Holiday arrests of suspected DUI drivers in Sonoma County total 123

Law enforcement officers focusing on drivers who were drunk or under the influence of drugs arrested 123 people in Sonoma County during a holiday DUI enforcement campaign that stretched from December 18 through Sunday night.

The total dropped from 152 drivers arrested in the same time period last year, according to Santa Rosa police Sgt. Mike Numainville, who coordinated the enforcement. In 2014, officers arrested 94 drivers during the holidays.

During the New Year’s Day holiday weekend, CHP officers in Sonoma County arrested 13 drivers, equaling last year’s total for the same extended weekend, CHP Officer Jon Sloat said in an email.

One of those arrested was a 17-year-old Santa Rosa girl. She was suspected of driving drunk and attempting to evade pursuing CHP officers by racing away when officers attempted to pull her over on Stony Point Road at about 2:45 a.m. Saturday.

The two-mile chase ended on Todd Road when the driver stopped and a male passenger attempted to run from the car. Officers held him at gunpoint and the driver and three other passengers were detained.

The driver, who doesn’t have a driver’s license, appeared to be drunk and failed sobriety tests, Sloat said. She was arrested on suspicion of DUI, reckless evasion and driving without a license. The four male teens in her car also were intoxicated and were released to adults.

The long holiday DUI enforcement effort is an ongoing program organized by the county’s 13 law enforcement agencies. The next round of increased DUI enforcement is planned during February’s Super Bowl weekend and again around St. Patrick’s Day in March.

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