MISSION VIEJO : Sobriety Checks Scheduled Friday

The Sheriff’s Department will set up its second sobriety checkpoint in as many weeks Friday night as part of an effort to crack down on drunk driving in the city.

Last Friday, sheriff’s deputies set up a checkpoint at Via Fabricante and Alicia Parkway, arresting five people on suspicion of drunk driving. Deputies stopped 821 cars between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m., Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Ray Karr said.

“It was an average number of arrests for the activity that goes on at this time during the holidays,” Karr noted.

The checkpoints are part of a crackdown on drunk driving started by city officials who were alarmed at the number of drunk-driving arrests in Mission Viejo last year.

According to statistics released by the Sheriff’s Department, 173 people were arrested for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol in Mission Viejo during the last fiscal year. In addition, 204 people were charged with alcohol- or drug-related offenses while 20 were arrested for being drunk in public.

At a recent press conference at Mission Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Mayor William S. Craycraft warned drunk drivers to stay out of Mission Viejo.

“To those who drink and drive, I give you more than fair warning, our sobriety checkpoints are out there,” Craycraft said. “We’re looking for you, and if we catch you, we’re going to throw the book at you.”

The location of Friday’s checkpoint has not been disclosed, Karr said.