Sonoma man suspected of DUI after head-on Santa Rosa crash

The crash closed Montgomery Drive for about two hours on Sunday night.|
YOUSEF BAIG
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

A Sonoma man was arrested on DUI charges Sunday night after a head-on crash in east Santa Rosa that knocked a car down an embankment and sent one person to the hospital.

Authorities suspect 69-year-old Jesse Esparza’s silver Nissan sedan drifted into oncoming traffic around 8:45 p.m. on Montgomery Drive near Spring Lake, and he collided with a black Honda sedan that was driving west, the Santa Rosa Police Department said in a statement.

The impact of the crash sent the Honda backward into a nearby ravine, police said. The driver was extricated from the vehicle by the Santa Rosa Fire Department and transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.

Esparza was uninjured, but showed signs of alcohol intoxication, police said. He was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and causing an injury.

You can reach Staff Writer Yousef Baig at 707-521-5390 or yousef.baig@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @YousefBaig.

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