Hwy 101 Collision Caused by Intoxicated RP Driver

Rush hour traffic on Tuesday afternoon boiled over shortly before 5:30, when a young Rohnert Park driver rear-ended a car driving the speed limit on Hwy 101 North.

At approximately 5:25 p.m, officers responded to a call of an injury collision blocking the lanes on northbound 101 north of Todd Rd.

Witness statements and preliminary investigation indicated that Katelyn Jane Leon, 24, of Rohnert Park, was driving a Honda Accord in the #1 lane (far left, the so-called "fast lane") at speeds exceeding 80 miles per hour.

Sergio Munoz, 49, of Santa Rosa, was driving a Jeep Cherokee in the same lane at approximately 65 mph, the speed limit, when the Honda struck the rear of his vehicle. Munoz had a passenger in his car; the #1 is a HOV lane in this part of the highway.

When the collision settled, both vehicles were blocking the lane. As a witness attempted to contact the driver of the Honda, Katelyn Leon, she accelerated forward another 200 feet, and struck the Jeep again.

Munoz and his passenger, Meseal Valderon, 25, of Windsor, were transported to Santa Rosa Memorial with moderate injuries. Leon was uninjured, but appeared extremely intoxicated, and failed sobriety tests.

Leon was arrested and charged with felony DUI.