CHP cites 72 in speeding crackdown near Petaluma, Santa Rosa

CHP officials reported that 72 people were cited for speeding during holiday speed enforcement patrols Saturday and Sunday near Petaluma and Santa Rosa.

The enforcement efforts, which used LIDAR speed detectors, targeted Sonoma County roadways deemed dangerous because of speeding drivers.

On Saturday, a team of five officers were stationed at Lakeville Highway, one of the county’s most dangerous strips. Officials said 31 drivers were cited for speeding, including a 23-year-old Petaluma resident who was clocked at 88 mph as he made an illegal passing move on the highway just east of Old Lakeville No. 3 Road.

On Sunday, a team of six CHP officers and one sergeant were posted at Todd Road. Officers cited 41 people for speeding, including a 21-year-old Santa Rosa man who was stopped for traveling 92 mph in a 2008 Infinity M35. Silvano Torres Nuñez, who CHP officials said tried to use false identification, was arrested for an outstanding no-bail felony warrant issued in Sonoma County. Nuñez also did not have a driver’s license.

CHP officials said most collisions in Sonoma County are caused by speeding motorists. The special LIDAR patrols were conducted in conjunction with the CHP’s “maximum enforcement period” during the holiday weekend.

CHP officials said that beyond the special enforcement patrols, officers will be looking out for speeders and impaired drivers during the rest of the weekend.