Police arrested a 19-year-old woman after she drunkenly crashed into numerous gravestones and burial sites at a Hollister cemetery, authorities said.
About 6:47pm April 13, someone called Hollister Police to report there had been a vehicle collision at Calvary Cemetery, 1100 Hillcrest Road, Hollister Police Chief Carlos Reynoso said.
Arriving officers contacted the driver, Tonatzil Montoya, 19, of Hollister, as she returned to the crash scene, Reynoso said. Witnesses identified Montoya as the sole occupant of the vehicle, which was the only vehicle involved in the crash.
An April 13 post on the Hollister Police Department Facebook page said the driver registered a blood alcohol level of .18—more than twice the legal limit of .08. No injuries were reported.
“There is no humor here. Only irony,” says the Facebook post. “Because if people don’t get the message, they will end up in the cemetery, or worse yet, put someone else there.”
At least 12 burial sites were damaged in the collision, according to police. Reynoso said some of the gravestones were “severely damaged.”
“The cemetery was encouraging anyone who has loved ones buried there to come by to make sure if there is any damage, to document any need for repairs,” Reynoso said.
