Vehicle Recovered from Pond Following DUI Collision at Place to Play 

On April 19, 2026, at approximately 4:57 p.m., officers responded to Place to Play Park on West 3rd Street following reports of a truck traveling at a high rate of speed through the park. The vehicle struck three parked cars before leaving the roadway and entering a pond, approximately 50 feet from the shoreline.

Upon arrival, officers observed the vehicle rapidly sinking. A bystander entered the water and safely removed the adult female driver, bringing her to shore. The driver reported she was the sole occupant of the vehicle, which was corroborated by witnesses at the scene. No other injuries were reported.

The driver, Patricia Collinsworth, 64, of Sebastopol, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and transported to a local hospital for medical treatment.

Recovery efforts were delayed due to conditions at the time of the collision and weather impacts in the following days, which limited visibility and prevented divers from safely locating the submerged vehicle. A coordinated recovery plan was subsequently developed involving multiple agencies.

On April 26, 2026, at approximately 1100 hours, patrol officers, along with Santa Rosa Fire Department Hazmat personnel and the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team, responded to Place to Play Park to recover the vehicle, which was submerged in approximately 15 feet of water. Divers were able to locate the vehicle, and it was successfully recovered without incident.

Members from the Santa Rosa Fire Department Hazardous Materials Response Team worked with Sheriff’s Dive Team to deploy hydrophobic booms. These booms are long, floating, cylindrical barriers that are designed to absorb oil and gasoline from the vehicle as it was removed from the water. These measures were taken to protect the pond.