Windsor man goes from court to jail for driving without license

A 48-year-old Windsor man was jailed Monday after police conducting a sting operation said he tried to evade arrest driving away from the Sonoma County Courthouse without a valid license.

John Calegari was booked on suspicion of felony evasion of a peace officer and driving a motorcycle without a license. His bail was set at $30,000.

Calegari was among 15 people followed Monday by Santa Rosa and Petaluma police officers in a “DUI court sting operation,” seeking to catch motorists leaving court and driving without a valid license. All 15 earlier had appeared in court and been told by a judge not to drive motor vehicles, according to a press release from the Sonoma County DUI Task Force.

Most complied with the order, but two did not. Brian Steven Diaz, 21, of Sonoma, was stopped by officers and cited on suspicion of driving on a suspended license.

When Calegari left the courthouse on a motorcycle, officers also tried to stop him, but he fled, according to the press release, at speeds reaching 100 mph in Windsor.

Officers ended the chase and later arrested Calegari at his home.

The sting operation was funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.