‘Have a great time. Just come up with a plan.’ DUI checkpoint volunteers encourage safe St. Patrick’s Day celebration

By Melanie Wingo

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    ELK GROVE, California (KCRA) — Cars rolled through a DUI checkpoint in a steady stream Thursday night as Elk Grove police looked for impaired drivers.

Drivers were required to stop as they approached the checkpoint on Laguna Boulevard near Bighorn.

Officers checked licenses, and they talked with drivers gauging whether any drivers showed signs of impairment.

Volunteers with the local chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving gave drivers information about the costs and consequences of drunken driving and a square piece of paper with a story about a drunken driving loss on it.

It’s the story of MADD volunteer Kate Sherfey’s mom who was killed by a drunk nearly 13 years ago.

A drunk driver hit Sherfey’s mother head-on while going over 50 mph, in the wrong direction with their lights off.

Sherfey’s mom died instantly, so now she volunteers with MADD – trying to make sure others don’t have to experience the pain of a drunk driving loss.

“I’m out here so people can learn the story of my mom and what happens when someone makes one really wrong choice,” Sherfey said. “I just really want to make sure that people don’t think that this can’t happen to them.”

MADD says it wasn’t out at the checkpoint with officers just to “bust” people.

They were there to educate drivers and encourage them to celebrate the St. Patrick’s Day holiday responsibly.

“Have a great time,” Sherfey said. “Just come up with a plan. There’s so many options to get home safely without getting behind the wheel after you’ve been drinking, and that’s what we’re here to do.”

Police and MADD promote taking ride-hailing services or taxis, public transportation, or designating a driver who commits to not drinking any alcohol during their time out for the holiday.

MADD also said it’s a good idea to have a loved one pick you up if you’ve had one too many.

“Call a friend,” said Lori Bergenstock, a program coordinator with MADD. “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have someone they could call and they would come pick them up rather than suffer the consequences of a DUI arrest or hurt someone.”

Officers from Elk Grove Police Department at the checkpoint know the pain of DUI-related loss.

One of their own, motorcycle Officer Ty Lenehan, was killed by a drunken driver as he rode into work one morning in January 2022.

“Anytime someone is impacted by a drunk driving crash, the ripple effect is significant,” Bergenstock said. “When Officer Lenehan was killed, it was his family, it was his law enforcement family, it was the community. It has a ripple effect that it’s hard to describe.”

Officers broke down the DUI checkpoint on Laguna Boulevard just before 11 p.m. and fanned out across the city to continue their maximum enforcement holiday DUI patrols until 2 a.m.

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