Menifee DUI Warrant Sweep Nets 17 Arrests

A Riverside County sheriff's operation in Menifee to find DUI offenders accused of refusing to obey judicial orders to appear in court netted 17 arrests, a sergeant said Monday.

"The best bet for anyone with a missed DUI court date is to go to court on their own, or walk into the police station to be cited and released with a new court date," said Sgt. Jay Strang. "If you don't, that warrant isn't going away. We're going to find you and take you to jail."

According to Strang, deputies from the sheriff's Menifee station spent part of Saturday serving DUI-related warrants at 25 locations and took 17 people into custody. Prior to the warrant sweep, law enforcement and the courts mailed 700 letters to probationers and DUI defendants who had missed one or more court dates, notifying them that they needed to present themselves to authorities to avoid arrest, the sergeant said.

According to Strang, 161 people responded to the letters and were immediately cited and released with new dates to appear before a judge.

"I highly encourage those offenders who did not respond to the mailer (and) turn themselves in, to do it now, or ... wait for the next DUI warrant sweep and go to jail," Strang said.

– City News Service.