CHP announces maximum application period

The Santa Clarita Valley received another reminder about the dangers of drinking and driving ahead of the California Highway Patrol’s peak enforcement period this weekend for the July 4 holiday, an annual tradition.

CHP officers reported that Taylor Roberson, 19, of Redlands, was showing significant signs of impairment after he managed to escape from a burning 2010 Toyota Camry.

His passengers were not so lucky.

Three people were killed, including a 22-year-old woman from Castaic and a man and woman who have not been identified, when the car she was driving failed to negotiate a curve at high speed, left the road, struck a tree and then a light pole before her car caught fire, according to the CHP report. All three were pronounced dead at the scene.

She was being arrested on suspicion of charges related to the incident, which remained under active investigation as of Wednesday afternoon, according to Josh Greengard, a spokesman for the CHP’s Newhall Regional Office.

“With unsafe speeding being the leading cause of crashes in California, the CHP will focus on enforcing speed and promoting safe driving practices throughout the holiday weekend,” according to a statement released by the agency Monday.

The maximum enforcement period began Wednesday evening and continues through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said in the statement.

The last time there was a holiday weekend and the CHP conducted an MEP in the SCV, Memorial Day weekend, officers issued 725 citations and made 15 DUI arrests over a four-day period.

Several other drunken driving investigations conducted earlier this month in court records obtained by The Signal show some of the other incidents investigated by CHP officers who responded to potentially dangerous incidents on a daily basis.

In each case, the suspect refused to voluntarily submit to a blood or urine test, leading CHP officers to seek warrants to demand evidence.

08:09 on June 18

CHP officers responded to a silver sedan blocking the second lane in the middle of the northbound side of Highway 14, north of Sand Canyon Road, during morning rush hour, according to court records obtained by The Signal.

According to the officer’s report of the incident, which occurred approximately 10 minutes after the vehicle was stopped, the suspect was “conscious and unconscious.”

The driver admitted to using drugs, according to the CHP report, which referred to a cigarette allegedly laced with PCP that the officer reported was in the suspect’s lap.

The suspect did not show any impairment during the breathalyzer test, but the 44-year-old suspect exhibited “drooping eyelids, weak voice, slow response” and admitted to using PCP, the report said.

07:05 on June 10

Another drunken driving investigation began early in the morning after CHP officers encountered a 32-year-old man receiving medical treatment next to a vehicle he had crashed, court records show.

CHP officials did not identify the location of their report in the warrant request, and CHP officials were not immediately available to answer questions Wednesday.

The driver admitted to drinking and the odor of alcohol was present, according to the CHP officer’s report on the incident, which was taken about 15 to 20 minutes after the collision involving the injured, allegedly intoxicated driver.

11:40 p.m. on June 8

Newhall Area and CHP officers responded to a report of a car fire on Highway 14 and ultimately arrested a 59-year-old woman who was standing next to the car around 11:40 p.m.

The woman had slurred speech and red, watery eyes, according to the arresting officer, who also noted in his report that the woman was on probation for drunken driving until 2025.

The woman was eventually taken to Olive View Hospital in Sylmar, where a sample was taken after CHP officers sought a court order shortly after 2 a.m.

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