Seatbelt Stop Recovers Stolen Vehicle, Illegal Passing Stop Nets Repeat Offender
The corner of Dutton and West Barham, where a traffic stop took an unusual turn
SANTA ROSA – According to a Community Bulletin issued by the Santa Rosa Area office of the California Highway Patrol (CHP), what appeared to be a couple of typical traffic stops turned out to be anything but routine.
On Monday, November 2nd, just before 8:30 am, a CHP officer on patrol on Dutton Avenue near West Barham saw a Ford Focus pass his location. The officer saw that the driver was not wearing a seatbelt, so he turned around and initiated an enforcement stop.
But before the officer completed the stop, the driver pulled onto the right shoulder, parked his vehicle, and started to walk away. The officer exited his patrol car and advised the man to stop. The driver provided a license that identified him as Jose Pineda, a 49-year-old man from Santa Rosa. It turned out that Pineda’s license had been suspended for a DUI arrest in August. Further records check on the vehicle found that it had been reported stolen out of Utah in September of last year. Pineda was booked on charges of auto theft, possession of stolen property, and driving while his license was suspended.
The Steele Lane exit from Highway 101
Shortly after 3:30 in the afternoon the same day, another CHP officer was stopped in traffic on the northbound Highway 101 Steele Lane off-ramp, when he saw a Chevrolet Monte Carlo suddenly pass him on the right shoulder. The officer followed the vehicle as it made a right turn, and then an immediate left, and made an enforcement stop on Professional Drive. When the officer advised the driver that he could not pass on the shoulder, the driver said that he had been running late for an appointment at the county probation department.
The driver was identified as Raul Pablo, a 32-year-old man from Santa Rosa. The officer also noted the odor of alcohol. Pablo said that he had drank some, and handed the officer a partially consumed 22 ounce bottle of beer. A records check revealed that Pablo’s driver’s license had been suspended seven times for DUI, and that he has prior convictions for DUI and felony evasion and is currently on probation until next year.
Pablo was placed under arrest. He was booked on charges of violation of probation, driving while his license was suspended, violation of DUI probation, possession marijuana and an open container in the vehicle.
