At least five drunken, underage motorists were ticketed last weekend on suspicion of driving under the influence in Santa Cruz County, a spike that has the California Highway Patrol worried.
"The CHP takes underage alcohol abuse seriously," CHP officer Sarah Jackson said in a prepared statement.
The most-serious incident occurred Saturday night in Watsonville, when a 20-year-old man driving the mother of his children and their kids, ages 1 and 2, crashed into a house on Lakeview Road. A woman in the home was seriously injured when she was trapped under the car.
The other weekend incidents happened across the county. The CHP provided this list:
- A 20-year-old Santa Cruz woman was cited on Freedom at Prospect in Watsonville on suspicion of being an intoxicated minor, driving on a suspended license and failure to provide insurance.
- A 19-year-old Santa Cruz woman was arrested on Gross Road at South Rodeo Gulch, on the outskirts of Capitola, on suspicion of DUI with a blood-alcohol content of more than 0.08 percent, as well as possession of hydrocodone without prescription.
- A 20-year-old Boulder Creek woman was arrested on Lovers Lane near Bear Creek Road in Boulder Creek on suspicion of DUI with a blood-alcohol content of more than 0.15 percent and driving with a suspended license.
- A 20-year-old Watsonville man was arrested on Arista Court in Watsonville on suspicion of DUI with a blood-alcohol content of more than 0.15 percent.
The legal limit for a motorist over the age of 21 in California is 0.08 percent. Underage drivers are not allowed to have any alcohol in their systems.
Jackson said the CHP will work with both the County Alcohol and Drug Program as well as Alcoholic Beverage Control to both prevent and thoroughly investigate any adult providing alcohol to minors.
