Suspected DUI crash leads to power outage in Santa Rosa; driver arrested

By Tim Fang

Police in Santa Rosa arrested a man on suspicion of driving under the influence following a crash on Tuesday that led to a power outage impacting thousands of customers.

Around 12:20 p.m., multiple calls were received by dispatchers about a solo-vehicle crash on Piner Road east of Marlow Road, in the northwest part of the city.

Witnesses said a white Tesla struck a PG&E power pole, causing power lines to fall to the ground. The driver was also seen walking away from the scene and throwing what was believed to be a bottle of alcohol into a grassy area.

More than a dozen police officers, along with firefighters responded to the scene. PG&E crews arrived at the scene within 15 minutes to begin repairs, police said.

An officer located the driver on Marlow Road, not far from the crash scene. Police said the officer located an almost empty bottle of whisky that was determined to have belonged to the driver.

A DUI investigation determined that the driver was under the influence at the time of the crash and that his blood alcohol content (BAC) was higher than the legal limit of 0.08%.

The driver, identified as 46-year-old Anthony Turnbull, was arrested and booked into the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of felony driving under the influence and felony driving under the influence with a BAC over 0.08%.

According to officers, Turnbull was previously convicted of DUI in 2021.

Police said the outage caused by the collision was “extensive,” impacting more than 6,000 PG&E customers. Power was restored to all but 300 customers by 1:05 p.m.

Piner Road between Bay Village Circle and Marlow Road remained closed until Tuesday evening to make the necessary repairs.