DUI arrests in Tuolumne County double over Thanksgiving holiday

There were double the amount of arrests by California Highway Patrol for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Tuolumne County over this past Thanksgiving holiday.

Eight people were arrested for DUI within the CHP Sonora-area office’s jurisdiction during the agency’s statewide maximum enforcement period from 6 p.m. Wednesday through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, up from four during the same timeframe last year.

The CHP announced the maximum enforcement period statewide over Thanksgiving days before it began.

Two of the arrests this year also came from DUI crashes, while none did last year. There was also one fatal crash over the same period this year and last.

CHP Officer Steve Machado, spokesman for the agency’s Sonora-area office, said the higher number of arrests during the Thanksgiving MEP this year follows a rising trend of DUIS in the county.

“We’re trying to be more proactive in putting education out there but, unfortunately, people don’t choose to listen to what we ask,” Machado said, “so we’re out in full force trying to stop people from doing that and preventing injury when we can.”

Machado said he couldn’t point to any specific reason for the increase in DUI arrests, though the fact that they have beefed up enforcement since a spike in DUIS and fatal crashes

earlier this year could be a factor.

“It could be because there are more officers patrolling, and we’re out being more effective,” he said. “I wouldn’t say that’s not the case, but I can’t tell you that’s 100-percent why.”

The county District Attorney’s Office said it had filed 115 complaints for DUI through early April, nearly double the number over the same period in 2021.

There were also three times as many fatal crashes in the county through March, from two in 2021 to six.

In response to the increase in both DUIS and fatal crashes, CHP announced a “special enforcement detail” that involved assigning more officers on certain days to patrol and specifically look for violations having to do with unsafe speeds, seatbelts, cell phone distractions and DUI.

Machado said he didn’t have updated numbers readily available to provide on Wednesday, though he noted CHP has focused on the heavily traveled areas where fatal crashes have been more common.

Highway 108 between Chicken Ranch Road and Yosemite Junction was an example of an area where Machado said they’ve increased enforcement in recent months.

“We don’t neglect the areas elsewhere, but our main focus is on those areas to prevent tragedies and crashes,” he said.

Machado advised people to wear a seat belt, maintain safe speeds, look out for animals in the roadway and not drive if they’ve consumed alcohol or drugs. He also said people should “practice patience and just slow down” if they get on the road during the upcoming storm that’s expected to bring rain and mountain snow Wednesday night into Friday.

The CHP also will conduct maximum enforcement periods for the Christmas holiday from Dec. 23 through 26 and New Year’s from Dec. 30 through at least Jan. 1, Machado said.