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The high price of littering

 

For decades now, motorists have been told not to be a litterbug. That's advice the occupants of a car stopped around 1 p.m. in the Springs on June 19 may now wish they had taken.

That's because when a patrolling Sheriff's deputy saw the car speed away down Agua Caliente Road, he followed and noticed the front seat passenger toss something out the window.

The officer was able to pull the car over for probable cause because it had a broken windshield, and as soon as back-up arrived he retraced the route to retrieve the litter, which turned out to be a .22 caliber revolver.

The three occupants of the vehicle - a 26-year-old Springs man, a 19-year-old Napa man and a 17-year-old juvenile from the Springs - were arrested.

The 26-year-old driver was charged with carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle, conspiracy and driving on a suspended license - all misdemeanors. The 19-year-old was charged with giving false ID to a peace officer, carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle and conspiracy - all misdemeanors. The 17-year-old boy was charged with possessing fake ID and being a minor in possession of tobacco. The adults were transported to the county jail while the 17-year-old went to juvenile hall.

In other incidents reported to the Sheriff's Valley substation recently:

Wednesday, June 15:

8:41 p.m. - Four-time loser. While on patrol in the area of Calle del Monte and Las Lomas Road, a deputy spotted a man he knew was on probation that prohibited him from driving. A short time later, the deputy saw the same man drive by, so the deputy conducted a traffic stop. The man, who had four separate probation cases, smelled of alcohol, so the deputy arrested him on four probation violations. While searching the man, the deputy found a small bag of methamphetamine, and then conducted a preliminary breath test. The probationer blew a .22, so Artemio Herrera, 41, of Vallejo, was arrested on charges of felony possession of a controlled substance, four probation violations and driving while suspended. He was booked into the county jail.

Thursday, June 16:

8:17 p.m. - Lock them or lose them. A resident of the 1300 block of Felder Road reported that someone stole two mountain bikes in the couple of hours she was gone. The woman told deputies that the bikes, with a combined value of $3,600, were outside under an overhang - and were not locked.

Friday, June 17:

6:37 a.m. - Bat bashing. A resident in the 17000 block of Sonoma Highway reported that sometime overnight someone smashed the back window in his car - possibly with a baseball bat - and put several large dents in the trunk. The man had no idea who might want to do this or why.

4:21 p.m. - Failure to communicate. A motorist called police to report an erratic driver who appeared to be under the influence of something and had just driven over a curb while entering the Marketplace shopping center. When police arrived they found the 49-year-old driver of a Mercury Cougar still behind the wheel so intoxicated he was virtually unable to communicate.

Police determined that the man had consumed what they described as "copious" amounts of medication for an unknown medical condition. He was charged with DUI and booked into the county jail.

8:19 p.m. - Furtive and suspicious. While on patrol in the vicinity of Arnold Drive and Felder Road, a deputy noticed a suspicious vehicle parked. While approaching the vehicle, the deputy saw the occupants making furtive movements. The front seat passenger was on probation with a search and seizure clause. During the search, deputies found two pipes - one used to smoke marijuana and the other used to smoke meth. They also found one gram of suspected methamphetamine and a tablet of methadone. A 28-year-old San Francisco man was cited and released for possession of drug paraphernalia and a probation violation. The driver, Terri Natalini, 59, of El Verano, was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance and felony possession of a controlled prescription substance. Natalini was booked into county jail.

8:57 p.m. - No more compressed air. Police received a report from the First Congregational Church on West Spain Street that sometime between June 12 and June 13, a $300, M Glow air compressor had been taken from a back building. Access was gained by removing a screen and glass window panel.

10:43 p.m. - Absolutely nothing to drink. A 54-year-old Agua Caliente man told arresting police officers he "had absolutely nothing to drink," after they observed him swerving on Highway 12 in his white Jeep Cherokee. When they pulled him over at East Thompson, the man had bloodshot eyes, smelled of alcohol, failed his field sobriety tests and blew a .089 and a .090 on two preliminary breath tests. He also, inexplicably, had two beer bottle caps in his possession, but nevertheless insisted alcohol had not passed his lips.

He was charged with DUI and cited out to a sober friend.

Saturday, June, 18:

1:10 a.m. - Wounded eyes. Sonoma police officers on foot patrol encountered a commotion at a Plaza tavern where the bouncer was actively involved in restraining an intoxicated, 26-year-old Boyes Springs man. As police reconstructed events, they learned that the man being restrained had entered the establishment where he saw his ex-girlfriend with another man. The former recipient of the woman's favor took jealous exception to what his wounded eyes revealed, threw his drink on the perceived interloper and challenged him to a fight while taking swings at him.

The bouncer intervened and put an end to the mini-drama that has been staged in endless watering holes at least since the original apple. The former boyfriend was booked into county jail for public intoxication.

9:24 p.m. - See you later navigator. A resident in the 600 block of Joaquin Drive told police that sometime between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. a Trek mountain bike was taken from the family's open garage. The bike was a dark gray, 21-speed Navigator model with a book rack on the back. It was valued at $300.

Sunday, June 19:

1:15 a.m. - Need a ride? Call a cop. A 22-year-old Santa Rosa resident tried to sneak back into a Plaza drinking establishment after being ordered to leave because of the evident level of his intoxication and the fact he did not have an ID. Police arrived and escorted the not-to-be-deterred drinker outside and asked him how he intended to get home, a distance of some 20 miles. The man said he was going to call a cab, but police pointed out he had no money.

They therefore benevolently drove him most of the way home, or at least as far as the county jail, where he was booked on a charge of public intoxication.

9:19 a.m. - Ticket to ride. Deputies were sent to the 18000 block of Sonoma Highway on the report of a man walking along the highway toward Santa Rosa acting crazy. Deputies determined the man had just a bit too much to drink and gave him a lift all the way to Santa Rosa - the county jail more precisely - on charges of public intoxication.

Monday, June 20:

1:02 a.m. - BAC rising. Police spotted a white Ford Explorer weaving on Highway 12 and pulled the vehicle over at Waterman Street where the 42-year-old driver said, uncharacteristically, that he had consumed four beers at a West Spain Street saloon. Police conducted several field sobriety tests, which the driver failed, and then administered a preliminary breath test, on which the driver blew a blood alcohol level of .149 and .159. He was taken to the Sonoma Police Department where the calibrated digital breath meter registered .16 and .15. He was cited for DUI and released to a responsible adult.

2:14 a.m. - I'll see your four beers and raise you. Police patrolling Highway 12 spotted a silver Toyota pickup truck traveling 20 mph in a 30 mph zone. The driver was repeatedly tapping his brakes and then, in front of the Acacia Grove mobile home park, the truck came to a complete stop, partially blocking the highway and impeding traffic.

When the arresting officer asked the driver how much he had had to drink, he reported, "four beers." That answer seemed a little suspect when the 38-year-old Petaluma resident subsequently blew a .235 and a .247 on the preliminary breath test. That level of blood alcohol being three times the legal limit, the man was charged with DUI and booked into the county jail.

11:56 a.m. - Delayed reckoning. A resident of the 18000 block of Greger Street went to the Valley substation to report a domestic violence incident that had happened four days earlier. The woman and her boyfriend had been arguing, and the argument turned physical. Later, deputies spotted the suspect, Carlos Ornelas-Alverado, 33, of Boyes Hog Springs, and arrested him on charges of felony domestic violence.

Wednesday, June 22:

10:10 p.m. - Mystery legs. A female resident of the 500 block of Second Street East told police she returned home at night to find a pair of men's legs stickling out the door of her family's Toyota Tundra pickup parked in the driveway of their home.

She said as she arrived, the legs emerged, attached to a white male in his 50s with shaggy gray hair, a yellow Tommy Bahama shirt, shorts and running shoes. The man ran off down the street, the woman inspected the truck and found nothing missing save a few coins, although there was an iPod still resting in the console. A second vehicle in the driveway had also been rummaged through but there, too, nothing was missing.