Full Notification

In June 2015 officers from the Santa Barbara Police Department made 33 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 June’s cases.

6/7/15 at 8:34 p.m.: Megan Danielle Arce (age 25) was the subject of a 9-1-1 call when she collided with another vehicle on the 00 block of W. Cota Street, fled the scene, and later had to stop due to a flat tire. Officer Kamin contacted Arce two blocks from the collision, attempting to change her tire. Arce said she believed she collided with a curb and that is what caused her tire to go flat. Officer Kamin noticed that Arce smelled of alcohol and asked her about her alcohol consumption; Arce stated she had consumed one beer approximately 60 to 90 minutes prior to driving. Officer Kamin was concerned that Arce was too intoxicated to safely operate a motor vehicle and conducted a DUI investigation. Arce continued to state that she had only consumed one beer prior to driving. Following field sobriety tests Officer Kamin placed Arce under arrest for DUI. Arce chose to submit to a breath test which registered her BAC at .15 and .14. Arce was issued a citation for DUI and hit-and- run and admitted into the Sobering Center.

6/8/15 at 11:30 p.m.: Michael Unique Singh (age 41) was the subject of a call for service when he drove his car onto the railroad tracks at 200 W. Montecito Street and got stuck. Officer Tudor arrived on scene and observed Singh passed out in the driver’s seat of his car. His vehicle’s engine was on and the transmission was in drive. Officer Tudor woke Singh and instructed him turn the vehicle off while SBPD Dispatch contacted Amtrak to stop any incoming trains. Officer Tudor had Singh step out of his vehicle and noticed that Singh was very unsteady on his feet; additionally as he stepped out of his car his shorts fell to the ground. Singh stated that he had consumed a couple of drinks of Hennessey Cognac prior to driving. Officer Tudor conducted a DUI investigation and determined that Singh was far too intoxicated to safely operate a motor vehicle. Singh was placed under arrest and he chose to submit to a blood test which registered his BAC at .25. Singh was booked into County Jail for DUI.

6/12/15 at 12:06 a.m.: Blake Mitchell Hudson (age 23) drove his vehicle into a Driver’s License / DUI Checkpoint on the 400 block of Chapala Street. He was contacted by Officer Rapp who observed that Hudson displayed objective symptoms of intoxication. Hudson initially stated that he had not consumed any alcohol; however Officer Rapp noticed that he had a strong odor of alcohol, thick speech, and bloodshot watery eyes. Hudson was directed to the investigation area of the checkpoint and asked to step out of his vehicle. Upon further questioning Hudson stated that he had consumed one beer and one mixed drink prior to driving. Hudson performed several field sobriety tests and at the conclusion of the investigation Officer Rapp determined that Hudson was too intoxicated to safely operate a motor vehicle. Hudson was placed under arrest for DUI and he chose to submit to a breath test which registered his BAC at .24 and .25. Hudson was issued a citation for DUI and admitted into the Sobering Center.

6/12/15 at 12:07 a.m.: Jay Michael Larinan (age 21) drove his vehicle into a Driver’s License / DUI Checkpoint on the 400 block of Chapala Street. He was contacted by Officer Hunter who noticed that Larinan displayed objective symptoms of intoxication. Larinan said that he had been drinking and was directed to pull into the investigation area of the checkpoint. Officer Hunter conducted a DUI investigation, during which Larinan stated that he had consumed a “thing of beer” and a Long Island Ice Tea prior to driving. Larinan performed several field sobriety tests and at the conclusion of the investigation Officer Hunter determined that Larinan was too intoxicated to safely drive. Larinan was arrested for DUI and he chose to submit to a breath test which registered his BAC at .16 and .17. Larinan was issued a citation for DUI and admitted into the Sobering Center.

6/13/15 at 7:12 p.m.: Fernando Marco Alcaraz (age 25) was involved in an injury traffic collision at the intersection of Canon Perdido Street and Garden Street when he struck another vehicle while attempting to turn at a high rate of speed. Following the collision Alcaraz, along with his passenger, attempted to flee the scene on foot. Officer Denbrook responded and detained both subjects a half block away from the scene. Alcaraz was identified by multiple witnesses as the driver of the suspect vehicle; his passenger was found holding a t-shirt to a laceration on his forehead in an attempt to control the bleeding. Several other officers arrived to assist. Alcaraz displayed symptoms of intoxication, including an odor of alcohol and bloodshot eyes, and was found to be on probation for DUI. Officer Denbrook conducted a DUI investigation however Alcaraz refused to complete a required preliminary breath test, a requirement of his probation terms, and refused to cooperate with the investigation by refusing to complete any field sobriety tests or answer any questions. Based on the totality of the circumstances, Alcaraz was placed under arrest for DUI causing injury, hit and run, resisting or delaying an officer, and violation of probation. He refused to submit to a chemical test, which prompted Officer Denbrook to obtain a search warrant for a sample of Alcaraz’s blood. Alcaraz’s blood was drawn at County Jail and analysis found his BAC to be .17. Alcaraz was booked into County Jail on the aforementioned charges with a bail amount of $100,000.00.

6/14/15 at 4:28 p.m.: Bernabe Rodriguez Hernandez (age 55) was involved in a three-car injury traffic collision on 500 W. Mission Street when he rear-ended a vehicle starting a chain-reaction crash. Officer Ford and Officer Aijian arrived and were directed to Hernandez who was displaying significant symptoms of intoxication including a strong odor of alcohol, slurred speech, unstable balance, and an inability to follow basic instructions. Officer Ford conducted a DUI investigation during which Hernandez stated that he had consumed “a couple” of drinks prior to driving. Hernandez was far too intoxicated to safely perform field sobriety tests and was arrested by Officer Ford for DUI causing injury. He chose to submit to a breath test which registered his BAC at .27 and .26, more than three times the legal limit. Hernandez was found to be on probation for DUI and to have a suspended driver’s license. He was booked into County Jail for DUI causing injury, violation of probation, and driving on a suspended license with a bail amount of $100,000.00.

6/30/15 at 2:44 a.m.: Matthew Ray Morales (age 22) was involved in an injury traffic collision at the intersection of Wentworth Avenue and De La Guerra Street when he collided with a parked car, pushing that vehicle into another parked car and a street sign. Several officers responded to the scene. Officer Barriga contacted the driver, Morales, and his passenger. The passenger had injuries and was treated by paramedics. Morales’s explanation for the collision was that he was a “first time driver” and did not have a lot of experience driving. Officer Barriga noticed that Morales smelled of alcohol, had bloodshot watery eyes, and appeared to be intoxicated. Morales denied consuming any alcohol prior to driving. Morales refused to complete any field sobriety tests or cooperate with the investigation. Based on the collision and Morales’s objective symptoms of intoxication he was placed under arrest by Officer Barriga for DUI. Morales chose to submit to a breath test which registered his BAC at .20 and .21. Morales was booked into County Jail for DUI causing injury with a bail amount of $100,000.00.