RIPON — A Ripon motorist was trailed to his home following an early morning collision Sunday with a parked vehicle on Doak Boulevard near Ruess Road in the southernmost part of the city.

An alert resident called Ripon Police shortly before 2 a.m. to report a silver BMW driving away from the area with an axel gouging marks into the asphalt roadway.  Ripon officers immediately responded to the area and located the suspect vehicle half a mile away.

Sergeant Don Luthey followed a debris trail and gouge marks in the pavement and found the car in the 1300 block of Stanley Drive.  Two men were contacted by Officer Ken Husman as they were reportedly seen walking away from the vehicle – one was determined to have been the driver.

Sean Michael Oday, 21, of Ripon was booked into San Joaquin County Jail on misdemeanor DUI and hit and run charges.  Officers said Oday tried to explain the damaged, hot and smoking vehicle had been parked at the Stanley Drive address for hours. 

Ripon officers had located the suspect vehicle within seven minutes of receiving the initial call.  Police had matched missing parts from the BMW to parts they found at the scene of the collision.

Police spokesman, First Sergeant Steve Merchant, said the detailed call from the Ripon citizen combined with the rapid response by the patrolmen were the keys to solving the crime.

“Thankfully, no one was injured in this alcohol-related collision,” he said.