DUI checkpoint in Encinitas nets eight arrests

Eight drivers were arrested for driving under the influence during a DUI sobriety and driver’s license checkpoint conducted in Encinitas over St. Patrick’s Day weekend, according to a news release from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department’s North Coastal Station.

A total of 878 vehicles passed through the checkpoint, held from 7:30 p.m. on March 17 to 1 a.m. on March 18 in the 1800 block of South Coast Highway 101, according to authorities.

Forty-one vehicles were directed to the secondary screening area for further investigation.

Eleven drivers were evaluated for DUI, with eight ultimately being arrested — five for alcohol and three for drugs.

Additionally, three people were cited for driving with a suspended driver’s license, six were cited for driving without a license, two were cited for driving with no insurance, one was cited for driving with an open container in a vehicle and one was cited for driving out of the parameters of a provisional driver’s license, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

A total of 10 vehicles were towed during the operation.

The checkpoint was funded by a grant through the California Office of Traffic Safety, which urges drivers to report drunk drivers by calling 911.