On Sunday, August 21st, 2022, at 1:43 am, a Turlock Police officer near the intersection of N Laurel St and W Olive Ave, Turlock, observed a vehicle violate the California Vehicle Code, so he made a traffic stop on it.
The officer made contact with the vehicle’s driver, Ricardo Munoz Rodriguez, 40, of Turlock, who had swapped seats with his passenger, and noticed that he was exhibiting objective symptoms of being under the influence.
The officer asked Rodriguez if he would be willing to participate in standardized field sobriety tests, however, he declined.
Ultimately, based on the objective symptoms that Rodriguez was exhibiting, the officer’s training and experience, and the totality of the circumstances, the officer determined that Rodriguez was under the influence of alcohol.
Rodriguez was arrested and transported to a local hospital for a blood draw as required by California’s implied consent law.
Afterwards, Rodriguez 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.
At 2:08 am, a different Turlock Police officer near the intersection of S First St and Golf Rd observed a vehicle violate the California Vehicle Code, so he made a traffic stop on it.
The officer made contact with the vehicle’s driver, Jose Gonzalez Garcia, 33, of Merced, and noticed that he too was exhibiting objective symptoms of being under the influence.
The officer asked Garcia if he would be willing to participate in standardized field sobriety tests, which he agreed to and completed.
The officer then asked Garcia if he would be willing to blow into a preliminary alcohol screening device, which he agreed to and did.
Ultimately, based on the objective symptoms that Garcia was exhibiting, his performance in the standardized field sobriety tests, the results of the preliminary alcohol screening device, his statements, the officer’s training and experience, and the totality of the circumstances, the officer determined that Garcia was under the influence of alcohol.
Garcia was arrested and provided an evidentiary breath sample at the scene as required by California’s implied consent law. The results of the breath sample revealed that Garcia had a blood alcohol content of .08 or greater.
Garcia was released on a citation 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.
