of a snow-removal tractor knocking over a light standard and traffic control signs on Ski Run Boulevard. They said that when officers tried to stop the vehicle, the driver refused to stop, then flipped them the middle finger and drove his vehicle toward a police car driven by Officer Ray Poole.

By Robert D. Dávila
rdavila@sacbee.com

An unidentified man was killed Sunday night when he was walking across Northgate Boulevard and hit by a pickup driver, who was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, Sacramento police said

The victim hit at 7:12 p.m. by a maroon Chevy pickup heading northbound in the 3500 block of Northgate, Sgt. Michael Carrasco said. The pedestrian was walking outside the crosswalk, the sergeant said.

The driver, Vincent Velasquez, 34, of Sacramento, was arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of driving under the influence, Carrasco said.

Northgate Boulevard was closed to traffic between Patio Avenue and San Juan Boulevard for several hours while officers investigated the accident, Carrasco said.

Call The Bee's Robert D. Dávila, (916) 321-1077.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The California Highway Patrol said a motorist whose pickup truck crossed into the opposite lane of Rio Linda Boulevard Thursday night, causing a collision that killed a woman, is suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The woman killed in the collision has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's department as Becky Rose Miller, 53, of Rio Linda.

The CHP said in a news release that Shara Cote, 34, of Rio Linda was driving her pickup southbound on Rio Linda Boulevard south of Elwyn Avenue about 9 p.m. Miller was traveling in the northbound direction on Rio Linda Boulevard.

By Bill Lindelof

blindelof@sacbee.com

A Truckee man with a long criminal history, including manslaughter, has been sent to prison under the state's "three-strikes" law.

Douglas Harold Doyle (left), 51, whose past crimes including an alcohol-related vehicular manslaughter conviction in which a Tahoe City schoolteacher was killed, was sent to prison for 25 years to life, according to a news release from the Placer County District Attorney's Office.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of drunk driving and was sentenced Feb. 2 by Placer County Superior Court Judge Colleen Nichols.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A suspected drunken driver allegedly rammed an Auburn police car twice after he nearly entered the freeway in the wrong direction.

Police said that about 10:30 p.m. Thursday, a man driving an older Chevrolet pickup northwest on Lincoln Way in Old Town Auburn failed to stop at a stop sign at Maple Street. At that point, the driver turned west onto the eastbound Interstate 80 offramp.

Auburn Police Sgt. Dale Hutchins said he observed the driver's actions and activated his emergency lights. The officer also positioned his vehicle behind the pickup as the man made a U-turn on the onramp.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Former Sacramento Kings basketball player Antoine Wright was sentenced today to three years of informal probation for a Nov. 5 drunken driving arrest in Rocklin. (Photo at left is courtesy of the Placer County Sheriff's Department.)

Wright, 26, who was not present at the sentencing, was also given a 15-day jail sentence by Placer County Superior Curt Judge Alan Pineschi. The judge said Wright could apply for sentencing such as a work project or home detention, according to a Placer County District Attorney's Office news release. Pineschi also imposed a $450 fine.

Wright's attorney, William Portanova, entered a plea of no contest for his client to a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento firefighters in midtown were called upon to subdue a knife-wielding robbery suspect on Wednesday night, police said today.

Sacramento police gave this account:

At about 6:30 p.m. a man was suspected of hiding a bottle of brandy in his pants and then attempting to leave the Rite Aid store, 1125 Alhambra Blvd., without paying. Confronted by a store-loss prevention employee, he fought the employee.

The man is alleged to have pulled out a knife and tried to stab the store employee. He then began to run and allegedly hit another store employee with the brandy bottle, police said.

The man fled to a nearby fire station at 3145 Granada Way where firefighters were busy working on equipment maintenance, police said. The firefighters confronted the man who is alleged to have pulled the knife on them. The man tried to stab a fire captain before he was subdued, police said.

Douglas Lee Chinn, 35, was booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a fireman and robbery, police said.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Woodland police arrested three drunk drivers on New Year's Eve and early today, including one who crashed into a pole, according to authorities.

A total of 18 officers were assigned to patrol during a saturation effort designed to cut down on holiday drunk driving between 5 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. today. They booked three suspected drunk drivers, including Jorge Hernandez, 40, of Woodland.

Police allege that at 3:40 a.m. a California Highway Patrol Officer reported an automobile accident at County Road 102 and Maxwell Avenue. Woodland police responded to investigate the scene where they said Hernandez crashed into a signal light at the southeast corner of the intersection.

Woodland police also arrested four people suspected of being drunk in public, one for vandalism and one for transportation of a controlled substance and possessing a switchblade.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The Sacramento Police Department has been awarded a $500,000 grant to stop drunk driving.

Sacramento has the highest rate of fatal and injury crashes based on population and average number of miles driven among the state's largest cities, police said.

The grant from the state Office of Traffic safety will allow brief screening, education and intervention of DUI offenders at the jail. First-time drunk drivers will be asked to participate in an assessment of their drinking and driving before being released.

The goal of the year-long program is to find out if the jailhouse intervention and follow-up assessments can change driving behavior and stem the number of repeat drunk driving offenders.

The grant will also fund a media campaign targeting young adults. Alcohol-related traffic crashes remain the single greatest cause of death among teens and young adults, police said.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

By Bee Staff

The holiday period DUI checkpoints in the Sacramento area are part of several years of federally funded anti-DUI efforts statewide, administered through the Office of Traffic Safety to local and state law enforcement, DAs, courts and other agencies.

Here is a list of grants in the Sacramento area:

2009-2010

-California State Fair Police - $50,000.

-Citrus Heights Police Department - $213, 276.

-Elk Grove Police Department - $160,000.

-Folsom Police Department - $160,000.

-Rancho Cordova Police Department - $116,000.

-Sacramento Police Department - $670,500.

-Sacramento County DA/Courts - $999,164.

-Elk Grove DUI mini-grant - $33,223.

-Citrus Heights DUI mini-grant - $37,835.

-Sacramento DUI mini-grant - $100,648.

-South Lake Tahoe Avoid DUI Campaign - $321,513.

-South Lake Tahoe DUI mini-grant - $27,524.

2010-2011

-Sacramento County DA/Courts & Probation - $616,000.

-Sacramento Police Department - $1 million.

-Citrus Heights/Sacramento County Avoid Campaign - $243,500.

-Citrus Heights Police Department - $230,000.

-Folsom - $150,000 (not all DUI related).

-Rancho Cordova - $240,000 (not all DUI related).

-Sacramento DUI mini-grant - $98,460.

-Galt DUI mini-grant - $8,607.

-West Sacramento DUI mini-grant - $16,862.

-Lincoln Avoid DUI Campaign - $454,000.

-West Sacramento DUI mini-grant - $16,862.

-Placer County Probation - $67,904.

-Roseville DUI mini-grant - $20,162.

In addition, the federal government through the Office of Traffic Safety is funding three-year anti-DUI efforts in Citrus Heights, South Lake Tahoe, Lincoln and Davis.

Federal funds also are helping fund a pilot program in four counties, including Sacramento County, for ignition interlock devices for first-time DUI offenders. A driver has to blow into the device and if his or her breath doesn't record a zero blood-alcohol reading, the vehicle's engine will not start.

By Bee Staff

A California appeals court has upheld the conviction of Roberto P. Vellanoweth (photo left at his trial), a once-prominent state executive and gubernatorial appointee, for a fatal DUI crash in Sacramento that killed four people in 2007.

Vellanoweth was sentenced to 17 years and 8 months for on four counts of gross vehicular manslaughter and two counts of drunken driving leading to great bodily injury.

On March 26, 2007, Vellanoweth, now 66, crashed his Jeep Grand Cherokee into another car and killed Brizchelle Rice-Nash, 21, her 19-month-old son, Kamall Osby, her sister Brittanya Rice-Nash, 17, and family friend Shanice Patrice Carter, 18. A fifth teenage victim survived the crash but suffered extensive internal injuries.

According to trial testimony, Vellanoweth was speeding at 72 miles per hour on the rain-slickened South Land Park Drive near Wymore Way when he hit the other car. Testimony showed he was impaired by a blood-alcohol reading measured several hours later at 0.16. A minimum reading of 0.08 is considered legally impaired.

Vellanoweth's appeal for clemency form Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is pending.

The link below is the 3rd District Court of Appeal's ruling on Vellanoweth's petition. (Warning: The ruling quotes trial testimony that contains obscenities.)

opn.3rd.pdf