Suspected drunk driver crashes into parked sheriff’s vehicle with deputies inside

A Stanislaus County sheriff’s field training officer and a trainee suffered minor injuries early Saturday, when a suspected drunk driver crashed into their parked patrol vehicle in west Modesto.

The two deputies were “okay and in good spirits,” the Sheriff’s Department announced in a Facebook post Saturday. They were treated at a hospital. The suspected drunk driver was arrested.

The crash occurred about 1:30 a.m. near Madera Avenue and Tuolumne Boulevard, just west of Highway 99, said sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Josh Clayton. The deputy trainee and the field training officer were sitting in the patrol vehicle parked along side the road.

Clayton said Norberto Contreras, 22, was driving the car that rear-ended the patrol vehicle. Contreras was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and booked at the Stanislaus County Jail. He remained in custody Saturday afternoon with his bail amount set at $25,000.

Sheriff’s officials urged those drinking alcohol to call a ride-sharing service like Uber or Lyft, or call a friend for a ride home. They warned those who drink and drive will “earn a trip to jail.”