Police: extremely intoxicated driver slams into Petaluma home

A 51-year-old man suspected of driving with a blood alcohol five times the legal limit was booked in Sonoma County Jail after he reportedly drove into the front of a house on the 200 block of Bond Ave. Tuesday afternoon, according to an announcement by Petaluma Police Department Sgt. Ron Klein.|

A 51-year-old man suspected of driving with a blood alcohol five times the legal limit was booked in Sonoma County Jail after he reportedly drove into the front of a house on the 200 block of Bond Ave. Tuesday afternoon, according to an announcement by Petaluma Police Department Sgt. Ron Klein.

Occupants of the house were uninjured when Mitchell Butler, a Sonoma resident, allegedly careened up the driveway in a Ford Expedition and collided with a front pillar of the structure, according to Petaluma police. Butler himself suffered minor scrapes and bruises, and was transported to Petaluma Valley Hospital for evaluation.

Police said Butler had been driving east on Bond Avenue from South McDowell Boulevard when he collided with a parked car on the south side of the roadway, causing him to lose control and hit the house. Butler told police that he had been on his way to his sister’s house on South McDowell at the time.

Butler submitted to a preliminary alcohol screening after police reported smelling a strong odor of alcohol, which reportedly showed him to have a blood alcohol level of .397. The legal limit is .08. The suspect later submitted to an evidentiary blood draw at the hospital.

The suspect also told police he was driving on a suspended license, according to police. Butler’s vehicle was impounded for 30 days.

A Petaluma building inspector evaluated damage to the home and placed a red tag on the garage, meaning that the area was dangerous to inhabit in its current state.

Butler is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

(Contact Eric Gneckow at eric.gneckow@arguscourier.com. On Twitter @Eric_Reports)

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