Crime & Safety

Man Arrested for Child Endangerment After Caught Doing 104 Miles Per Hour

Petaluma resident says he was running late to his child's soccer game

Petaluma police arrested a father suspected of driving down Lakeville Highway Saturday morning at speeds in excess of 100 mph with two 9-year-old children -- his son and a friend -- in the vehicle, police said.

Officers had been issuing citations to drivers and motorcycle riders in the area this morning when one motorcycle officer heard a vehicle approaching at a high rate of speed.

According to police, a newer model silver Nissan Altima crossed the double yellow lines near Browns Lane and traveled into oncoming traffic to pass vehicles.

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The officer clocked the vehicle's speed at 104 mph using a handheld laser speed-measuring device and noticed two children seated in the speeding sedan, according to police.

Police said it took the officer three miles to catch up with the vehicle. The driver, Juan Carlos Gallegos, 41, of Petaluma, said he had been driving the two boys to a soccer game in Davis. Police said the two boys told the officer that they were late to the game, which is why they were speeding.

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Police arrested Gallegos on suspicion of reckless driving and child endangerment, and police said his driving record shows prior offenses for those violations. Gallegos was booked at Sonoma County Jail with bail set at $15,000, and his vehicle was impounded for 30 days.

Both boys were taken to the Police Department, where Gallegos' son was picked up by his mother and the boy's friend was picked up by his parents.

-Bay City News


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