'Talking On Cell-Phone' Stops Lead To More Serious Offenses For 2 Motorists

The California Highway Patrol said cellphone use while driving in Sonoma County on Wednesday led to two drivers facing more serious offenses.

The cases came a day after the CHP released a study that estimated 9.2 percent of drivers currently use their cell phones while driving, CHP Officer Jon Sloat said.

Guy Woodward III, 28, of Aptos, was arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana for sale and other offenses after a CHP officer saw him talking on a phone on southbound U.S. Highway 101 near state Route 116 in Cotati, Sloat said.

Woodward was driving without a license alone in a carpool lane at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday with five pounds of marijuana in his GMC truck, Sloat said. Woodward also was on probation for a prior DUI conviction.

A driver using his cellphone caught another CHP officer’s attention Wednesday night, Sloat said.

Noah Wilkinson, 35, of Santa Rosa, was driving a Jeep Laredo around 8:15 p.m. when he made a left turn in front of a CHP car at Santa Rosa Avenue and Todd Road south of Santa Rosa, Sloat said.

Wilkinson was talking into his cellphone and the rear license plate of his Jeep was obscured by a cover, Sloat said.

The officer learned Wilkinson was on probation for a drug offense and his license was suspended for failing to appear in court, Sloat said. The Jeep’s registration expired in 2014 and there was a false registration tag on the license plate, Sloat said.

The CHP impounded the Jeep and Wilkinson is facing potential prosecution for violating probation, driving on a suspended license, using his phone while driving and falsifying registration, Sloat said.

--Bay City News