Sonora DUI Arrest Nets Stolen Vehicle

Sonora, CA — A citizen called in the vehicle theft but a Sonora Police Department (SPD) Officer’s nose detected that the Jamestown man behind the wheel had been drinking.

A caller to SPD dispatch reported a male subject driving a stolen vehicle in the area of Stewart and Church streets in downtown Sonora. After tracking down the suspect and while questioning him, an officer detected a strong odor of alcohol on his breath and person. A request for a field sobriety test was rejected by the driver, 28-year-old Kenneth Everett Wilkerson. He also refused to take a breathalyzer or blood, according to police.

Wilkerson was handcuffed and taken to Adventist Health Sonora where a search warrant was issued for a blood draw, but the results are pending. Police report this is not his first DUI on record, as he has several prior arrests. He was booked into Tuolumne County Jail for felony driving under the influence, being in possession of a stolen vehicle and violating terms of his probation. His bail is set at $30,000.