FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                                                   January 25, 2020

Contact:   Traffic Sergeant Sandra O’Donnell

                 Office 951-461-6369

                 [email protected]

DUI Checkpoint Nets 5 Arrests

Murrieta, Calif. – The Murrieta Police Department arrested five people for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, while conducting a DUI/Driver’s License checkpoint on January 25, 2020.  The checkpoint was located at Margarita and Torrey Pines between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m.

In addition, 4 drivers were cited/arrested for operating a vehicle unlicensed or with a suspended/revoked license, 1 Suspect was arrested for selling marijuana and 1 driver was cited for not having her child in a car seat. 

DUI Checkpoints are placed in locations based on collision statistics and frequency of DUI arrests. Last year the Murrieta Police Department investigated 31 DUI collisions that killed 1 person and injured 45 others.

Drivers caught driving impaired and charged with DUI can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to be approximately $13,500. This includes fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspension and other expenses not to mention possible jail time.

The Murrieta Police Department reminds drivers that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.” Prescription drugs, particularly those with a driving or operating machinery warning on the label, can impair and result in a DUI. Marijuana can also be impairing, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs.

The Murrieta Police Department will be conducting additional DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint and/or DUI Saturation Patrols throughout the year in our ongoing commitment to take suspected impaired drivers off our streets and highways, ultimately lowering the risk for deaths and injuries.

Funding for this checkpoint was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.