A 49-year-old Merced man was arrested in Ceres last week on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

At 9:46 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13 Officer Brian Chandler was sent to Fourth and Magnolia streets where a man was sitting in a vehicle and appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. Mario Ortizvera, 49, of Merced, was sitting behind the wheel which was parked at a 45 degree angle to the road with the front passenger wheel on the sidewalk. Ortizvera had vomited outside the car and was displaying symptoms of alcohol intoxication.

Officer Chandler conducted a DUI investigation and arrested Ortizvera. He refused to submit to a chemical test to determine the alcohol content of his blood so a search warrant was obtained to draw his blood at a hospital before his arrest.