LAKEPORT, Calif. – Police arrested a Lakeport woman on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol early Saturday after she crashed her vehicle into a power pole and a fence.
Alicia Marie Smith, 29, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, according to Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen.
At 2:20 a.m. Saturday Lakeport Police officers were dispatched to the 2300 block of Lakeshore Boulevard to investigate the report of a vehicle crashed into a power pole, Rasmussen said.
The first officer arrived on scene within three minutes and found that a blue 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue GX had crashed head-on into a fence and power pole, according to Rasmussen.
Rasmussen said the power pole was sheared off at about 5 feet, with the lower section of it wedged under the vehicle and the upper section leaning against the vehicle.
Officers located the driver, Alicia Smith, standing near the vehicle. She was the only person who had been in the car at the time of the wreck, Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen said officers requested that the Lakeport Fire Protection District respond to evaluate Smith for injuries and she was determined to be uninjured.
The officers noticed that Smith was displaying obvious signs and symptoms of intoxication and she admitted to consuming four to five drinks. Rasmussen said officers administered a series of field sobriety tests which she was unable to pass.
He said the officers also determined that, based on the results of a preliminary alcohol screening device, Smith’s blood alcohol level at the time of the collision was approximately .21 percent, about two and a half times the legal limit.
Smith was arrested and transported to the Lakeport Police Department for questioning and blood alcohol testing by breath on the California Department of Justice blood alcohol breath machine.
Afterward, she was taken to the Lake County Jail and booked for drunk driving, Rasmussen said.
Jail records showed she was booked on a misdemeanor DUI charge, with bail set at $5,000. She later posted the required percentage of bail and was released.
PG&E responded to the scene to repair the damaged power pole, according to Rasmussen.
Rasmussen said Smith's crash was the second one involving drunk driving in the city of Lakeport over a three-day period.
“We ask that all drivers keep our streets safe and not drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” Rasmussen said. “Call a friend, family member or a taxi, it is not worth risking other people’s lives.”
Community members are asked to call 911 to report all suspected drunk drivers on streets and highways.
Rasmussen said Lakeport Police patrol officers will continue to aggressively search for those choosing to drive impaired and endangering the city's streets.