Petaluma man arrested on fourth DUI

A Petaluma police officer late Monday followed tire tracks through landscaping, a trail of vegetation and automotive fluid to a parked car and its driver, who was arrested on suspicion of driving drunk, police said.

The driver of the white Ford Mustang, Victor Luis Rodriguez, 30, was parked outside a convenience store on North McDowell Boulevard. The car had large pieces of vegetation in the undercarriage, Petaluma traffic Sgt. Ron Klein said.

A trail of plants and automotive fluid led back toward the parking lot at Orchard Supply Hardware on Old Redwood Highway, Klein said.

Rodriguez, who got out of the car as officers approached and struggled to keep his balance, told officers he’d consumed as many as a dozen beers before leaving a friend’s house in the car, according to police. A preliminary test showed Rodriguez had a blood-alcohol level of 0.16, or double the legal limit, Klein said.

Rodriguez was arrested at about midnight Monday on suspicion of felony probation violation, felony drunken driving and driving with a suspended license. He has three prior DUI convictions, in 2007, 2009 and 2012, according to police.

He remained in the Sonoma County Jail on Tuesday without bail.