Police report: underage drinkers, midnight landscaping and Drunk of the Week
The ongoing, random sting operation to snare Sonoma Valley businesses that sell alcohol to minors was back in action on March 29. Under aged decoys entered 21 establishments and were refused at all but two: Boyes Food Center in the Springs and Easy Stop Market in Sonoma. The employees that made each sale were cited for furnishing alcohol to minors, and the store owners were referred to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for administrative violations. Also that night, a 17-year-old was caught trying to score booze at the Boyes Food Center using somebody else’s driver’s license. The minor was cited and released to his parents. The Sonoma Police Department offers quarterly classes for responsible beverage service – the kind that might save your restaurant job or your ABC license — free of charge to the community. Call 996.3602 if interested in attending. The next class will be on April 17.
Wasted
The resident of a home on Quedo Court noticed something alarmingly different about his front yard at 3 a.m. on March 28: a large bald guy lurking in the bushes. The man lingered there for about 10 minutes before departing in a red pickup. Police were able to track and stop the vehicle. Inside, the driver, 31, of Petaluma, was a meth-crazed mess. His manner was uncontrolled, his speech was compromised and he was sweating so much the truck windows had fogged up. The suspect had no good reason for being at the house, where officers found unfortunate confirmation of his bizarre visit: a sweat-soaked shirt and a pile of human waste. The man was jailed for being under the influence of a controlled substance.
Shoplifting, anyone?
What three items would you pick from Rite-Aid? The March 26 shoplifter, a 25-year-old San Rafael man, walked out with these: 30-pack of Budweiser beer; bag of beef jerkey; can of tennis balls. Spotted in the act, he dropped the goods and ran to a small private bus, the license plate of which was duly noted as the vehicle drove way. With that, the man was ultimately tracked down. He admitted to yielding to a sudden, “dumb” urge to steal the items. He apologized and offered to pay for the goods.
Midnight run
A black Mercedes was tooling through El Verano with its lights off just after midnight on March 22. When pulled over, the 22-year-old male driver ran into the curb, just one of many signs of inebriation leading to a DUI bust and jail time. That “one pint of beer,” six hours earlier, no less, belied a hearty .148 blood alcohol level.
On a roll
The week before, he was the meth-fueled pedestrian shambling along Highway 12 in the Springs. On March 22, the same guy, 19, was pedaling a bike along the highway, going the wrong way and without lights. As yes, that was a meth pipe in his pocket.
Aim for the middle
Navigating his black Silverado truck near Broadway and Napa Road became a problem for the Sonoma man, 67, at about 8 p.m. on March 22. He weaved between lanes and ran a red light before pulling to the curb with such force that the front tire shredded on impact. Police arrived to find the man walking in the area, keys in hand. He was duly cited for a DUI.
Thrown for a loss
A rash of vandalism, specifically car windows broken by thrown rocks, in the area of Seventh St. West and Studley in the wee hours of March 23. Police say there were at least three such incidents reported.
Drunk of the Week
It was stiff competition, but this week’s winner: the 22-year-od man speeding erratically down Fifth Street West, stereo on full blast, at 2 a.m. on March 23. What’s the hurry? “Just trying to get to La Bamba (food truck),” he told police. Wedged in the console of the white Chevy pickup was a moist but empty cup, its contents of red wine in a puddle on the floor. How much did he drink that night? “A half a bottle of wine – plus one cup.” Conceding his imminent DUI bust, he took to guessing what his alcohol reading would be, but even that judgment (.20 vs. the actual .14) was impaired.
