It was a relatively quiet weekend for the Fourth of July, while
there was a small fire Friday on Park Hill that burned two to three
acres but damaged no structures.
Aside from intermittent streams of bikers coming and going
throughout the holiday weekend, there wasn’t the commotion of years
past, not even so much as 2009 when the Gypsy Tour Motorcycle
Classic was held after the cancellation of the downtown biker
rally.
It was a relatively quiet weekend for the Fourth of July, while there was a small fire Friday on Park Hill that burned two to three acres but damaged no structures.
Aside from intermittent streams of bikers coming and going throughout the holiday weekend, there wasn’t the commotion of years past, not even so much as 2009 when the Gypsy Tour Motorcycle Classic was held after the cancellation of the downtown biker rally.
Even with the Fourth of July festivities and many residents shooting off fireworks, there wasn’t a lot of activity for the fire department. The fire on Park Hill started around 7:45 p.m. The grass fire with an unknown cause burned more than two acres, but was extinguished by crews with two city engines along with mutual aid from a Calfire unit. Crews were on scene for about two hours, and no structures were threatened, said Hollister Fire Chief Fred Cheshire.
The fire department had just one patrol out this year looking out for illegal fireworks. It was down from the usual, and Cheshire cited a lack of staffing in the same week council members are expected to adopt a budget that would call for layoffs and a 12.5 percent cut to the general fund. Though Code Enforcement Officer Mike Chambless is out this week, Cheshire said he had estimated collecting about two garbage bags filled with the illegal fireworks.
Both the police department and sheriff’s office reported quiet weekends as well. Sheriff’s Lt. Roy Iler noted how there was not a single call for service, while it was “quiet” at the car and bike show at Bolado Park. Police Sgt. David Westrick said there were “very few” incidents.
The Hollister Police Department conducted a driving under the influence and driver’s license checkpoint on San Felipe Road and Gateway Drive on July 2. Police arrested five people and gave out 17 citations were during the five-hour operation.
One of the contacts at the checkpoint involved a vehicle occupied by four people. The driver, a 20-year-old man, was arrested for driving under the influence. During the stop, officers also found a set of brass knuckles, an illegal weapon in California. In addition, officers found marijuana packaged for sale. All four occupants, including a 20-year-old man and two 16-year-old males, were booked for the crimes. Officers are pursuing gang enhancement allegations.
In another stop, officers arrested a 40-year-old man for a DUI. In the car officers found a fighting rooster, possession of which is also against the law. Horta was booked for the DUI; charges for possessing the fighting rooster will be sought.
Officers cited 12 people for driving without a driver license, and four others were cited for driving with a suspended license.
“The checkpoint was very successful,” said Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller, in a press release. “I have alwayssaid that traffic enforcement is a gateway to the discovery of other crimes, and the results of the checkpoint have proven this. Not only did we remove from the roadway two people suspected of driving under the influence, officers arrested four suspected gang members and one person for having a fighting rooster. These crimes might otherwise have gone undetected.”
Funding for checkpoint was made possible by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
