On Monday, February 20th, 2023, at 3:08 am, the Turlock Police Department was dispatched to a reported vehicle collision that had just occurred at the intersection of W Main St and N Tully Rd, Turlock.

When officers arrived on scene, they found a single vehicle involved, a white Lexus RX, that had struck a traffic light pole.

The vehicle had a single occupant, driver Hung Chen, 49, of San Jose, who was still sitting in it. Chen did not suffer any injuries.

Officers began speaking with Chen and noticed that he was displaying objective symptoms of being under the influence of alcohol, so they asked him to participate in standardized field sobriety tests and blow into a preliminary alcohol screening device. Chen agreed and performed poorly.

Based on the totality of the circumstances, officers determined that Chen was under the influence of alcohol.

Chen was arrested and a search of his property incident to arrest was conducted. During the search, officers located a small baggy containing crystal meth.

Due to the new discovery, officers formed the belief that Chen was also under the influence of drugs, so he was transported to a local hospital to provide a blood sample as required by California’s implied consent law. Chen refused, so a search warrant was obtained and a blood sample was forcefully drawn.

Chen was medically cleared and then booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on charges of driving under the combined influence of alcohol and drugs and possession of methamphetamines. Additionally, he was issued an administrative driver’s license suspension order by the California Department of Motor Vehicles and his vehicle was impounded.

Chen’s vehicle sustained moderate damage.

It’s currently unknown how the collision occurred, however, Chen stated that he was coming from Motel 6, which meant he was heading eastbound.