LAKE COUNTY — It was a busy holiday weekend for the California Highway Patrol. A checkpoint set up at Highway 53 north of Highway 29 in Lower Lake to catch drunk and drug-impaired drivers led to several arrests, according to the CHP, almost doubling the agency”s total for the weekend.
Local Public Information Officer Josh Dye reported a total of 12 DUI arrests over the weekend, one arrest for public intoxication and two arrests on warrants. By contrast, there were four traffic collisions over the three-day weekend, with two resulting in DUI arrests, none major.
At the Saturday checkpoint alone, 507 vehicles were stopped. Of those, 14 drivers underwent further testing, four were arrested for DUI offenses, two vehicles were impounded, and four unlicensed drivers were cited.
Among the CHP arrests was Patrick Dewin McDaniel, 20, of Antioch. He was arrested Monday on multiple felony counts and one misdemeanor, including marijuana-related offenses, parole violation and carrying a concealed weapon in his vehicle with a prior felony conviction.
Fifty-six-year-old Efrain Ortega Avila was arrested Saturday for disorderly conduct and public intoxication, as well as on an outside agency warrant.
“We had good stats not a lot of crashes, not a lot of DUI crashes, and a lot of DUI arrests. That”s what you hope to see is more arrests and fewer crashes. That”s why we do it,” said Dye.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
