A woman was arrested in Piedmont for suspected DUI and child endangerment after a single-car crash in the early morning of May 10.
A black Ford Explorer was observed by a Piedmont Police Department officer for a stop sign violation around 3 a.m., according to Piedmont Police Captain Chris Monahan. The vehicle stopped at Highland Avenue and Highland Way and when the officer approached the vehicle on foot, the driver took off from the scene.
Captain Monahan said the officer did not pursue the vehicle. However, the officer heard a crash that appeared to come from Highland and Wildwood avenues. Police began to canvas the area and found the vehicle unoccupied on Warfield Avenue. “The vehicle had collided with several cars in the area,” Captain Monahan said.
More officers arrived on the scene and located a female suspect hiding in a yard holding onto to her 1-year old son. The suspect, 23-year old Carmen Vargas, was checked medically by Piedmont firefighters. Police said she was exhibiting signs of being under the influence.
A search of the vehicle turned up an open bottle of vodka, according to Captain Monahan, as well as a Sawzall, pipe shears and stolen mail. The vehicle had been reported stolen out of San Francisco.
The child was transported to Children’s Hospital as a precaution. Vargas was taken to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin and booked for DUI, endangerment, possession of a stolen vehicle, hit and run, evading arrest and possession of stolen mail.
A stolen vehicle was recovered in Piedmont on May 2. A blue 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander was pinged by the city’s Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system at 5:08 p.m. at Wildwood and Grand avenues. The vehicle was reportedly stolen out of Oakland on April 10 in a carjacking incident.
Officers located the vehicle in the Ken Betts car wash parking lot at Pleasant Valley and Piedmont avenues, according to Captain Monahan. The driver claimed he was not involved in the carjacking and had purchased the vehicle through a third party. The vehicle was towed.
A missing woman from Texas was found in Piedmont walking on Highland Avenue in a confused state. She was identified and had a warrant for her arrest and was booked into jail. She had been reported missing from Texas by family members in February. Arrangements are being made to reunite her with her family, according to police. A daughter told officers that the family had been “organizing search parties and were gravely concerned due to several health conditions.”
Multiple skunks running about Piedmont have been reported to police recently. Three have been captured and taken to the Lindsay Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital in Wanut Creek. Two were reported on Wildwood and one on First Avenue.