Crime & Safety

19 Arrested During Drunk-In-Public Sweep in Encinitas

Sheriff's deputies and ABC agents had no tolerance for alcohol violations Saturday night.

Deputies from the Encinitas Sheriff’s Station were on the lookout Saturday night for people stumbling along the sidewalk and other signs of public drunkenness during a zero-tolerance sweep that resulted in 19 arrests, according to Lt. Rich Williams.

The drunk-in-public sweep—which also included agents from Alcohol Beverage Control—was conducted from 8 p.m. until 3 a.m. as green-clad revelers gathered in Encinitas bars to celebrate the St. Patrick’s Day weekend.

Among the charges facing the 19 people arrested are drunk in public, possession of an open container of alcohol, urinating in public, and minor in possession of alcohol, according to Williams.

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The detail was funded by a $100,000 grant the Sheriff’s Department received from ABC to enforce alcohol laws and educated ABC-licensed businesses. Similar details will continue through June.  

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