25 Drunk-Driving Arrests Reported

A relatively trouble-free Labor Day weekend drew to a close Monday with two dozen drunk-driving arrests and only a few traffic accidents reported in the county.

As of Monday evening, there were no traffic fatalities reported on the county’s roadways, according to the California Highway Patrol.

There were 25 drunk-driving arrests over the three-day weekend, down from 36 last year.

The worst traffic accident occurred Sunday in the Ventura County back country when four motorcyclists from Bakersfield were injured after plunging 80 feet down a mountainside.

They were identified Monday as Mark Brown, 41, Denise Bufford, 43, Peter Hoogland, 48, and Christina Hoogland, 37.

CHP spokesman Axel Reyes said the four were driving on California 33 near Lockwood Valley Road when Brown and his girlfriend, Bufford, lost control of their bike. The Hooglands crashed after seeing the couple go over the cliff.

Firefighters rappelled down the mountainside to rescue the victims, who were taken to hospitals in Ventura and Oxnard.

Brown had a possible spine injury and was in moderate condition. Bufford had minor injuries to her shoulder. Peter Hoogland had cuts over his entire body, and Christina Hoogland had moderate head and back injuries, Reyes said.

On Monday, Ventura police said they were looking for a driver who fled after a midday accident at the intersection of Seaward Avenue and Thompson Boulevard.

Police said a speeding car crashed into a retaining wall between a gas station and fast-food restaurant while trying to turn left. There were no injuries, but “witnesses described the driver as running from the scene holding his face as if he was hurt,� Lt. Bryan Roberts said.

An Oxnard couple were arrested at about 2:30 a.m. Monday by Channel Islands Harbor Patrol while rowing an allegedly stolen dinghy. Eugene Soliza and Linnette Caberto, both 21, were detained on suspicion of possession of stolen property.