Driver arrested on drug charges after fleeing Santa Rosa police

Santa Rosa police chased and arrested a man who turned out to have a pound of methamphetamine on the driver’s seat of his car Friday, a police sergeant said.

The pursuit began when a patrol officer attempted to stop a white Nissan Altima for a traffic violation about 3 p.m. in the area of Hoen Avenue and Cypress Way, Sgt. Rich Celli said in a press release.

The car, occupied by two men, fled with the officer giving chase, police said. The pursuit lasted about five minutes, ending at Occidental and Fulton roads when the Nissan encountered slow traffic, Celli said.

The occupants fled on foot in opposite directions, and officers chased down the driver on the eastbound shoulder of Occidental Road, where he was arrested without incident. The other man was not found.

The driver had about a half-ounce of methamphetamine in his pocket and the larger amount was on the car seat, Celli said.

Martin Romero Rodriguez, 25, of Santa Rosa was arrested and booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of possessing more than a pound of methamphetamine for the purpose of sales, transporting narcotics, felony evading, resisting arrest and driving on a suspended license. He was also held on a felony arrest warrant.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Santa Rosa police at 707-543-3600.

You can reach Staff Writer Guy Kovner at 707-521-5457 or guy.kovner@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @guykovner.