Sheriff's deputies take a drunk driving suspect into custody Sunday afternoon outside of a Pioneer hotel. The suspect was initially confrontational with law enforcement. Photo by: Bill Lavallie

An Amador County sheriff's deputy found himself in a minor scuffle Sunday afternoon with a belligerent drunk driving suspect.

The tussle led to a parking lot standoff and then a pair of handcuffs clicking on the furious man in the cold, snowy air.

The altercation began after the deputy, acting on a tip, began following the suspect's car to see if he was driving under the influence. As the suspect's red sedan passed through Pioneer, the deputy threw his lights on. Pulling into the parking lot near the Pioneer Resort Hotel, the suspect ignored the deputy's orders to stay in his car and climbed out for a confrontation. The deputy called for backup assistance, fearing the driver's passenger might also get involved. Officers from the sheriff's office, the California Highway Patrol and U.S. Forest Service arrived on scene.

Based on eye witness accounts, the suspect was threatening and aggressive until he was physically subdued by the initial deputy who pulled him over. The driver sustained cuts to his hand during the scuffle. An assortment of hard liquor was discovered in the man's vehicle as he was being led away to a patrol unit. The suspect faces a list of charges, including assault on a peace officer and driving under the influence of alcohol.

That same morning, around 7 a.m., a 16-year-old Valley Springs girl and her teenage passenger were in a collision on Mountain Ranch Road in Calaveras County.

Jessica Simpson was driving westbound approaching Rocky Road when her speed, combined with the wet conditions of the morning roads, caused her and her passenger, Cody Hensely, to go veering off the road into a barbed wire fence. The impact with the fence overturned Simpson's Toyota - though it came to rest back on its wheels down an embankment. Simpson was taken to Mark Twain St. Joseph's Hospital in San Andreas with minor injuries.

Saturday also had an accident involving teenagers in the Valley Springs area, when 18-year-old Staci Franklin lost control of her 2003 Ford Ranger while making an unsafe turn.

According to the CHP, Franklin was traveling 50 mph when she attempted to navigate a turn and crossed both lanes of the highway, rolling her truck several times on the north shoulder of the road. She and two 17-year-old passengers were transported to Mark Twain St. Joseph's Hospital with minor injuries.