Local police make 31 DUI arrests over long weekend [Updated]

Police arrested 31 impaired drivers in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa over the Fourth of July weekend, authorities said Tuesday.

Newport Beach police arrested eight drivers between July 3 and 7, according to department spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella, though no drunk driving arrests were made on Independence Day.

[Updated, 12:20 p.m. July 10: Newport police also arrested a driver on the Fourth of July on suspicion of felony drug possession following a single-vehicle crash. The driver faces charges for drug possession and impaired driving, police said Wednesday.]

Costa Mesa police arrested 23 drivers over the five days, six of them on the Fourth, according to traffic investigator Darren Wood.

Across Orange County, 38 law enforcement agencies reported 247 DUI arrests from July 3 to 7. But that number isn’t the final tally since some Orange County agencies hadn’t yet reported, according to a news release from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

About 420,000 people visited the beach in Newport Beach over the holiday, according to city Fire Department Capt. Glenn White.

Lifeguards made 142 rescues in Newport over the holiday weekend.

— Lauren Williams

Twitter: @lawilliams30