2 Arrests Made at DUI Checkpoint

Two drunk-driving arrests and more than 10 citations for driving without a license were issued Friday night at an Orange County Sheriff’s Department traffic safety checkpoint Friday.

The checkpoint, held at the intersection of North El Camino Real and West Escalonas, was made possible by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety. It targeted motorists driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs as well as those driving without a license. 

“The main objective is to emphasize safety,” said Sgt. Mark Daigle, who helped run Friday’s checkpoint. The Sheriff’s Department is contracted to provide police services to the city of San Clemente.

Cars were picked at random to pass through the checkpoint and any drivers showing objective signs of intoxication, such as giving off a smell of alcohol, were moved to a secondary screening area where field sobriety tests were conducted.

Despite setting up along a major thoroughfare in San Clemente, officers said it was a relatively quiet night with a slow trickle of vehicles passing through the checkpoint. Daigle partially blames the layout of San Clemente roads–with their easy access to the highway—for the slow night.  “[Drivers] can just get straight on the 5,” he said.