Two women were arrested Saturday in Sebastopol on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs after separate incidents involving hit-and-run crashes, Sebastopol police said.
Vanessa Bardella, 45, of Sebastopol was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs. The arrest occurred after she was identified by a driver who said Bardella had struck a parked vehicle and fled the crash, which occurred shortly before noon. A CHP officer had stopped Bardella based on a description of the vehicle that left the crash, according to a Sebastopol police news release. Officials also had received reports of a similar vehicle that was speeding and being driven recklessly.
The second woman, Tina Prange, 48, of Santa Rosa was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. Her arrest came after a man contacted Sebastopol police shortly before 5:30 p.m. to report a crash and a driver who drove away.
The man followed Prange and provided dispatchers with updates on his locations. After police stopped Prange's vehicle, she "nearly backed over a motorcycle officer," officials said. Both women were booked into the Sonoma County Jail.
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