Petaluma Police Arrest Habitual DUI Driver on Her Way to Court

A Walnut Creek woman who has been caught driving under the influence six times in the last eight years, was arrested without bail Monday during a coordinated operation between the Petaluma Police Department and Contra Costa CHP.

On Nov. 14, Petaluma police apprehended Ruth Kathryn Fielding, 52, after spotting her driving 75 miles per hour in a 45 mph zone on State Route 12 at South McDowell Extention. Fielding's car weaved in and out of the lane, and when stopped and given a sobriety test, her blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal amount.

At the time, Fielding was on active DUI probation, had a suspended license for DUI and had a $150,000 DUI warrant out of Contra Costa County. She was booked into jail on a $200,000 bail, but was out by 11pm that night after posting bail.

An extensive criminal history check revealed Fielding had five prior DUI arrests in July 2003, February 2006, January 2008, October 2008, and a pending DUI case from March 2011 in Contra Costa County. Recognizing the potential risk to the public, Petaluma police worked with the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office to obtain a warrant for a violation of probation. While that process was underway, officers from Petaluma continued to research her past and attempted to monitor her more closely.

On Friday November 18, Fielding stopped by the Petaluma Police Department to get property from her vehicle that had been impounded for 30 days. Officers contacted her in the lobby of the Police Department and requested she submit to a chemical test, which showed her blood alcohol level was .109%, a violation of her probation.

Armed with a no-bail warrant, law enforcement officials tried to arrest Fielding at a number of addresses she had provided, but all turned out to be false. As a result, Fielding could not be located before the Thanksgiving weekend.

On Monday, Nov. 28, Petaluma police conducted a stakeout at the Sonoma County Superior Court to see if Fielding appeared as directed at 8:30am. At 8:50am, Fielding appeared in court and was arrested without incident by the courtroom bailiffs for the warrant.

Upon learning about Fielding’s extensive DUI record, Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Ken Gnoss immediately raised her bail on the Sonoma County case from $50,000 to $100,000. She was remanded into custody and is currently in Sonoma County Jail being held without bail. Her next court appearance is scheduled for December 12, 2011.