Marijuana DUI Arrest Made In Sonoma County Crash: CHP

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — A Forestville man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of marijuana after a vehicle crash that critically injured a female passenger Monday, according to the California Highway Patrol. Thomas Henney, 21, was driving a Buick LeSabre on Mill Station Road south of Occidental Road in unincorporated Sonoma County around 1:40 p.m. when the vehicle struck an embankment, overturned and landed on its wheels, CHP Officer Jon Sloat said.

A passenger in the Buick, an 18-year-old woman from Sebastopol, was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the Buick. She was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital by the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office's
helicopter for treatment of life-threatening injuries, Sloat said.

Henney was extricated from the Buick and he was sitting near the vehicle when the CHP arrived and noticed the odor of burnt marijuana coming from him, Sloat said.

At the hospital, Henney said he swerved the Buick to avoid a cyclist and crashed. He showed signs of impairment and eventually was arrested and booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of felony driving
under the influence of drugs, Sloat said.

By Bay City News Service

Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone