Frank Deleon of Petaluma was arrested on Monday when officers who were conducting surveillance on him found him at the Aquarium Bar at 1000 Petaluma Blvd. North, and discovered that his blood-alcohol level was .163 percent, more than twice the legal limit for driving, said Sgt. Ken Savano of the Petaluma Police Department.

Officers could not determine if Deleon had driven to the bar while intoxicated, but he was arrested for violation DUI probation and was charged with felony DUI due to his multiple violations. Deleon was transported to Sonoma County Jail, where his bail was set at $30,000.

On Friday night, a citizen working in the downtown area saw Deleon stumbling down a sidewalk at around 10:20 p.m. Deleon then got into his 1996 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck and started the engine, Savano said.

Then the citizen ran up to Deleon and told him that he was intoxicated, and should not drive. At first, Deleon refused to cooperate, but he later agreed to take a taxi home, and the citizen helped him to make arrangements.

While waiting for the taxi, the citizen moved the truck across the street so that he could more closely watch the vehicle from his workplace. A taxi then arrived, and picked up Deleon, Savano said.

Shortly after the taxi left, the citizen waived down motorcycle Officer Walt Spiller, and told him what had occurred. The citizen said that he had let the driver keep his keys because he was taking a taxi home.

As Spiller and the citizen were talking, the taxi driver, with Deleon inside, came back and drove past them. A few minutes later, the taxi driver came by them again, and slowly drove by the pickup, Savano said.

Spiller suspected that Deleon was waiting for him to leave so that he could get back into his truck and drive home, so he conducted a stakeout on the pickup.

A few minutes later, the taxi driver came around the corner and parked next to the truck. Fearing that Deleon would get behind the wheel again, Spiller drove up to the taxi and spoke with Deleon, who was still seated in the front seat of the cab, with the keys to his truck in his hand, Savano said.

Based on the citizen’s report of Deleon’s condition and his claim that he had begun to drive away, Spiller conducted a DUI investigation, and found that Deleon had a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit. Spiller also discovered that Deleon had been arrested for DUI in 1990, 2005, 2006 and 2008, and that he was on probation for DUI, and prohibited from drinking alcohol.

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Source: Petaluma Argus-Courier
  
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