Full Notification

In July 2014 officers from the Santa Barbara Police Department made 47 arrests for driving under the influence violations. Arrests are made each month when concerned citizens call 9-1-1 after witnessing possible DUI drivers. The SBPD would like to thank the responsible citizens who take the time to call and report suspected drunk drivers. The following is information on a few of last month’s cases.

7/1/14 at 10:00 p.m.: Javier Martinez-Gomez (age 24) was involved in a collision in the area of Santa Barbara Street and Cota Street when he rear-ended another vehicle. Officer Battaglia was dispatched to the location and when she arrived she found Martinez-Gomez and another male pushing a disabled vehicle down the street. Initially both men stated that they had not been driving the car, however Martinez-Gomez later admitted to doing so. Martinez-Gomez said that he had been driving eastbound on Cota Street when he fell asleep, waking when he collided with another vehicle. Officer Battaglia noticed that Martinez-Gomez appeared intoxicated and Martinez-Gomez stated that he had consumed six to eight 12-ounce beers prior to driving. Officer Battaglia later discovered that Martinez-Gomez had his girlfriend and his 6-month old infant in his car at the time of the collision. Officer Battaglia conducted a DUI investigation on Martinez-Gomez who refused to cooperate with any of the field sobriety tests, stating that he was drunk and that he wanted to be taken to jail. Officer Battaglia placed Martinez-Gomez under arrest for DUI and for child endangerment. Martinez-Gomez chose to submit to a breath test which registered his BAC at .18 and .18. Martinez-Gomez was booked into County Jail for DUI, child endangerment, and driving without a license.

7/10/14 at 1:29 a.m.: Lillian Elizabeth Bair (age 24) was stopped by Drinking Driver Team Officer Denbrook on the 700 block of Santa Barbara Street for having an inoperable light on her vehicle. Upon contact Officer Denbrook noticed that Bair displayed symptoms of intoxication and nervously attempted to avoid making eye contact with him. Concerned that Bair was too intoxicated to safely operate a motor vehicle, Officer Denbrook had her exit her car in order to evaluate her. Bair initially stated that she had consumed one drink while at Old King’s Road Bar, however later clarified that she had one and a half glasses of chardonnay wine. Officer Denbrook conducted a DUI investigation and determined that Bair was far too intoxicated to safely drive. He placed Bair under arrest for DUI and she chose to submit to a breath test which registered her BAC at .20 and .20. Bair was booked into County Jail.

7/12/14 at 9:55 p.m.: Matthew Boyd LaBarre (age 61) was driving in the area of Anapamu Street and Alta Vista Road when he almost stuck Officer Hollis who was on foot directing traffic associated with a County Bowl concert that had just ended. Officer Hollis contacted LaBarre and immediately noticed that he displayed signs of intoxication. Drinking Driver Team Officer Denbrook subsequently responded to evaluate LaBarre. Officer Denbrook noticed that LaBarre was unsteady even while seated on the curb. LaBarre stated to Officer Denbrook, “I’m a little loaded, but not driving anymore tonight.” Officer Denbrook informed LaBarre that he would be conducting an investigation to determine if LaBarre was too intoxicated to drive, at which time LaBarre again reminded Officer Denbrook that he no longer planned on driving. LaBarre then informed Officer Denbrook that he does not drink. He stated that he had taken the prescription drug Zoloft earlier in the day but adamantly denied drinking. Officer Denbrook concluded his investigation and determined that LaBarre was indeed too intoxicated to safely operate a motor vehicle. LaBarre was arrested for DUI and he submitted to a breath test which registered his BAC at .21 and .22. LaBarre was booked into County Jail.

7/21/14 at 6:35 a.m.: Ulizes Jesus Lopez (age 23) was involved in a single vehicle collision when his car collided with a boulder in the area of Alameda Padre Serra and De La Guerra Street. Lopez and his passenger both received serious injuries in the collision and were transported to Cottage Hospital for treatment. Lopez displayed signs of alcohol intoxication so Officer Tudor responded there to conduct a DUI investigation. Officer Tudor contacted Lopez in the hospital and noticed that he smelled strongly of alcohol. Lopez, however, was unable to perform any field sobriety tests due to his injuries. Lopez stated that he had consumed two or three “swigs” of tequila around 1:00 a.m. Lopez said he felt “a little messed up”’ and not safe to drive home, so he and his passenger decided to sleep inside his car. At approximately 6:00 a.m. Lopez woke up and was driving his passenger home when he lost control of his vehicle. Lopez is currently on probation for DUI and was driving on a suspended license. As a condition of his probation Lopez was required to submit to a preliminary breath test which registered his BAC at .213. Lopez was placed under arrest for DUI causing injury, a felony. He submitted to an evidentiary breath test which registered his BAC at .19 and .19. Lopez was admitted into the hospital. The District Attorney’s Office has been asked to file a felony complaint charging Lopez with DUI causing injury and driving on a suspended license.

7/30/14 at 11:47 p.m.: Sergio Rivas (age 19) was stopped by Detective Ingram for driving the wrong way on the 1100 block of Anacapa Street, a one-way street. Detective Ingram contacted Rivas and observed signs of intoxication. Drinking Driver Team Officer Denbrook responded to conduct a DUI investigation. Officer Denbrook contacted Rivas and noticed that he smelled strongly of alcohol, was unsteady on his feet, and had bloodshot watery eyes. Rivas repeatedly denied consuming any alcohol. Officer Denbrook advised Rivas that the legal limit for someone under twenty-one years of age is zero and that by law he was required to submit to a preliminary breath test. Rivas provided a breath sample which indicated his BAC to be .198. Despite the preliminary breath test result, Rivas continued to deny having consumed any alcohol. Officer Denbrook had Rivas conduct several field sobriety tests which he failed to successfully complete. Rivas eventually admitted to drinking three beers prior to driving. Rivas was found to be too impaired to safely operate a motor vehicle and was placed under arrest for DUI. He chose to submit to an evidentiary breath test which registered his BAC at .17 and .18. Rivas was booked into County Jail for DUI.