New Year's weekend DUI arrests up in OC

Drunken driving arrests in Orange County increased during the New Year's weekend when compared to the previous year, according to the California Highway Patrol.
In Orange County, 69 drivers were cited for driving under the influence of alcohol in areas patrolled by the CHP from 6 p.m. Dec. 31 through 12 a.m. Jan. 3, said CHP officer Denise Quesada. No DUI-related deaths were reported in the county.
Last year, 59 people were cited by the CHP for DUI during Dec. 31 through Jan. 4, Quesada said. One person was killed.
Statewide, CHP officers made 1,388 arrests on suspicion of driving under the influence between 6 p.m. on New Year's Eve and 12 a.m. Sunday, down from 1,456 arrests last year.
Officials reported 36 traffic deaths statewide – 24 of those were within CHP jurisdiction – over the holiday period, up from 30 a year ago. Of the 24 deaths, 12 were not wearing a seatbelt, according to Erin Komatsubara, a CHP spokeswoman.
"People are not designating a non-intoxicated driver, and people need to be aware and remember how important it is to have that person to make sure they get home safely," said Officer Krystal Carter of the CHP's transportation management center in Los Angeles.
Over the New Year's weekend, at least one Orange County resident died in a car accident, on a surface street in Orange.
Roger LaSalle, 62, of Costa Mesa apparently lost control of his vehicle and careened into a utility pole on West Chapman Avenue at South Flower Street just after midnight on Saturday, police said. The cause of his death is pending an autopsy. Police say a medical condition may have been at least partly to blame.
Register reporter Scott Martindale contributed to this report.


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