Hollister Police arrested six motorists on suspicion of driving under the influence and issued 28 citations for driving without a license or on a suspended license during a St. Patrick’s Day checkpoint.
Police conducted the checkpoint on San Benito Street at Second Street in downtown Hollister. Southbound traffic during the March 17 evening checkpoint was screened by officers for possible impaired drivers and drivers without licenses.
The operation started at 5:30pm and continued until about 11pm. During that time, officers screened more than 826 vehicles, according to a press release from the Hollister Police Department. Officers furthermore conducted nine field sobriety tests on motorists suspected of driving under the influence. Four of the drivers evaluated during the field sobriety tests were arrested on suspicion of DUI.
Patrol officers arrested two additional DUI suspects on the streets the night of March 17, police said.
The suspects arrested March 17 on suspicion of DUI are Leandro Albor, 73; Lynette Ruvalcaba, 34; Juan Ahumada, 31; Jose Magana Guiterrez, 51, Antonio Juarez, 33; and Jose Castenada, 25, according to police. All are Hollister residents.
A total of 31 drivers who went through the checkpoint were cited for driving without a license, driving on a suspended license and other vehicle code violations, police said. Those cited for these violations were released at the checkpoint. Most of their vehicles were released to a licensed driver, and were not towed.
Funding for the checkpoint came from a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
