DUI Round Up
updated: Jan 15, 2013, 1:23 PM

Source: Santa Barbara Police Department

DUI Round-Up

33 Arrests in December 2012 & 512 DUI Arrests in 2012

In December 2012 officers from the Santa Barbara Police Department made 33 arrests for driving under the influence violations. Numerous arrests are made each month when concerned citizens call 911 after witnessing possible DUI drivers. The SBPD would like to thank the responsible citizens who take the time to call and report suspected drunk drivers. The following is information on a few of those cases.

12/6/12 at 9:18 p.m.: Yolanda Valdez (age 42) was involved in a traffic collision when she hit a parked car on the 400 block of Chapala Street. Officer Williams and Officer Sathre arrived and observed Valdez sitting in the driver's seat of a minivan that had just collided with a parked vehicle. Several witnesses that observed the collision were interviewed. Officer Williams contacted Valdez and noticed that her speech was thick and slurred. He called paramedics to medically evaluate Valdez and Officer Tudor to evaluate her for DUI. Officer Tudor determined that Valdez was too intoxicated to safely drive a motor vehicle and placed her under arrest. Valdez provided three breath samples which registered her BAC at .31, .27, and .29. Valdez was issued a citation for DUI and admitted into the Sobering Center.

12/14/12 at 2:42 a.m.: Jose Angel Moran (age 19) failed to stop for a red light at the intersection of Montecito Street and Milpas Street. Officer Lazarus observed the violation and conducted a traffic stop on Moran's vehicle. Officer Lazarus saw that there were three occupants in the vehicle and that the driver, Moran, appeared to be under the age of 21. Officer Lazarus also noticed that Moran had slurred speech, smelled of alcohol and was slow to respond to questions. She requested a back-up officer in order to safely conduct a DUI investigation, during which Moran denied consuming any alcohol. Moran performed poorly on the field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest for DUI. When Officer Lazarus attempted to place handcuffs on Moran he became resistant by yanking his arms away from her. Several officers on scene assisted Officer Lazarus in placing Moran in handcuffs. Once in custody Moran chose to provide two breath samples which registered his BAC at .13 and .13. The passengers in Moran's vehicle were identified as local gang members, and located inside the car was a knife, a bat, and a large pipe. Moran was booked into County Jail for DUI and for being an unlicensed driver.

12/15/12 at 2:00 a.m.: Thomas Frederick Bignell (age 52) was the subject of a 9-1-1 call when a citizen reported that he was intoxicated, standing in the street on 1800 Cliff Drive, and yelling "Kill me now." Officer Gaston was dispatched to that location and informed that Bignell was standing near a gray Ford Crown Victoria. Officer Gaston was driving his marked black & white patrol vehicle eastbound on Meigs Road near Kenwood Road when he observed the described vehicle coming toward him at a high rate of speed. The vehicle crossed over into the oncoming traffic lane and veered towards Officer Gaston's police car. Officer Gaston had to abruptly swerve in order to avoid a head-on collision. Officer Gaston made a U-turn, activated his emergency lights, and attempted to stop the vehicle driven by Bignell. Bignell slowed his car to approximately 5 mph, and then suddenly accelerated with Officer Gaston in pursuit at speeds topping 50 mph on Miramonte Drive. Bignell eventually stopped his car on the 1000 block of Miramonte Drive. Officer Gaston saw that Bignell was obviously intoxicated, to the point of barely being able to stand unassisted. Bignell was unable to perform any field sobriety tests due to his level of intoxication. He was placed under arrest by Officer Gaston and transported to Santa Barbara County Jail where he provided two breath samples that registered his BAC at .30 and .29. Bignell was booked into County Jail for DUI and evading police.

12/22/12 at 6:07 p.m.: Kyler Reece Barbee (age 27) was involved in a non-injury traffic collision. Officer Little, Officer McGrew, and Officer Harrison were dispatched to the intersection of De La Vina Street and Alamar Avenue to investigate. Officer Little contacted Barbee and noticed that he smelled of alcohol. Barbee informed Officer Little that he had consumed one sake prior to driving. Officer Little also discovered that Barbee had a suspended driver's license. Officer Little conducted a DUI investigation and determined that Barbee was too intoxicated to safely operate a motor vehicle and placed him under arrest for DUI. Barbee chose to provide a blood test; his BAC was measured at .14. Barbee was issued a citation and admitted into the Sobering Center.

12/23/12 at 8:37 p.m.: Jorge Saldana (age 34) was involved in a hit-and-run traffic collision on 300 W. Micheltorena Street. Officer Keller and Officer Jan were dispatched to the scene. Officer Jan took witness statements and Officer Keller detained a subject nearby matching the description of the driver. A witness positively identified Jorge Saldana as the driver of the suspect vehicle, a fact he eventually acknowledged. Officer Jan conducted a DUI investigation, with Officer Garcia providing Spanish translation, after Officer Jan noticed that Saldana had slurred speech, smelled of alcohol, and had bloodshot watery eyes. Saldana said he had consumed one beer and one margarita prior to driving. Officer Jan determined that Saldana was too intoxicated to safely operate a motor vehicle and placed him under arrest for DUI. Saldana chose to submit to a breath test which registered his BAC at .26 and .28. Saldana was issued a citation for DUI and being an unlicensed driver. He was admitted into the Sobering Center.

12/23/12 at 1:24 p.m.: Gail Denise Kelley (age 53) was driving in the area of 500 E. Yanonali Street when a citizen, concerned about her driving, called 9-1-1 to report a possible drunk driver. Officer Nelson observed Kelley driving on the 300 block of E. Yanonali Street and saw that the vehicle and license plate matched the description that dispatch had broadcast as a possible DUI driver. Officer Nelson conducted a traffic stop and contacted Kelley who was displaying symptoms of alcohol intoxication. Kelley said she had consumed one shot of vodka earlier in the day. Officer Nelson conducted a DUI investigation and subsequently arrested Kelley. She chose to submit to a breath test and provided two breath samples which registered her BAC at .17 and .17. Kelley was issued a citation for DUI and admitted into the Sobering Center.

12/28/12 at 6:45 p.m.: John Dermigny (age 56) was involved in a hit-and-run traffic collision in the Gelson's Supermarket parking lot at 3300 State Street. Dermigny collided with two parked cars and then fled the scene on foot. Officer Harrison arrived and took several witness statements while Officer Battaglia checked the area for Dermigny. She located Dermigny on foot several streets away. Witnesses identified Dermigny as being the driver in the collision and Dermigny eventually admitted to being involved. Several witnesses stated that they believed Dermigny was intoxicated. Officer Harrison contacted Dermigny and noticed that he was displaying symptoms of intoxication. She conducted a DUI investigation and placed him under arrest. Dermigny chose to provide a blood sample which registered his BAC at .22. Dermigny was booked into County Jail for DUI and hit-and-run.

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