Holiday in Merced County, cities ‘relatively quiet,’ police say

Thanksgiving Day was mostly uneventful in Merced County, police and fire officials said Friday.

The Merced Police Department reported one aggravated assault with a firearm Thursday morning.

“Otherwise, it was pretty quiet. Just the usual types of domestic dispute calls, but no major injuries or arrests,” police Sgt. Robert Solis said. “We, fortunately, didn’t have any (drunken driving)-related crashes in the city, which is one of biggest concerns typically on a holiday.”

The California Highway Patrol also reported no major traffic collisions or arrests. Officer Moises Onsurez said three people were arrested on suspicion of drunken driving between Thursday morning and Friday afternoon.

The CHP has additional units patrolling the highways during its maximum enforcement period, which expires at midnight Sunday.

Merced police also have additional officers patrolling the city during the extended holiday weekend.

Fire officials in Merced County also said there were no major incidents, as did police authorities in Los Banos, Atwater, Livingston. The Merced County Sheriff’s Department said no significant issues were reported over the holiday.

“It’s been relatively quiet so far and we’re hoping it continues,” Sgt. Delray Shelton said.

Police continue to be on high alert as holiday shopping continues. Officers have advised shoppers to remain vigilant of their surrounding and to take basic steps to remain safe and prevent thefts, such as not leaving packages in plain view from the outside of vehicles and homes.

Officers and deputies are particularly focused on traffic-related problems. With additional travelers on the road for the holiday and wet weather in the forecast, police said motorists should use additional caution.

This story was originally published November 28, 2014 at 4:34 PM with the headline "Holiday in Merced County, cities ‘relatively quiet,’ police say."