DUI Round-Up, 27 Arrests in October 2014
In October 2014 officers from the Santa Barbara Police Department made 27 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.
10/2/14 at 7:01 p.m.: Fabian Roberto Vega-Huerta (age 42) was involved in a minor collision outside the Santa Barbara Brewhouse at 229 W. Montecito Street. Prior to the accident Vega-Huerta was a customer at the restaurant and was overheard by several patrons and staff stating that he was planning on driving home, which gave rise to concern due to his level of intoxication. One of the staff attempted to get Vega-Huerta to take a taxi, going so far as calling one to the location. The taxi arrived however Vega-Huerta refused to take it, instead getting into his own vehicle and colliding with the car parked directly in front of it. While Vega-Huerta exchanged information with the other vehicle’s owner, a citizen attempted to remove Vega-Huerta’s car key from the ignition but accidently broke the key off in the mechanism. The vehicle apparently could no longer be turned off. Several witnesses attempted to convince Vega-Huerta not to drive, however were unsuccessful. Police were called and arrived after Huerta drove away from the scene. Officer Garcia obtained Vega-Huerta’s home address by running his vehicle’s license plate number and responded there. Vega-Huerta’s car was found in the street running with the trunk wide open. Officer Garcia contacted Vega-Huerta who told him that he had consumed three pints of beer while at the Brewhouse. Officer Garcia conducted a DUI investigation and determined that Vega-Huerta was far too intoxicated to safely operate a motor vehicle. Vega-Huerta was placed under arrest and he chose to submit to a breath test, providing three breath samples which registered his BAC at .30, .26, and .28 respectively. Huerta was issued a citation for DUI and released to his sober wife.
10/4/14 at 6:34 p.m.: Fernando Avalos (age 36) was involved in a hit-and-run collision on 1100 E. Montecito Street that was witnessed by several citizens who called 9-1-1. Officer Freytag and Officer Gaston responded to investigate. Officer Freytag located Avalos walking away from the scene of the collision, unsteady on his feet and staggering. Officer Freytag contacted Avalos and smelled a strong odor of alcohol coming from him. Avalos started speaking to Officer Freytag, however due to Avalos’s level of intoxication Officer Freytag was unable to determine what he was saying. Officer Freytag saw that Avalos’s vehicle had significant passenger side damage consistent with being involved in the aforementioned collision. Avalos was uncooperative and refused to perform any of field sobriety tests. Based on the collision and Avalos’s level of intoxication, he was placed under arrest for DUI. Avalos refused to provide a sample of his breath or blood even after being read a formal admonishment. Officer Freytag obtained a search warrant to obtain a blood sample from Avalos, by force if necessary, and then transported Avalos to County Jail where a blood sample was taken and submitted to the Department of Justice laboratory for analysis. Avalos’s BAC was .19. Avalos was booked into County Jail for DUI, hit & run, and being an unlicensed driver.
10/4/14 at 10:15 p.m.: Rosa Marie Medina (age 45) was involved in a hit-and-run collision when she collided with four parked vehicles in the area of 1500 Chino Street. Officer Rosenberg and Officer Garcia were several blocks away when they heard the collisions occur and were advised by dispatch moments later that the suspect vehicle was a Chrysler 300. Medina was located near the collision scene in her vehicle. Officer Rosenberg noticed that she appeared lethargic and intoxicated. Medina stated that she had taken too much medication prior to driving, that she was unaware that she had been involved in any collisions, and that she had not consumed any alcohol in over ten hours. Officer Rosenberg conducted a DUI investigation while several other officers investigated the four collisions. Officer Rosenberg determined that Medina was far too intoxicated to operate a motor vehicle and placed her under arrest for DUI. Medina submitted to a breath test which registered her BAC at .20 and .19. Medina was booked into County Jail.
10/11/14 at 11:57 p.m.: Angel Paul Calderon (age 37) was stopped by Officer Ortega after she observed him driving with expired registration tabs on his vehicle. Officer Ortega noticed that Calderon smelled of alcohol and was displaying signs of intoxication; she subsequently requested Drinking Driver Team Officer Denbrook respond to evaluate Calderon. Officer Denbrook arrived and contacted Calderon, who stated he had consumed two “tall cans” of beer prior to driving but that he did not feel any effect from the alcohol. Calderon then stated that he had also smoked some marijuana, but that he felt more effects from the beer than the marijuana. Officer Denbrook conducted a DUI investigation and determined that Calderon was too intoxicated to safely operate a motor vehicle. Calderon was placed under arrest for DUI and he submitted to a breath test which registered his BAC at .15 and .15. Calderon was also found to be driving on a suspended license and without proof of insurance; he was booked into County Jail.
10/12/14 at 1:41 a.m.: Michael Glen Johnson (age 54) was the subject of a 9-1-1 call when citizens observed him passed out in his truck in the middle of the roadway on the 1900 block of Meigs Road. Officer Santillan, Officer Ford, and Sgt. Feller responded and found Johnson hunched over in the driver seat with key in the ignition. A cooler full of beers was in the bed of his truck. Officers were able to wake Johnson and noticed that his speech was slurred and that he appeared highly intoxicated. Johnson needed help exiting his vehicle and was unable to stand without assistance due to his extreme level of intoxication. A records check revealed that Johnson is currently on probation for DUI with a suspended driver’s license. Due to his level of intoxication Johnson was unable to safely perform field sobriety tests; he was placed under arrest for DUI. Johnson refused to submit to a chemical test prompting Officer Santillan to obtain a search warrant for a blood sample. The blood sample was obtained at County Jail and sent to the Department of Justice laboratory; it was analyzed and Johnson’s BAC registered .27. Johnson was booked into County Jail for DUI, violation of probation, and driving on a suspended license.
10/12/14 at 2:01 a.m.: Salem Aziel Mackintosh (age 22) was involved in a collision when he drove onto the sidewalk and collided with two unattended bicycles on the 100 block of State Street. Several officers arrived on scene to assist with the collision and Drinking Driver Team Officer Denbrook was requested to evaluate Mackintosh for DUI. Officer Denbrook arrived, contacted Mackintosh, and observed that he displayed symptoms of intoxication. He noticed that Mackintosh smelled strongly of alcohol, had bloodshot watery eyes, and was unsteady on his feet. Mackintosh stated that he had consumed one 12-ounce beer prior to driving and denied any other alcohol consumption. Officer Denbrook had Mackintosh perform several field sobriety tests and eventually determined that Mackintosh was too intoxicated to safely operate a motor vehicle. Mackintosh was placed under arrest for DUI and was advised of his requirement to provide a sample of his breath or blood. Mackintosh refused to provide a sample of his breath or blood even after being read the formal chemical test admonishment that his driver’s license would be suspended for one year for refusing. He continued to refuse to submit to a chemical test. Officer Denbrook subsequently obtained a search warrant to obtain a blood sample from Mackintosh, by force if necessary. Officer Denbrook transported Mackintosh to County Jail and obtained a blood sample from Mackintosh. The blood sample was submitted to the Department of Justice laboratory for analysis. Mackintosh’s BAC was .12. Mackintosh was booked into County Jail for DUI.
Address/Location
Santa Barbara Police Department
215 East Figueroa Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-897-2300
Sergeant Riley L. Harwood
Public Information Officer
[email protected]
805-897-2320