Crime & Safety

Gotcha! Sting Targets Drivers with Revoked Licenses

Folks with suspended licenses trailed by cops in grant-funded operation last week.

By Bay City News Service

A Santa Rosa man was arrested for allegedly driving on a suspended license during a courthouse sting operation in Sonoma County on Wednesday, a Petaluma police sergeant said.

The sting, conducted between 8:30 a.m. and noon on Wednesday, targeted drivers whose licenses were either suspended or revoked on suspicion of DUI or driving without a license, Petaluma police Sgt. Jim Stephenson said.

Officers from the Petaluma and Santa Rosa police departments staked out 15 people told by a judge not to drive and had their license suspended, he said.

Police followed each person from courtrooms to ensure they were not driving, Stephenson said. Some of the offenders followed the judge's orders and found an alternate means of transportation, he said.

Officers stopped and cited Steven Delange, 53, who was arrested on suspicion of driving on a suspended license and had his vehicle impounded, Stephenson said. Delange could face additional jail time or long driver's license suspensions, according to Stephenson.

The court sting operation aims to keep impaired drivers from the road and raise public awareness of the dangers of driving under the influence, police said.

The operation was funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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