Fresno driver arrested after DUI stop, three children found in car
A Fresno traffic stop near Blackstone and Belmont nearly turned into a crash before police say three children were found in the car and the driver fought officers.
A Fresno police patrol near Blackstone and Belmont avenues turned into a child-safety emergency Thursday night after officers say a gray sedan nearly collided with the patrol vehicle, then led them into an alley west of North Calaveras Street with three children still inside.
Police identified the driver as 28-year-old Charquivia Roberson. According to the account, the officer was patrolling around 7:58 p.m. when the sedan made a questionable lane change and cut off the officer’s ability to turn safely. When the officer tried to stop the car, police say it accelerated, made a sharp southbound turn, and stopped behind a residence.
Roberson got out, walked away and began yelling, police said. When the officer tried to detain her, the encounter turned physical: police said she resisted, was taken to the ground, struck the officer under the left arm and kicked the officer in the inner leg while officers tried to handcuff her. Officers later said she was allegedly under the influence of alcohol. She was booked into the Fresno County Jail on suspicion of child endangerment, resisting an executive officer, resisting arrest, unsafe turning and driving under the influence of alcohol.
The child-safety concerns were immediate. Police said the youngest child repeatedly tried to place himself between the officer and his mother, forcing the officer to push the child back to keep him safe. California Highway Patrol rules require children under 8 to ride in a car seat or booster seat in the back seat, and children under 2 must ride rear-facing unless they meet certain size exceptions, underscoring how serious the presence of three children was in the vehicle.
The arrest also fit into a broader stretch of Fresno traffic enforcement involving impaired driving and children. GV Wire reported a separate June 4 case in which another woman was arrested on suspicion of DUI, child endangerment and unsafe speed with three children in her vehicle. Six days before Roberson’s arrest, a Fresno DUI checkpoint at Belmont Avenue and Clark Street led to 13 DUI arrests and 42 citations for drivers with unlicensed or suspended or revoked licenses, according to KMPH.
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