Full Notification

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday, December 17, 2011

AVOID the 13 Sonoma County DUI Task Force
DUI/DL CHECKPOINT RESULTS
Operation Conducted on State Route 12 in City of Sonoma

Sonoma, California – On Friday night, December 16, 2011, between the hours of 6:00pm and 12:30am Saturday morning, the AVOID the 13 Sonoma County DUI Task Force conducted two DUI and Driver’s License Checkpoints in the City of Sonoma. The two checkpoints were set up to screen NB and SB drivers on State Route 12 (Sonoma Highway) at Lomita Lane in Sonoma. The purpose of these checkpoint operations was to inform the motoring public of the dangers associated with impaired driving and to take enforcement action against impaired drivers and those people driving with a suspended license or no license at all.

A total of 1,977 vehicles passed through the two checkpoints. Of the vehicles through the checkpoints, 1,967 were screened by officers for signs of DUI and license checks. A total of 78 drivers were directed into a nearby parking area for further contact with officers for either DUI evaluation or drivers license checks. Of the drivers directed off the line for further evaluation, officers arrested and cited 12 drivers. Of those arrested, 2 drivers were arrested for DUI, 1 driver was arrested for evading a police officer, 2 were arrested for driving on a suspended license, and 7 were arrested for driving without ever having been issued a license. A total of 5 vehicles were towed, and 2 were impounded for 30 days from suspended drivers.

The first DUI arrest occurred at about 8:30pm, when Helen Gettman, age 58, from Sonoma, entered the checkpoint SB and showed signs of alcohol intoxication. She was directed to the secondary screening area and a subsequent DUI investigation resulted in her arrest with a BAC of .10%. Gettman was later released on a citation to appear and her vehicle was towed.

The second arrest occurred at approximately 9:00pm, when Peter Belsley, age 58, from Windsor entered the checkpoint traveling SB on State Route 12 when he realized he was entering the checkpoint. He made an illegal u-turn through a large cone pattern striking cones as he proceeded NB. A Petaluma Police Motorcycle Officer saw him traveling NB with a cone stuck under his vehicle and began to pursue him for an enforcement stop. Belsley failed to yield to the emergency lights and siren and continued NB on Highway 12 traveling under the posted speed limit. Officers continued their pursuit for approximately nine minutes before the driver finally stopped. Belsley told the officers he did not feel he had to go through the checkpoint and when the officers were chasing him he did not feel like he had to stop because he did not do anything wrong. Belsley had been drinking but was under the legal limit. He had a prior for not stopping for a Santa Rosa Police Motor Officer who tried to stop him for a moving violation a couple of months prior. Belsley was on active probation from that case. Belsley was arrested for evading a police officer and booked at County Jail. The vehicle he was driving was towed.

At 11:05pm, Gabriel Baum entered the checkpoint NB from downtown Sonoma. He had been drinking and a subsequent DUI investigation resulted in his arrest with a BAC .10%. He was later released on a citation to appear and his vehicle was towed.

Enforcement results from the county-wide efforts for the Avoid the 13 Sonoma County DUI Task Force will be reported later today when the 13 agencies report their arrest and alcohol involved collision numbers.

Funding for this program and the AVOID the 13 DUI Task Force has been provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.





# # #

ADOID the 13 Sonoma County DUI Task Force - The Petaluma Police Department serves as the lead agency for the regional DUI enforcement efforts in Sonoma County to reduce alcohol-involved fatalities and injuries and raise public awareness regarding the problems associated with drinking and driving. Participating agencies include Police Departments from the cities of Cloverdale, Cotati, Healdsburg, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Sonoma, Windsor, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department, Sonoma County Probation Department, Sonoma State University Police Department, Santa Rosa Junior College Police Department, ABC, MADD, the California Highway Patrol, and State Parks. Grant funded activities include DUI checkpoints, DUI saturation patrols, DUI Task Force Operations and Warrant/Court Sting operations for repeat DUI offenders during the Memorial Day, Fourth of July, August-Labor Day Mobilization, Winter Holiday Mobilization, and other designated Special Events and holidays with identified DUI problems. AVOID the 13 is a collaborative enforcement and education effort between the 13 law enforcement agencies in Sonoma County. For further information go to www.californiaavoid.org.

CONTACT: Sergeant Ken Savano
Petaluma Police Department – Traffic Unit
707.778.4596 office 707.481.3567 cell
Email: [email protected]

# # #