PETALUMA, Calif. (KRON) — The night before Thanksgiving is dubbed “Blackout Wednesday,” which is known to be a time in millennial culture for old friends to get together in their hometown at a bar or nightclub. However, that night is infamously known for a number of drunk driving cases, and Wednesday night in Petaluma was no exception.
The Petaluma Police Department announced nine DUI arrests have been made after conducting 86 traffic stops between 4 p.m. and 4 a.m. Five of those DUI arrests were made before 1:30 a.m. in the area of Kentucky Street and the Keller Street Parking Garage.
This is the largest amount of DUI arrests in a single night in 2022, according to Petaluma police. There were also 20 other infraction violations reported that night.
The following were arrested on suspicion of DUI:
- James Ures, 51, of Kentfield
- Nelly L. Osorio, 35, of Rohnert Park
- Rory M. Smith, 30, of Petaluma
- Kenneth O’Neil, 30, of Rohnert Park
- Havilah Belton, 28, of Santa Rosa
- Megan Farnham, 37, of Sebastopol
- Mason McLain, 21, of Petaluma
- Kenneth Woodward, 30, of San Pablo
- Dante Boggeri, 24, of Santa Rosa
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These arrests came after police responded to incidents in the “large bar crowd on the night before Thanksgiving.” The lines to get into bars in downtown are the longest Petaluma police have seen in years.
Drivers caught driving impaired and charged with a first-time DUI face an average of $13,500 to $20,000 in fines and penalties, along with a suspended license, according to police.