Police: Santa Rosa man arrested for drunken driving had multiple DUIs

Police arrested a Santa Rosa man Friday afternoon on suspicion of crashing his car into another vehicle while intoxicated.

Around 6:40 p.m., police responded to reports of an injury collision at the intersection of Farmers Lane and Vallejo Street. Upon arrival, officers noticed one of the drivers, Matthew Wilton, 46, of Santa Rosa, appeared to be intoxicated, according to a police report.

After completing field sobriety tests, police determined Wilton had a blood alcohol content of 0.28%, more than three times the legal limit, police said.

“We assume he was driving south” on Farmers Lane, said Sgt. Patricia Seffens, who added that Wilton was “unable to communicate” to them what had happened.

The driver of the other car, an adult female, didn’t see Wilton until he collided with her in the intersection, Seffens added. That driver was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.

Wilton, on felony probation from three prior DUI convictions within the previous 10 years, was taken to jail and booked on five charges. They are felony DUI causing injury; felony DUI causing injury with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or higher; felony DUI for having more than 3 DUI convictions in the previous 10 years; felony DUI for for having prior felony convictions; and felony violation of probation, according to the report.

Northbound traffic on Farmers Lane was closed for approximately one hour while the investigation was conducted and vehicles removed.

You can reach Staff Writer Austin Murphy at austin.murphy@pressdemocrat.com or on Twitter @ausmurph88.