CHP arrests 24 in Superbowl DUI campaign

The California Highway Patrol arrested 24 drunk drivers in
Sonoma County during Super Bowl weekend including one woman who had
been arrested on the same charges a week earlier.
Super Bowl Sunday is part of the county law enforcements’ AVOID
the 13, a program funded by the state’s Office of Traffic Safety
that pays for publicity campaigns and additional officers out on
the roads. Countywide numbers for all agencies were not available
on Tuesday, but CHP spokesman Jonathan Sloat said it was a busy
weekend for patrolmen.
“We had a total of 24 arrests from the end of business Friday to
[Sunday] night,” he said. “It was busier than average for a
February weekend, and we did have extra officers on the roads on
Sunday.”
Those arrested included Lora Larsen, 52, of Guerneville, who was
arrested twice in one week by the same CHP officer on charges of
driving under the influence. According to reports, on Friday Larsen
was seen swerving on Highway 116 by an officer who pulled her over.
She was arrested and booked into Sonoma County Jail.
Sloat said Larsen had two priors on her record and the District
Attorney’s office may pursue felony charges against her.
On Sunday another driver was arrested for driving drunk after he
allegedly rear-ended a Healdsburg woman driving on southbound
Highway 101 near Fulton Road, hit the divider and then fled the
scene. An officer pulled him over a short time later near Laughlin
Road and arrested Damon Frick, 41, on charges of DUI and hit and
run.
The AVOID the 13 program is run throughout the year during
national holidays, including Memorial Day, the 4th of July, Labor
Day and New Years Day. Law enforcement also holds a one-day maximum
enforcement period on Super Bowl Sunday. In 2009, 11 people were
killed on the day of the big game and another 133 were injured in
alcohol involved collisions. According to a report, that’s three
times the daily average for deaths in alcohol related accidents and
twice the average for injuries.
In December, the AVOID program resulted in 230 arrests including
201 DUIs and 29 DUI warrants, the most in the program’s history.
The program is paid for by a three-year, $659,000 grant from the
state’s Office of Traffic Safety.