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Merry-go-round leads back to jail

 

Sometimes the merry-go-round keeps turning so fast it's hard to get off.

That may have been how a 40-year-old Springs woman felt Aug. 19 as she stumbled along the shoulder of Sonoma Highway.

A patrolling Sheriff's deputy spotted her at 12:55 p.m. and stopped to confirm what his trained eyes were telling him. Engaging the woman in a chat, the deputy asked if she was on probation.

Her one word reply: "Usually."

A little further discussion revealed that the woman had, in fact, been released from jail the day before on a charge of public intoxication.

When the deputy asked how much she had just had to drink, the woman forthrightly responded, "Just a pint of vodka."

Given the woman's condition the deputy had no choice but to re-arrest her for public intoxication and probation violation. She was booked again into the county jail and the merry-go-round kept on turning.

In other events reported to local law enforcement:

Friday, Aug. 12:

11:31 p.m. - DUI with kids. A Sonoma police officer spotted a gray Honda Pilot northbound on Fifth Street West as it sailed through the stop sign at West Spain Street. The 42-year-old female driver was pulled over and told police she had consumed "a couple of glasses of wine in the park." In the back of the SUV were twin 6-year-old boys. The woman did poorly on field sobriety tests and blew a .129 on a preliminary blood alcohol test. Taken to the Sonoma Police Department, she then blew a .15 on the digitally-calibrated breath tester. She was cited for child endangerment and DUI, and she and her children were released to the custody of her husband.

Saturday, Aug. 13:

10:35 p.m. - Post-wedding arrest. A 60-year-old resident of Hockessin, Del. was eastbound on East Napa Street in a Nissan Versa, when he drove through the stop sign at Broadway without stopping. Pulled over by a Sonoma police officer, the man said he had consumed two glasses of champagne and one glass of wine at his son's wedding. He blew a .123 on a preliminary breath test, and a .15 on the police station's admissible digital device. He was cited for DUI and released to family members.

Sunday, Aug. 14:

3:03 p.m. - One giant Corona? A Napa man who said he had consumed "one Corona" had the ignoble distinction of registering the highest blood alcohol level in recent record keeping when he rear-ended another car at the intersection of Fifth Street West and West Napa Street. Driving a white, 1994 Mustang convertible, the 36-year-old driver was spotted by motorists driving erratically in the 19100 block of Sonoma Highway. As police responded to a witness call, they encountered the Fifth Street accident and found the driver with fresh abrasions on his forearm. He was given a preliminary breath test at the scene and scored a .29. He was then taken to Sonoma Valley Hospital for observation and a blood draw, which registered a .278. He was then charged with DUI and booked into the county jail.

Monday, Aug. 15:

11:04 p.m. - A rest and a bite to eat. An El Verano man who told police he'd had a scuffle with his brother and needed a place to rest and get a bite to eat, was discovered lying in a bed at Sonoma Valley Hospital munching on a sandwich. Hospital staff expressed concern about the man's state of mind and police observed that his speech was altered, he was experiencing muscle spasms and, after failing a drug evaluation, he was determined to be under the influence of a controlled substance. After hospital staff extracted a urine sample, the man, who was also on probation, was charged with being under the influence of a controlled substance and probation violation, and was booked into the county jail.

Thursday, Aug. 18:

11:55 p.m. - Midnight skulker. While en route to a Pythian Road winery to investigate suspicious noises, a Sheriff's deputy spotted a 36-year-old Southern California man in the vicinity and stopped to chat. The man readily admitted being near the winery, so the deputy searched him and found a screwdriver, which the man said he carried for protection. The deputy also found a glass-cutting tool in the man's possession, so he arrested Christopher Torres on charges of felony carrying a concealed dirk or dagger, felony possession of burglary tools and a misdemeanor charge of providing false identification to a peace officer.

4:20 pm. - Spreading rumors. Deputies were sent to a residence in the 18000 block of Comstock Avenue on the report of a battery. The victim told deputies that there was an ongoing "situation" with her cousin, who accused the victim of spreading rumors about her, and the disagreement then turned physical. Deputies forwarded a report of the incident to the district attorney for a review and possible charges.

Friday, Aug. 19:

7:44 a.m. - No TV, stereo or prints. A contractor working on a residence in the 16000 block of Ridge Road, reported that, after finding a sliding glass door open, he discovered that someone had taken a TV and stereo from the residence. Because of the number of people who might have touched the door during construction, it was impossible to for Sheriff's deputies to collect any fingerprints. The loss was estimated at $1,600.

Saturday, Aug. 20:

10:15 a.m. - No lock, no laptop. A resident in the 300 block of Arroyo Road told deputies that someone stole a laptop computer from her home. There was no sign of forced entry since there was no lock on the door, and nothing else was taken.

9:39 p.m. - Drunk, drugs, and child in van. MAGNET officers pulled over a van in the 10 block of Rancho Drive after a drive-by revealed the prominent odor of marijuana. When they contacted the van the officers discovered the driver was intoxicated and in the back seat, along with a young child. During a search of the vehicle they found a bindle of a controlled substance. Also in the van was a 19-year-old Santa Rosa woman, the child's mother, who was arrested on misdemeanor charges of willful cruelty to a child. The child's father, an 18-year-old Napa resident, was arrested for driving under the influence, while a 20-year-old man from the Springs was arrested on a misdemeanor warrant. And, finally, 21-year-old Christopher Malicay, of Napa was arrested on misdemeanor charges of willful cruelty to a child and felony possession of a controlled substance.