Lake Sonoma boat crash leads to suspected felony DUI arrest

A Rohnert Park man, suspected of drunken boat driving, was arrested Saturday night at Lake Sonoma after deputies responded to a report of a boat crash, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies in a patrol boat were called at 8:30 p.m. about a crash and found a power boat on the shoreline northeast of the Lake Sonoma dam, said sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Crum in a news release.

A 35-year-old passenger from the boat had cuts to his face, chest and one arm, and deputies boated him to the marina where an ambulance was waiting and the Rohnert Park man was treated by paramedics.

Boat driver Rosali Vasquez, 52, told deputies the boat crashed into the shoreline because of mechanical difficulties, Crum said. Witnesses told deputies they’d seen people pouring beer out of the boat, said Crum.

The boat driver failed sobriety tests and was arrested on suspicion of felony boating under the influence. He was booked into the Sonoma County Jail and later released after posting bond for $10,000 bail.

The crash remained under investigation Monday.

- Randi Rossmann