A Vallejo man was arrested this week for the 10th time on a DUI-related charge. Here’s a news release from Petaluma Police Sgt. Ken Savano about it:

Incident: 10 Time Habitual DUI Offender Arrested
After 3 DUI Crashes in 2 Months

Locations: Petaluma, California

Summary: On Thursday, August 19, 2010, Petaluma DUI officers were alerted to a habitual DUI driver that had been previously arrested for DUI in Petaluma on July 10, 2010, after being involved in a collision with a center concrete median. Officers learned that James Timothy McCrohan, 52, from Vallejo bailed out from Sonoma County Jail on a $20,000 bail bond the day after Petaluma officers arrested him. His DMV driving record only showed two priors misdemeanor DUIs so he was only charged with misdemeanor DUI with two priors that resulted in the $20,000 bail.

On August 16, 2010, McCrohan appeared in Sonoma County Superior Court in front of Judge Shelly Averill and was ordered to be monitored with a SCRAM alcohol bracelet and to install an ignition interlock device on his vehicle. His trial was reset for August 23, 2010.

On August 17, 2010, McCrohan was again driving under the influence of alcohol when he caused to separate collisions on Highway 37 in Novato and then on U.S. 101 in San Rafael. He was arrested for DUI and booked into Marin County Jail. Nobody was injured in the two collisions. Unaware of the pending case in Sonoma County, law enforcement officials in Marin charged him with an additional misdemeanor based on the 2 priors indicated on the DMV driving record.

The Marin County District Attorney’s Office reviewed McCrohan’s criminal history and learned that he had more prior DUI convictions than were listed on his DMV driving record. McCrohan’s charges were amended to a felony violation of DUI and his bail was increased to $75,000.

His driving history shows the following DUI arrests and convictions:

1. October 26, 1976
2. April 2, 1978
3. May 22, 1990 – Felony
4. August 3, 1990 – Felony
5. September 21, 1992
6. December 20, 1999
7. September 27, 2000
8. June 26, 2002 – Felony
9. July 10, 2010 – Arrested by Petaluma PD after DUI Crash – Case pending
10. August 17, 2010 – Arrested in Marin County after 2 DUI Crashes – Case pending

Officers found that his license was also still valid when it should have been suspended 30 days after the DUI arrest in Petaluma. Officer learned that McCrohan had requested a DMV hearing about his DUI suspension and that request automatically triggers a temporary stay on the suspension and DMV gave him a valid temporary license.

Officers realized the extent of his DUI criminal history was not fully known when he was arrested and charged with DUI in Petaluma on July 10, 2010. Because McCrohan clearly demonstrated himself to be a serious threat to public safety as a habitual DUI offender, officers in Petaluma sought a felony arrest warrant from Sonoma County for felony DUI because McCrohan had a prior felony DUI within 10 years, which automatically makes any new DUI a felony.

At 1630 hours, Judge Shelly Averill issued a $250,000 felony DUI warrant for McCrohan’s arrest. DUI officers began a search McCrohan. Officers checked his mother’s residence in Vallejo where he was located and arrested at 11pm. He was later booked into county jail with bail set at $250,000.

McCrohan has been added to a list of habitual DUI offenders that officers in Petaluma will be watching. Funding for the DUI Habitual Offender Stakeout Program has been provided by grant funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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