California: Santa Rosa Police arrest two DUI drivers who waltzed out of court and drove away after being told by Judge to park it

Santa Rosa Police

Santa Rosa Police

Santa Rosa Police Department Announce Results of DUI Court Sting Operation

07/06/2014 —- On Wednesday, July 2, 2014, between the hours of 8:00a.m. and 1:00p.m., officers from the Santa Rosa Department conducted an undercover ‘Court Sting’ operation at the Sonoma County Courthouse targeting drivers whose licenses where suspended/revoked or who were unlicensed drivers.

Police officers staked out offenders who had been told by a judge not to drive and/or who had been told of their license suspension. 8 offenders were followed by officers from courtrooms to their vehicles to ensure that they were not driving. While some offenders complied with the law and had alternate means of transportation, 2 individuals in court for DUI or other prior violations proceeded to get behind the wheel and drove away from the court house.

Those who chose to drive were stopped by waiting officers. Those stopped for driving while suspended or unlicensed then were cited back into court, and their vehicles were impounded for 30 days. Those individuals were identified as:

• Eduard Carter (39 years old) of Santa Rosa for driving without a license.
• Alvaro Jimenez-Lopez (27 years old) of Sonoma for driving without a license.

Of the two vehicles stopped, one was impounded for 30 days as a result of the offender’s choice to drive while suspended/unlicensed.

Those arrested today could face additional jail time, long driver license suspensions, along with other financial hits including attorney fees, court costs, lost time at work, and the potential loss of job or job prospects. When family, friends and co-workers find out, violators can also face tremendous personal embarrassment and humiliation.

DUI Court Sting stakeout operations, along with regularly scheduled high visibility DUI enforcement, serve as a proven deterrent with the goal of keeping impaired drivers from the road and heightening awareness among the public of the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

This special DUI operation was funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Please help the Santa Rosa Police Department every day of the week: Report Drunk Drivers – Call 9-1-1!