BRIEFLY IN PUBLIC SAFETY

Bon Jovi guitarist arrested in alleged DUI

Rock guitarist Richie Sambora, 48, was pulled over by Laguna Beach Police at 10:52 p.m. March 25 on South Coast Highway at Brooks Street and arrested on suspicion of DUI, according to police records.

Sambora, lead guitarist for Bon Jovi, was driving a black Hummer with three female passengers, Sgt. Jason Kravetz said. Two of the passengers were juveniles, and one was an adult.

Officers spotted Sambora driving erratically on South Coast Highway at Laguna Avenue and followed him south about eight blocks to Brooks Street, where they pulled him over. He was weaving in and out of traffic and straddling lanes, Kravetz said.

Sambora failed a field sobriety test. He opted to have a blood test to determine his blood alcohol level, and the results won’t be available for several weeks, Kravetz said, adding that Sambora was very cooperative with officers.

Sambora was released by police around 4 a.m. on his own recognizance.

He is to appear in Harbor Court on May 7 to answer the charge.

The police department was hard-pressed to handle the influx of media calls from the incident. More than 100 reporters called the department, including some from Canada and England. Many reporters were from celebrity news outlets, Kravetz said.

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Man arrested in parking lot dispute; none hurt

A Dana Point man was arrested at 11:23 a.m. March 25 on suspicion of making terrorist threats after allegedly brandishing a weapon in a dispute with an attendant at a bank parking lot in the 200 block of Ocean Avenue, according to police records.

John Allen Martinson, 51, allegedly pulled out a knife during the fight. No injuries were reported.

Laguna man accused of assaulting police officer

A minor traffic offense led to the arrest of a local man on charges of assaulting a police officer on March 19, Police Sgt. Jason Kravetz said.

Scott Stinnett, 45, was pulled over at about 2:20 p.m. for allegedly driving in the center of Monterey Street during heavy traffic. Stinnett lives in the area.

Stinnett got out of his vehicle in the 31000 block and was “verbally aggressive” toward Officer Bob Vangorder, Kravetz alleged.

When Vangorder told Stinnett to get back into his vehicle, Stinnett allegedly refused, and Vangorder then proceeded to place him under arrest.

As Vangorder was standing behind Stinnett putting handcuffs on him, Stinnett allegedly head-butted the officer with the back of his head.

Vangorder suffered two black eyes, a broken nose and a sprained ankle in the incident.

Vangorder was taken to the hospital for treatment of his injuries and released. The suspect was not hurt, Kravetz said.

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Man air-lifted after jumping off bluff

A 38-year-old man was airlifted to a hospital at 3:46 p.m. March 23 after jumping off of a 25-foot cliff onto sand at Table Rock Beach, according to police records.

The man had a bloody nose and a back injury.

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Woman arrested on DUI in a golf cart

One woman was badly injured and another arrested on suspicion of DUI after three friends were driving around in a golf cart in the gated community of Three Arch Bay at 3:40 a.m. on March 23, Kravetz said.

When the golf cart turned over, a 24-year-old Newport Beach woman’s jaw was fractured and many of her teeth knocked out, Kravetz said.

Police arrested 26-year-old Sara Stevens on charges of DUI with great bodily injury, a felony, after being called to the scene of the accident.

When police arrived at the accident scene, the victim had already been taken to a local hospital by her friends, including Stevens, Kravetz said. Police then went to the hospital, where they determined that Stevens was the driver “” and was intoxicated.

Stevens was booked and bail was set at $100,000.

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Two women arrested in drug sting

Laguna Beach detectives arrested two women on suspicion of possessing cocaine for sale at 12:27 p.m. March 21 in the parking lot at Pavilions market in the 600 block of North Coast Highway.

Kimberly Renee Ruff, 40, of Fontana, and Kyuna Renee Haley, 24, of Pomona, had allegedly agreed to meet the detectives to sell them cocaine, Kravetz said.

During the arrest, customers in the market were told to stay inside the store.

Ruff and Haley were arrested without incident and taken to Orange County Jail, where each was held on $30,000 bail, according to jail records.

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Man jailed after search turns up drug items

David Joseph Galiazzo, 23, of Laguna Beach, was held without bail in Orange County jail after police found narcotics paraphernalia during a search of his vehicle at 9:01 p.m. March 21, according to police records.

Galiazzo had been pulled over for having tinted windows and was subsequently arrested on DUI charges, Kravetz said.