Arizona couple suspected of DUI after day of wine tasting in Sonoma County

A couple visiting Sonoma County from Arizona this week went to the county jail on suspicion of drunken driving after one took over for the other behind the wheel following an afternoon of wine tasting, the CHP said.

Officers were alerted to a possible drunken driver late Monday afternoon by a concerned citizen. The citizen called 911 to say they were watching a Chrysler sedan on Dry Creek Road weaving into the opposing lane and almost hitting other vehicles, CHP Officer Jon Sloat said in a release.

The citizen followed the sedan onto Highway 101 and watched as the driver took the Arata Lane exit in Windsor and pulled into a parking lot. There, she switched places with a male passenger, and the man then began driving south on the highway, still followed by the citizen, Sloat said.

CHP officers caught up to the sedan on River Road, followed it and pulled the driver over on Hopper Avenue in north Santa Rosa, Sloat said.

Driver Danny Miller, 60, of Glendale told officers he’d taken over driving because the woman who had been driving, Cheryl Buahnik, 51, also of Glendale, had been drinking more than he had.

Miller also told officers they’d gone to wineries on Dry Creek Road and were headed to Napa.

Miller failed sobriety tests and was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving. Buahnik, who police said also appeared to be intoxicated, was arrested based on the citizen’s information.

Sloat encouraged drivers who spot dangerous driving to call 911 and alert officers. Such cellphone calls while driving are legal, he said.

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