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Sheriffs arrest 24 during periodic warrant sweep
By Leigh Ann Maze
The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department on Nov. 23 arrested 24 subjects for outstanding warrants during its periodic warrant sweep.
The sweep began at 4:30 a.m., with sheriff's deputies serving warrants to people throughout the county, including several in Saratoga and surrounding areas. Most of the warrants in Saratoga were for drunken driving, according to Sgt. Luther Pugh.
A warrant is issued by the District Attorney to a person who fails to appear in court or who is implicated in a criminal investigation. The sheriff's office has about 150,000 outstanding warrants in Santa Clara County that range from traffic violations to assault, Pugh said. The focus of the latest sweep was primarily on family support, domestic violence and drunken driving warrants. Many people were arrested where they work or live. Several felony warrants also were served.
The DA's office and the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department plan to conduct regular countywide sweeps in an effort to reduce the time that warrants remain unserved and to assist the family support division of the District Attorney's office in ensuring that the commitments made by parents in family court are honored.
"The reason we do these sweeps is to assist in the right to a speedy trial, and to prevent agencies from just sitting on warrants and using them whenever they feel like," Pugh said. The next warrant sweep is planned in early January, Pugh added.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
