Full Notification

In April 2015 officers from the Santa Barbara Police Department made 38 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 April’s cases.

4/5/15 at 12:29 p.m.: Diana Candice Collier (age 55) was involved in a non-injury traffic collision when she collided with a parked car in a parking lot on 1900 Cliff Drive. Officer Radujko responded and was told by a witness that Collier appeared drunk. Officer Radujko contacted Collier and saw that she appeared very intoxicated. Collier refused to perform any field sobriety tests, however acknowledged that she had been drinking gin since 8:00 a.m. Officer Radujko placed Collier under arrest for DUI and she chose to submit to a breath test which registered her BAC at .32 and .30. Collier was issued a citation for DUI and admitted into the Sobering Center.

4/11/15 at 12:53 a.m.: Robert Edwin Burns (age 25) was involved in an injury collision on the 1400 block of E. Cabrillo Boulevard when he collided with a tree. Officer Denbrook responded to the collision and spoke with Burns and his passenger while they were being treated by AMR paramedics. Officer Denbrook noticed that Burns smelled strongly of alcohol and was displaying symptoms of intoxication. Officer Denbrook conducted a DUI investigation, during which Burns initially denied consuming alcohol prior to driving, but eventually admitted to consuming four drinks of whiskey and beer prior to the crash. Burns was initially cooperative, but after a few field sobriety tests refused to cooperate with the remainder of the investigation. Officer Denbrook determined that Burns was too intoxicated to safely operate a motor vehicle and placed him under arrest for DUI. Burns chose to submit to a blood test which registered his BAC at .21. Burns was booked into County Jail for DUI resulting in injury, a felony.

4/19/15 at 12:35 a.m.: Raul Taboada Sanjuan (age 27) was involved in a collision when he collided with two parked vehicles on the 1900 block of Chino Street. Officer Beltran was nearby, heard the sound of the collision, and responded to the scene. Officer Beltran contacted Sanjuan who was backing his car in the roadway and immediately noticed that Sanjuan had slurred speech, smelled strongly of alcohol, and appeared intoxicated. Sanjuan stated that he had been driving home when his vehicle’s tire suddenly stopped working; however he denied being involved in a collision. Officer Beltran requested a Drinking Driver Team unit and Officer Jan arrived to conduct the investigation. He contacted Sanjuan who stated that he had consumed two margaritas prior to driving and said he did not remember being involved in a collision. Officer Jan discovered that Sanjuan is on probation for DUI and has a suspended license. Officer Jan determined that Sanjuan was far too intoxicated to safely operate a motor vehicle and arrested him for DUI. Sanjuan chose to submit to a breath test which registered his BAC at .20, .24, and .25. Sanjuan was issued a citation for DUI, suspended license, and violation of probation. He was admitted into the Sobering Center.

4/24/15 at 1:28 a.m.: Shanies Thalia Hernandez Calderon (age 22) was stopped by Airport Patrol Officer Rauch for driving through a red light at the intersection of Hollister Avenue and Frederick Lopez Road. He noticed that she was displaying symptoms of intoxication and requested an officer to assist; Drinking Driver Team Officer Denbrook arrived to conduct the investigation. He contacted Calderon and noticed that she smelled strongly of alcohol and was unsteady on her feet. Calderon stated that she was “drunk.” She said she had been drinking at Mel’s Bar downtown and estimated that she had consumed six pints of 805 beer prior to driving. When asked what effects she felt from the alcohol Calderon replied, “Just a little bit of buzz”. Officer Denbrook determined that Calderon was too intoxicated to safely operate a motor vehicle and placed her under arrest for DUI. She chose to submit to a breath test which registered her BAC at .23 and .22. Calderon was booked into County Jail for DUI.

4/25/15 at 2:13 a.m.: Ahmad Ali G Alsenani (age 26) was observed by Officer Tonello driving the wrong way on the 900 block of Bath Street, a one-way street. Officer Tonello activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop however Alsenani drove several blocks and into a parking lot prior to yielding. Officer Tonello contacted Alsenani and became concerned that he was impaired. Drinking Driver Team Officer Denbrook responded to conduct a DUI investigation. Officer Denbrook noticed that Alsenani was smoking a cigarette and had just put gum into his mouth as he contacted him. Officer Denbrook had Alsenani step out of his vehicle and after the gum and cigarette were removed, noticed that Alsenani smelled of alcohol and displayed other symptoms of intoxication. Alsenani initially denied consuming alcohol, however later admitted to drinking some sweet wine prior to driving. Officer Denbrook had Alsenani perform several field sobriety tests which he failed to successfully complete. Alsenani was placed under arrest for DUI and he chose to submit to a breath test which registered his BAC at .14 and .15. Alsenani was booked into County Jail.

4/25/15 at 11:46 p.m.: Nicholas Antoni Behmke (age 23) was the subject of numerous 9-1-1 calls when he was involved in a hit-and-run collision at the intersection of San Andres Street and Carrillo Street. A citizen reported that Behmke’s vehicle had stalled at the intersection of Meigs Road and Island View Drive. Officer Melchor arrived on scene and detained Behmke, who admitted to being the driver in the collision. Officer Melchor immediately noticed that Behmke displayed signs of intoxication and requested Drinking Driver Team Officer Denbrook to respond. Officer Denbrook noticed that Behmke was unsteady on his feet and smelled of alcohol. Behmke said he had consumed three to four glasses of beer at approximately 2:00 p.m. that day. Officer Denbrook had Behmke perform several field sobriety tests and determined that Behmke’s level of impairment was the primary contributing factor for the collision and likely a motivating factor in fleeing the scene of the collision. Behmke was placed under arrest for DUI and he refused to submit to a chemical test. Officer Denbrook transported Behmke to County Jail and while there obtained a search warrant for a sample of Behmke’s blood. A blood draw was performed and the sample was sent to the Department of Justice Laboratory for analysis, which showed Behmke’s BAC to be .18. Behmke became uncooperative during the booking process; he was booked into County Jail for DUI, hit-and-run, unlicensed driver, and resisting or delaying an officer.

4/25/15 at 11:00 p.m.: Collin Kendall Gall (age 25) drove through a DUI checkpoint on the 800 block of E. Haley Street. Officer Washington contacted Gall at his window and noticed that he showed signs of intoxication. When asked how much alcohol he had consumed Gall replied, “I had four beers with dinner.” Gall was directed to the investigation area where Officer Washington had him perform several field sobriety tests. Officer Washington determined that Gall was far too intoxicated to safely operate a motor vehicle and arrested him for DUI. Gall chose to submit to a breath test which registered his BAC at .25 and .25. Gall was issued a citation for DUI.