Posted on Sun, Jun. 06, 2010

County Undersheriff Steve Bolts was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving over the weekend, the Atascadero Police Department confirmed on Sunday.

He was arrested after an anonymous tip the department received about a possible drunken driver along El Camino Real just before 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Sgt. Robert Molle said.

Bolts has been the No. 2 man in the county Sheriff’s Department since Sheriff Pat Hedges named him to the position in 2004. The department had not had an undersheriff for almost 30 years before that.

It’s not known if he was on duty or on department business at the time. Bolts couldn’t be reached for comment late Sunday. He failed a field sobriety test and was taken to the Police Department, Molle said.

Bolts was later released on a promise to appear after he was picked up by a sober adult, which is standard procedure after a drunken-driving-related arrest, he added.

Police won’t have any other information on the case until the department's public information officer returns Monday morning, Molle said.