Former Santa Barbara City Councilwoman Iya Falcone has been arrested on suspicion of DUI and hit-and-run for allegedly walking away after hitting a parked car.
Falcone, 57, was arrested Wednesday after consuming alcohol at the Mesa Cafe and registering a blood alcohol content of .24, three times the legal limit, according to Sgt. Riley Harwood.
Officers responded at 10:46 a.m. to a report of a DUI driver who had been involved in a collision with a parked black Toyota Prius in the rear parking lot of the shopping center at 1818 Cliff Drive. After investigating, the officers located the suspect vehicle, a black BMW 323i registered to Falcone.
“The officers located Ms. Falcone at the front of the shopping center, walking eastbound, away from the scene,” Harwood said.
A DUI investigation was conducted, Falcone was arrested and her vehicle was impounded.
Before the collision, Falcone had been at the Mesa Cafe, at 1972 Cliff Drive, where Harwood said she had consumed alcohol. After leaving the restaurant, he said she drove to the shopping center across the street to go to Mesa Liquors to purchase cigarettes and wine.
While driving in the parking lot, Harwood said she struck a parked Toyota Prius, causing minor damage to both vehicles.
After the collision, Falcone is accused of leaving the scene without providing her personal and vehicle registration and insurance information for the owner of the Prius.
She was transported to the Santa Barbara Police Department for further investigation, where she submitted to a chemical test to measure her blood alcohol content. At 12:29 p.m., she provided two breath samples that registered her BAC at .24 and .23, Harwood said.
Falcone acknowledged to police that she had used some prescription drugs that morning and had them in her possession, but her field sobriety test for drug use yielded no signs out of the ordinary, Harwood said.
At the conclusion of the investigation, Falcone was issued a misdemeanor citation for DUI and hit-and-run, and released into the custody of a friend.
Falcone is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 25.
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
