A Morgan Hill man who drove his 2005 Chevy pickup into a house
was one of six DUI arrests over the weekend, the first weekend in
the
“Avoid the 13” campaign.
A Morgan Hill man who drove his 2005 Chevy pickup into a house was one of six DUI arrests over the weekend, the first weekend in the “Avoid the 13” campaign.
The campaign, which kicked off Friday and will continue until the new year, puts extra officers on the roads during the holiday season looking for people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Drunken drivers are a top priority for officers this time of year because of a high number of holiday parties, and the DUIs and DUI-related crashes associated with them.
The accident involving the house occurred early Saturday morning. Jose Jimenez, 48, was taken to county jail after the 3:15am crash into the garage of a residence at 352 W. Main Ave.
Jimenez also faces a possession of cocaine charge, according to MHPD Lt. Joe Sampson.
There were five other DUI arrests in Morgan Hill over the weekend.
During last year’s “Avoid the 13” campaign, MHPD officers made 36 DUI arrests. From Dec. 1, 2003, to Dec. 20, 2004, there were such 161 arrests in the city.
A sobriety checkpoint scheduled Saturday night was postponed because of equipment failure.
In Gilroy, a checkpoint produced no arrests for Gilroy police, although drivers of 398 cars were checked and given information on the consequences of drunken driving.
By the end of the weekend, Gilroy police arrested seven drunken drivers.
The California Highway Patrol also participated in the checkpoint, stopping cars at Monterey and Third streets. Officers cited and released two people for driving with open containers of alcohol, and arrested one for driving under the influence, said Officer Matt Ramirez. All three of the drivers had their vehicles impounded.
CHP officers arrested four others Friday night, not associated with the checkpoint, Ramirez said.
Gilroy Police also paired up with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department to deploy four DUI strike teams Friday night, with one officer and one deputy on each team. Those strike teams made the majority of the DUI arrests.
The annual holiday campaign is named for the original 13 agencies that participated in the campaign. This year 16 agencies are participating, from Gilroy and Morgan Hill to Palo Alto and San Jose State University police.
Drunken drivers are a top priority for officers this time of year because of a high number of holiday parties, and the DUIs and DUI-related crashes associated with them.
The Sheriff’s Department, another Avoid the 13 partner, is focusing on drunken driving as its quarterly “Crime Target.”
Tips on preventing drunken driving and recognizing alcohol abuse are available on the department’s Web site, www.sccsher iff.org
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. She can be reached by e-mail at md****@*************es.com or phoning (408) 779-4106 ext. 202.
