Suspected Drunken Drivers Crash Into Tree, Car Over Weekend

Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies were called to two suspected drunk driving incidents this weekend.

According to the sheriff’s department, the first involved a Los Angeles area man who drove on the wrong side of Highway 111 before crashing into a palm tree, just east of Fairway Drive in Rancho Mirage.

Deputies arrested 50-year-old Randy Scott Durand of Chatsworth shortly after 10 p.m. Durand was heading east in the westbound lanes of Highway 111, according to Sheriff’s Sgt. Dan Devinny.

Authorities were also called to a second driving incident in Palm Desert more than four hours later.

Sheriff’s deputies arrested 23-year-old Samantha Sullivan of Palm Desert around 2:45 Saturday morning. Sullivan was heading west on Sheryl Avenue near Clifford Street when she crashed into a parked car, according to Sergeant Devinny.

Both Sullivan and Durand suffered minor injuries.

Sullivan was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving. Jail records show she was held in the Indio Jail in lieu of $2,500 bail on Saturday. However, Durand posted a $2,500 bail and was released Saturday from the Indio Jail. He’s expected to be in court May 1.