A 22-year-old Ceres man was arrested Monday, Aug. 8 for drunken driving and fleeing or evading a police officer.

Officer Dan Graziose was on patrol at 8:51 p.m. when he saw a black Acura Integra being driven recklessly in the area of Richland Avenue and Darby Lane. Officer Graziose activated his emergency lights and siren and attempted to stop the driver, Nikko Betancourt, 22, of Ceres, but he accelerated southbound on Richland Avenue. A short pursuit ensued with the driver finally pulling over at Herndon Road and Grandview Avenue.

Betancourt had red and watery eyes, slurred speech and his head was swaying slightly forward and back. Betancourt appeared to struggle with a field sobriety test and submitted to a breath test. The breathalyzer indicated that he was almost twice the legal limit.

Betancourt was booked at the Stanislaus County Jail for DUI, driving under the influence with a Blood Alcohol Concentration of above .08 percent and for fleeing or evading a police officer.