DUI and Other Arrests Made at Poway Checkpoint

Drivers on Poway Road at Sabre Springs Parkway encountered a DUI/driver’s license checkpoint Friday night, staffed by sheriff’s deputies looking for signs of impairment.

Three arrests were made at the checkpoint for suspicion of DUI, according to Lt. Jose Sanchez. The driver in one of those arrests was suspected of being under the influence of marijuana.

Three people were arrested on drug-possession charges, including one for concentrated cannabis, one for marijuana and one for unspecified narcotics, according to Sanchez. Three drivers were arrested for driving with a suspended or revoked license.

Nine vehicles were towed at Friday’s checkpoint, five of those because the driver’s license was suspended or revoked, two because the drivers were arrested, one because of an unlicensed driver and one because the driver fled from his vehicle just after entering the checkpoint, Sanchez said. The vehicle was left blocking a bicycle lane.

Deputies also conducted a saturation patrol in the area, resulting in four more DUI arrests. One of those was a driver that was on probation for a prior DUI, according to Sanchez.

Approximately 2,651 vehicles passed through the checkpoint, with 1,313 rolling through without being contacted by an officer or deputy. Of the 1,338 that were contacted, 70 drivers were directed to a secondary-inspection area where 12 field sobriety tests were given.

Twelve citations were issued to unlicensed drivers and two for driving with a suspended or revoked license.

Funding for the checkpoint was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.