A 23-year-old Turlock man was arrested for DUI after he passed out behind the wheel of a car stopped in one of the southbound lanes of Mitchell Road near Roeding Road on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 2.

Officer Dirk Nieuwenhuis was dispatched at 2:31 p.m. to assist Ceres Fire personnel who checked out passed-out driver Joey Salas, 23, of Turlock, who appeared to be sleeping or passed out in the driver seat with his foot on the brake and engine running. Fire and paramedics were able to safely get Salas out of the vehicle without causing an accident. Once out of the car he appeared to be intoxicated with red watery eyes, slurred speech, and a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. Salas denied consuming any alcoholic beverages but was unable to pass a field sobriety tests. 

A records check revealed Salas’ license was suspended for DUI and he was on probation for DUI. Salas would not submit to a breath or blood test to determine alcohol or drug content present in his body but was forced to do so at Doctors Medical Center because of his

probation status.