Lodi police arrest 60 in busy holiday weekend

Nearly one person for every 1,000 Lodi residents was arrested in city limits over the three-day Memorial Day weekend.

The 60 arrests included two police pursuits, an arrest in a previous attempted murder case, six drunken drivers and the arrest of a female parolee previously convicted in a kidnapping case.

The arrest total is higher than normal, and it wasn't due to any special enforcement, Lodi Police Sgt. Bill Alexander said. Police attributed it to warm weather and the holiday weekend, which makes more people drink alcohol.

"We always tend to have a higher number of arrests in the summer months, because people are outside more, school is out (and) gang activity goes up," said Officer Hettie Schaeffer, who worked all weekend but hadn't realized exactly how many people were arrested.

The first of two weekend pursuits — not a common incident in Lodi — started at 10:11 p.m. Saturday. An officer saw a GMC pick-up truck that had been used in a recent Guild Avenue burglary, said police, who later identified the driver as Daniel Zuniga, 32.

Officers tried to stop Zuniga near Washington and Lockeford streets, but he allegedly sped up, headed north on Highway 99 and reached speeds of 80 mph. Zuniga threw drugs out the truck's window as police chased him, Cpl. Dale Eubanks said.

The truck exited at Grant Line Road and then headed back south. The California Highway Patrol took over the chase, using patrol cars and a helicopter. They stopped the truck at Liberty Road, using a spike strip to deflate the vehicle's tires.

Arrests by the numbers

In addition to the specific arrests detailed in the story (and an attempted murder arrest in a separate story), Lodi police made the following arrests this weekend:

18 warrant arrests, most for auto theft and burglary.
9 arrested for public intoxication
6 for driving under the influence
4 for theft
3 for domestic violence
3 for miscellaneous violations
2 for drug possession
2 for fighting
2 for making a false police report
1 for possession of drug paraphernalia
1 for weapon violation
1 for trespassing
1 juvenile arrested for attempted robbery
1 for possession of burglary tools.

Source: Lodi Police Cpl. Dale Eubanks

Zuniga was arrested and arraigned in court Tuesday on charges of evading police, possession of narcotics for sale and transportation of narcotics, as well as an enhancement of serving a prior prison term. He pleaded not guilty and a judge set his bail at $80,000, according to San Joaquin County court records.

Four hours after that pursuit started, citizens called police when they saw two people stealing a car stereo in the 1700 block of Lakeshore Drive, Dale Eubanks.

Daniel Garcia

Officers arrived at 2:03 a.m. Sunday as the suspects fled in a Buick car. Police chased them south briefly, until the driver, 19-year-old Daniel Garcia, of Lodi, crashed into a light pole at Century Boulevard and Mills Avenue, Eubanks said.

Nicholas Oster

There were no reports of injuries and both Garcia and his passenger, 19-year-old Nicholas Oster, were arrested without incident, Officer Hettie Schaeffer said.

They were charged in court Tuesday with misdemeanor theft and possession of burglary tools. Garcia was also charged with felony evading police.

Jessica Ramos

An hour earlier, police arrested parolee Jessica Ramos, 29, during a traffic stop at Pine and Sacramento streets, Schaeffer said. Ramos was initially stopped because her vehicle lights were not properly working, but she was ultimately charged with giving police a false name and drug possession.

Ramos is also accused of violating her parole in connection with an October 2004 arrest, when she was one of six people charged with kidnapping a Lodi man and assaulting him for 20 hours to force him to reveal the location of a friend. A jury convicted Ramos of false imprisonment and a firearm enhancement, and she was sentenced to three years in prison.

Other weekend arrests included a couple who were arrested for falsely reporting a crime — claiming a man had threatened them during a child custody dispute but subsequently denying it.

And a Galt man was arrested after leaving a fake check to pay for his $14 meal at Denny's in Lodi. Police found him across the street trying to get work done on a pick-up truck at Pep Boys, but then learned that the truck had been stolen. The check used at Denny's had also been stolen, police said.

Contact reporter Layla Bohm at layla@lodinews.com.

Reader Feedback

pooreastside wrote on May 27, 2009 9:07 PM:

" Way to go to our Police Officers. I'd like to see what our Police Officers could do without all the restrictions placed on them. Far be it that they knock around a thug or wife beater. Too many laws protecting the criminals. "

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T & C wrote on May 27, 2009 12:34 PM:

" Don't stop now, do a probation/parole sweep on all the Gang Bangers! Book'em Dano! "

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weezer wrote on May 27, 2009 8:53 AM:

" Way to go, Lodi PD!

Hey chevyman20, looks like you've got an efficient Neighborhood Watch out there. Great job! "

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chevyman20 wrote on May 27, 2009 8:08 AM:

" A BIG HEADS UP FOR KNOCKING DOWN THE RIP OFFS.. THAT'S WHAT WE NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH CITIZENS DO BEST WHEN THE REST GOT THERE HEADS IN THE WRONG PLACES..
DARN CAR GOT A GOOD DENT .. MAN THAT CAR LOOKED GOOD LAST WEEK WHEN THEY WERE SCOPING MY NEIGHBORHOOD
(MY DRIVEWAY CAM GOT THEM GOING BY MY PAD A HALF DOZEN TIMES IN 30 MIN.)
HOPE THEY AND THE REST OF THOSE FUTURE THEFTS LEARN THERE LESSON ...THAT WE GOT THE BIGGER EYE........BEWARE THEFTS "

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jramagic wrote on May 27, 2009 6:45 AM:

" Bravo to the Coppers!..keep arresting them...lest Lodi degenerate another Modesto, Fresno, Pittsburg where those once-nice cities have sunk to the levels of Richmond. "

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