Napa Police Nab DUI Offenders at Courthouse Sting

Four people who were ordered not to drive at Napa County Superior Court DUI hearings Monday drove away from the proceedings and were arrested, Napa Police Sgt. Brian Campagna said.

"Many people arrested for DUI or who are driving on a suspended or revoked driver’s license are under the impression that if they drive anyway, the consequences aren’t that tough or that the law doesn’t apply to them, or that they can drive without a license and won’t get caught, Campagna said. 

Napa Police proved that idea wrong Monday between about 8:30 a.m. and noon, when officers were on assignment at the Napa County Superior Courthouse to monitor DUI court proceedings.

Officers watched those who were ordered not to drive after they left the courthouse. Officers monitored them to see if they got behind the wheel of a vehicle and drove away, Campagna said.

Officers in the field were alerted to the violations and effected traffic stops.  Officers took appropriate enforcement action by either taking the violator into custody or issuing a citation before impounding their vehicle for 30 days, he said.

As a result, four offenders did drive away after a court appearance. All four of these subjects driver’s licenses were suspended. The individuals were cited for driving on a suspended license and the vehicles they drove were towed and impounded for 30 days.

Offenders will face additional trips to court, fines and possible jail time for failing to obey Court and DMV orders not to drive without a license. 

Additionally, one of the traffic officers working this event stopped a suspect, Dennis Davenport, 51, of Napa, for a vehicle code violation in the area of Franklin and Oak streets at about 11:30 a.m. today.

The traffic stop was unrelated to the offenders leaving the courthouse. The officer allegedly noticed Davenport displayed symptoms of intoxication.

The officer evaluated Davenport and subsequently arrested him for DUI. A records check revealed Davenport was on active felony Napa County Probation and he was an unlicensed driver.

Davenport was transported to Napa County Department of Correctionsand booked.

Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.