Petaluma police: DUI suspect leaves crash, passes out near business

The driver told officers he didn’t recall crashing and thought his car had stalled, Petaluma police said.|
RANDI ROSSMANN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Petaluma police arrested a Santa Rosa driver suspected of driving drunk, crashing and then leaving his car.

Driver Carlos Ballejos Silva, 30, crashed about 9:20 p.m. Monday on North McDowell Boulevard at Redwood Way, police said in a statement. A witness told officers the driver hit the center median, disabling the car, which he then abandoned.

Officers found the car unoccupied on the east Petaluma thoroughfare and searched for the driver. After about 90 minutes they found a man who matched Silva’s description passed out, outside of a North McDowell Boulevard business, police said.

Silva failed sobriety tests, admitted he’d been drinking alcohol and told officers he thought his car had stalled but didn’t recall hitting the divider, police said.

Officers arrested Silva on suspicion of drunken driving and hit-and-run. He was booked into Sonoma County Jail on $10,000 bail.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707-521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter@rossmannreport.

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