Two Arrested For DUI Following Injury Accident

Date and Time of Release: 23 May 2014

Date and Time of Incident: 22 May 2014, at approx. 5:30 pm

Subject: Two Arrested For DUI Following An Injury Accident
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22 May 2014, at approx. 5:30 pm, Officers from the Sonora Police Department responded to Stewart Street, near the intersection of Lytton Street, for a reported injury accident.
Officers determined that Paula Lopez, 61 of Sonora, was driving northbound on Stewart Street in a 2006 Chevy sedan, and her son, Zachary Lopez, 21 of Sonora, was sitting in the front passenger seat.
While traveling down the roadway, they started arguing over how fast Paula Lopez was driving. Zachary Lopez then grabbed the steering wheel and jerked it to slow the vehicle down. This caused their vehicle to go out of control and collide with a parked vehicle on the eastside of the roadway. Several witnesses stated Lopez’s vehicle was traveling erratically prior to the collision.
Both Paula and Zachary Lopez were showing signs of being under the influence of a controlled substance at the scene of the accident. They also complained of pain as a result of the accident. Both were transported to Sonora Regional Medical Center where they were treated and released.
Barbara Lopez was arrested and booked at the Tuolumne County Jail for driving under the influence of a controlled substance, and for operating a vehicle without a valid drivers’ license. Because Zachary Lopez grabbed the steering wheel, causing the vehicle to crash into a parked vehicle, he too was arrested and booked for driving under the influence of a controlled substance.