DUI and Drug Arrest

On August 24th, 2017, shortly after 8:00 a.m., the Sonora Police Department received a call that a man suspected of being under the influence of drugs was behind the wheel of a blue Toyota van which was preparing to leave a church parking lot near Jackson Street. Officers arrived in the area and saw the described vehicle traveling west on Jackson Street. A traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle and the driver, 64-year-old David Brown of Sonora, was determined to be under the influence of drugs while driving a vehicle. Brown was arrested for DUI. The passenger, 50-year-old Benjamin Tarango of Columbia had three outstanding warrants for his arrest and was found in possession of just under a gram of methamphetamine. Tarango was taken into custody as well and both men were booked into the Tuolumne County Jail.