With nearly half the people booked into jail over the weekend
for driving under the influence, and one woman facing 10 years in
jail for killing a man while intoxicated, police say drunk driving
during the Hollister Independence Rally is on the rise.
Hollister – With nearly half the people booked into jail over the weekend for driving under the influence, and one woman facing 10 years in jail for killing a man while intoxicated, police say drunk driving during the Hollister Independence Rally is on the rise.
“The risk the drunk driver is posing to the community is multiplying every year,” said California Highway Patrol Capt. Bob Davies. “I’ve been around since the very beginning and it has gotten more aggressive every single year. We are seeing more drinking and driving and more aggressive-type riding.”
Of the 90 people booked into the San Benito County Jail over the long weekend, 44 of them were there for driving under the influence.
While only 30 drunk driving arrests were made over last year’s rally weekend, Davies attributed the rise in arrests to the increased police presence on the highways. This year there were about 40 officers on duty during peak hours instead of the 13 to 15 officers they’ve had in the past patrolling the roads, Davies said.
Extra highway patrol officers were brought in this year to deal with law enforcement’s concern that a riot between rival motorcycle clubs the Hells Angels and the Mongols could break out and endanger the public’s safety. And with those extra officers, Davies said they killed two birds with one stone by getting more drunk drivers off the roads.
“The public needs to know just how close they came to having a lot of people hurt. And next year you can bet we’ll come out in force again,” Davies said. “Now that the Mongols made their stand in an event traditionally dominated by the Hells Angels, yes, we will have to deploy at least that amount of officers (next year).”
Although there was a tense situation Saturday evening when a group of between 20 to 30 Mongols walked past a large group of Hells Angels, they were flanked by about 40 police officers and no fight materialized.
“There are only two ways to keep kids from fighting in the sandbox,” Davies said. “As long as they come to our park, we’re going to have to get in the sandbox with them and prevent them from fighting.”
And while preventing a large-scale conflict between motorcycle gang members was a top priority for law enforcement this year, keeping the roads safe was just as important. With the extra officers, the CHP was able to issue at least 745 tickets – a huge increase from last year’s 250, Davies said. And of those 745, approximately 300 were for speeding and one-third were given to motorcyclists.
Davies also said tickets were issued for motorcycle trick riding on the highways, such as riders standing on their seats or popping wheelies – something he’s never seen in conjunction with the rally before.
“There’s a much more aggressive party-type atmosphere that seems to be filtering out onto the highway,” Davies.
And part of that party mentality is getting behind the wheel after downing a few at the rally, he said. Hollister Independence Rally Committee President Dave Ventura and Executive Director Helen Nelson did not return phone calls Wednesday concerning the increase in drinking and driving arrests during the rally.
Davies said in the past the CHP has set up sobriety check points during the Rally in an attempt to deter people from drinking and driving and to nab those who insist on breaking the law. However, Davies said he’s found that the best deterrent is to have a highly-visible police presence on the road instead of a number of officers congregating at one check point.
“By not having a check point, I’ve got 15 officers looking in 15 different places,” he said. “It lets people know there’s a lot of cops out there.”
But even with the multitude of officers looking for impaired drivers and attempting to prevent any alcohol-related accidents, a Hollister woman who police believe was driving inebriated killed a motorcyclist on the eve of the rally.
The woman charged with killing 53-year-old Lompoc resident Richard Flores on Highway 156 last Thursday pleaded not guilty to felony driving under the influence and gross vehicular manslaughter Tuesday. Her attorney, Greg La Forge, convinced Superior Court Judge Steven Sanders to reduce her $115,000 bail to $30,000, and she posted bailed Tuesday night.
Although the results of the blood alcohol test Garcia submitted haven’t come back yet, La Forge said his preliminary investigation revealed Garcia, who is 4 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 120 pounds, had two drinks over a two-and-a-half hour period before getting behind the wheel.
The life-long San Benito County resident, who worked at Nob Hill Foods for more than 16 years and has no criminal history, is devastated by the accident and is leaning on her family to get through this tragedy, La Forge said.
La Forge said Sanders agreed to reduce Garcia’s bail because of her strong ties to the community and her willingness to hand over her driver’s license and attend Alcoholics Anonymous classes while the case is pending an outcome.
“My client is devastated by this,” La Forge said. “And the only way I’d attempt to plea bargain is if she’s guilty, and at this point we don’t know if she’s guilty.”
The accident sent Flores’ family into a state of shock when they learned the man who had been riding motorcycles for 30 years was killed doing something he loved.
Flores, who was a machinist and lived with his wife in Lompoc, had a daughter, Christine and son, Michael. His sudden death has left his family in shock, said his brother, Darryl Munn. But to help in the grieving process Munn said he plans to get involved in the fight against drunk driving.
“I will first start with my state representative and go where God leads me,” Munn said via e-mail. “I forgive Ms. Garcia for what she has done but I would expect the state of California to throw the proverbial book at her. I want her to have a long sentence.”
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
