At about 4:49 am Saturday morning, the Turlock Police Department and Stanislaus State Police Department were dispatched to a security check at the intersection of West Taylor Road and North Golden State Boulevard, Turlock, after a man had been seen passed out behind the wheel of a running vehicle in one of the intersection’s crosswalks.
When officers arrived on scene, the man, later identified as Cristian Sandoval, 23, of Turlock, was still passed out, the vehicle was in drive with the Sandoval’s foot on the brake, there were open alcohol containers in the vehicle, and there was loud music playing.
Officers blocked Sandoval’s vehicle with their patrol vehicles to prevent it from moving if his foot slipped off the brake and attempted to wake him up. Knocking and yelling had no effect so they used their sirens. Sandoval eventually woke up and was removed from his vehicle.
Sandoval was exhibiting objective symptoms of being under the influence, so officers asked him if he would be willing to participate in standardized field sobriety tests. He agreed and completed them.
Ultimately, based on the objective symptoms Sandoval was exhibiting, his performance in the standardized field sobriety tests, the open alcohol containers in his vehicle, the fact that he had been found passed out behind the wheel of his vehicle, his statements, and the totality of the circumstances, officers determined that he was under the influence of alcohol.
Sandoval was arrested and transported to a local hospital for a blood draw as required by California’s implied consent law. The results of the blood draw revealed that Sandoval had a blood alcohol content of .08 or greater.
Sandoval was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood alcohol content of .08 or greater. He was also issued an administrative driver’s license suspension order by the California Department of Motor Vehicles and his vehicle was impounded.
It should be noted that Sandoval already had a suspended driver’s license due to a previous DUI arrest.
