Drunk Driving Suspect Arrested for 12th Time

A 52-year-old man described by police as “a fatal accident waiting to happen” was arrested for the 12th time on suspicion of drunk driving, under a pilot program that targets repeat offenders.

Roger W. Cram, whose license has been revoked since 1984 and who was on probation for drunk driving, was driving a friend’s car in Santa Ana when two undercover officers saw him pull into a driveway and arrested him, Sgt. Bob Clark said. His blood-alcohol level was .27, more than three times the legal limit, Clark said.

“Enough is enough,” Clark said. “It doesn’t look like there’s a cure for this guy. They’ve taken away his driver’s license, impounded his car, and he still finds a way to drive. We need to keep him locked up.”

The arrest Wednesday was part of an aggressive departmental program funded by a $374,000 grant to track down “the worst of the worst” among drunk drivers.

Cram was the first person arrested when the program was implemented earlier this year.

Santa Ana was chosen for the program because the city has more alcohol-related arrests and injury accidents per square mile than any other Orange County city. Last year, 19 people died in Santa Ana crashes attributed to alcohol.

Investigators said they hope to track down some 300 repeat drunk drivers who fail to make court appearances or drive with suspended licenses.

“The system has not found them and made them responsible,” Lt. Felix Osuna said of the program.

This was Cram’s third arrest this year on suspicion of driving offenses, police said. January, he led Fountain Valley police on a chase when they tried to pull him over, said Santa Ana Police Investigator Greg Maciha, who made the arrest Wednesday. Cram had served two weeks in jail for that conviction and recently was released. He remained on probation.

In the same month, an anonymous tipster led Santa Ana police to Cram’s home on West Edinger Avenue, where they arrested him on suspicion of driving with a revoked license.

Then Wednesday afternoon, “There he was, driving again,” Maciha said.

Cram was being held at the city jail in lieu of $2,500 bail. Police said he could receive a maximum of a year in jail if convicted for drunk driving.

“Now it’s up to the court system to fix the problem,” said Clark, who referred to Cram as an accident waiting to happen. “Although I’m not sure that it can be fixed in this case.”

The program is among the first of its kind in the nation and targets those with outstanding drunk-driving warrants and three or more arrests for drunk driving within the past seven years, police said. If successful, the project will be duplicated in other California cities.