Two Arrested for DUI in Palm Desert

Two Arrested for DUI and 14 Cited at Palm Desert DUI Checkpoint

PALM DESERT — Two people were arrested for DUI, one person was cited for driving on a suspended license, and 13 people were cited for being an unlicensed driver, at a DUI checkpoint on March 31, 2023.

The DUI checkpoint was held at Fred Waring Drive and Portola Avenue from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Some 890 vehicles were contacted, 44 vehicles were subjected to secondary screening, and four field sobriety tests were conducted.

Dennis Siggins, 26, of Wildomar, was arrested for DUI drugs.

Meliton Mejia, 34, of Palm Springs, was arrested for DUI alcohol.

DUI checkpoint locations are determined based on reported incidents of impaired driving-related crashes. The primary purpose of DUI checkpoints is to promote public safety by taking suspected impaired drivers off roads.

Funding for this checkpoint was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“Impaired drivers put others on the road at significant risk,” Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Don Olson said. “Any prevention measures that reduce the number of impaired drivers on our roads significantly improves traffic safety.”

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office reminds the public that impaired driving is not just from alcohol. Some prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs may interfere with driving. While medicinal and recreational marijuana are legal, driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal.

Drivers charged with a first-time DUI face an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties, as well as a suspended license.

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