Repeat Offender’s Vehicle Confiscated

After being convicted twice of drunk driving and allegedly continuing to drive on a suspended license, Jerry Robert Holand may be off the streets for a good while.

Holand, 39, of Irvine was the first driver in Orange County whose vehicle was confiscated under a pilot program targeting chronic traffic offenders.

Holand, arrested on suspicion of drunk driving Tuesday night, was taken to Orange County Jail, where he spent the night. His 1977 Ford Ranger was taken to a towing company in San Juan Capistrano, and authorities have started the process of selling the vehicle.

Holand, who was released from jail on $1,400 bail, has 15 days to file a petition or plead guilty.

The six-month pilot program, which began Aug. 5, targets repeat offenders. It is being enforced by the California Highway Patrol in conjunction with Municipal Court in Laguna Niguel. Holand’s license was suspended in 1988. He was convicted twice after that of drunk driving.

On Tuesday, he was arrested again at 9:30 p.m., after CHP Officer Steve Harow pulled him over on Camino Capistrano near the San Diego Freeway on-ramp and detected a “strong odor of an alcoholic beverage,” CHP Officer Carol Kelly said.

The pilot program in South County has drawn criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union and others who contend it is overkill. Low-income families will be especially hard hit, they say, because they often have only one vehicle. The critics say innocent people might be penalized, such as a wife who loses her transportation to work because her husband disregards the law.

Supporters say the system is designed to help, not hurt people.

“We are taking an aggressive stand by going out and getting people who are chronic law- breakers,” Kelly said.