On Sunday, October 16th, 2022, at 2:37 am, the Turlock Police Department was dispatched to a reported vehicle collision near the intersection of W Monte Vista Ave and Sunset Dr, Turlock.
When officers arrived on scene, they found two vehicles involved. The first one was a black BMW SUV and the second one was a white GMC pickup truck.
The black BMW SUV had a single occupant, driver Steve Herghelian, 45, of Turlock. He did not suffer any injuries. The white GMC pickup truck was parked and unoccupied.
While speaking with Herghelian, officers noticed that he was exhibiting objective symptoms of being under the influence, so they asked him if he would be willing to participate in standardized field sobriety tests. He agreed, however, prior to officers starting them, they conducted a pat down search of Herghelian for weapons. During the pat down, officers came across a handgun. When officers had originally made contact with Herghelian, they had asked him if he had any weapons and specifically asked if he had any firearms, which he replied no to. A more extensive search of Herghelian after the discovery of the handgun led to the discovery of narcotics.
Officers proceeded with the standardized field sobriety tests and Herghelian completed them.
Based on the totality of the circumstances, officers determined that Herghelian was under the combined influence of alcohol and drugs.
Herghelian was arrested and refused to provide an evidentiary blood sample as required by California’s implied consent law. Herghelian was then transported to a local hospital where a blood sample was forcefully taken after a judge issued a search warrant and he was medically cleared.
Afterwards, Herghelian was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on charges of possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded and operable firearm, carrying a loaded firearm, and driving under the combined influence of alcohol and drugs.
The black BMW SUV sustained major damage, while the white GMC pickup truck sustained moderate damage. The black GMC SUV was deemed inoperable as a result of the collision, requiring it to be towed away. The white GMC pickup truck was left parked where it was.
It’s currently unknown how the collision occurred.
