Eureka police arrest multiple drivers in weekend DUI crackdown

A utility pole crash, a car stuck on a curb after a chaotic drive-thru stop and two drivers found asleep behind the wheel gave Eureka police a vivid picture of how impaired driving shows up on North Coast streets before it becomes a fatal collision. Over one weekend, officers arrested five people on DUI-related charges in incidents spread from Fourth Street to Clark Street and A Street, with stops coming both from proactive patrol work and from people who called in what they saw.

The first arrest came after a Eureka police sergeant encountered a vehicle that had collided with a utility pole at about 7:30 p.m. on June 13. The driver, Danielle Matson, 25, of Fortuna, was contacted and arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Later that evening, officers went to the 1700 block of Fourth Street after a report of a vehicle stuck on a curb. The reporting party said the driver had been acting erratically in a drive-thru, demanding food and striking the curb several times before becoming stranded. Officers contacted Daniel Miller, 37, of Eureka, and determined he was under the influence of alcohol. He was taken into custody for DUI.

The enforcement continued on June 13, when officers responded to the 1300 block of Fifth Street for a report of a driver asleep at the wheel. There, they contacted Cody Hills, 35, of Eureka, who was arrested for DUI. The next afternoon, at about 4 p.m. on June 14, an officer saw a motor scooter operator near Wabash Avenue and A Street displaying objective signs of impairment. Eric Steward, 44, of Eureka, was arrested for operating a motor scooter under the influence, possession of a controlled substance and public intoxication. Later that day, at about 6:15 p.m., officers were called to Clark Street and A Street for another report of a driver asleep behind the wheel. Gonzalo Martinez, 36, of Eureka, was arrested for DUI.

The weekend arrests fit a pattern Eureka police have been tracking for months. The department said DUI arrests were up 26 percent in 2025 compared with 2024, while DUI-related collisions were up 21 percent. Through the first five months of 2026, officers had already made 91 DUI arrests, nearly matching the 93 made during the same stretch of 2025.

That pattern has included crashes as well as roadside encounters. On June 6, officers responded to a non-injury collision at H Street and Harris Street and arrested two drivers on DUI suspicion. On June 11, police arrested an Anderson woman after a vehicle collided with a parked car on Williams Street. Chief Brian Stephens presented the department’s 2025 annual report and military equipment use report to the Eureka City Council on March 17, underscoring how often impaired driving now runs through the city’s daily traffic-safety work.