Murrieta Checkpoint Nets One Arrest

A checkpoint conducted Saturday in Murrieta by the California Highway Patrol and the Murrieta Police Department resulted in two misdemeanor violations.

The checkpoint took place between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. Saturday on Clinton Keith Road just west of Chantory Street.

Simona Gernay, 47, was arrested on alleged misdemeanor violations of public intoxication and resisting arrest.

Gernay was a passenger in a car that was stopped at the checkpoint when she allegedly interferred with the officers' investigation and became combative, according to Officer Nathan Baer, spokesperson for California Highway Patrol, Temecula area.

Gernay was arrested and booked at the Southwest Detention Center. She was released the following day on $2,500 bail.

The driver of the vehicle, a 19-year-old male, was cited on suspicion of being under the legal drinking age in possession of an open container, Baer said.

There were 318 vehicles screened and 15 sobriety tests conducted, according to Baer.

The checkpoint was funded by a grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The checkpoint location was selected in part due to numerous complaints from residents in the area.

In July, a was killed by an alleged drunk driver near Saturday's checkpoint location.

"This shows people that we are out there; we have a presence," Baer said.