Nearly two months after an unmarked state-owned vehicle crashed into two other vehicles, an Alaskan state trooper has been found responsible and charged with DUI, as reported by the Anchorage Daily News.
Court records show that the incident, involving veteran trooper investigator, E.B., occurred in Eagle River.
E.B. had a blood alcohol level that was more than five times the legal limit., according to the charges filed this month in court, and was tested hours after the collisions.
In one of the two incidents, E.B. had allegedly left the scene. He also allegedly left behind his vehicle’s front license plate.
Anchorage police discovered E.B., on April 8, slumped inside the state-owned blue Ford Explorer.
The 13-year veteran has been charged with misdemeanors for the DUI and for his failure to report a collision. He is currently on paid administrative leave, and has been since the accidents occurred.
E.B. allegedly collects a salary of $3,649.50 every two weeks.
The head of the troopers, Colonel K.M., said that the agency will be conducting an internal investigation of the reported incident.
A.S., police spokeswoman, has refused to discuss the case and referred all questions to the Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals (OSPA). OSPA has not been available for comment.
Court records, filed on June 2, state that E.B. drove the Explorer into a Chevrolet pickup on Driftwood Bay Drive. Tire marks discovered by police show that he sped up after the collision.
They also found the license plate at the same location.
E.B. lives two blocks from the incident site.
Police found E.B. outside of his house, in the Explorer’s driver’s seat, with his chin resting on his chest – and the car he was in had just rammed another car parked there, E.B.’s own Toyota 4Runner.
The Explorer was missing its license plate.
E.B., his eyes still closed when police found him, had to be shaken awake. The charging document said that he was unable to perform field sobriety tests.
From the incident, E.B. was taken by ambulance to a hospital. Police gained a search warrant for a blood test, which was taken at 10:50 p.m., and showed that he had more than 0.40 grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood.
The legal driving limit in Alaska is 0.08.
Anchorage Police Chief M.M. said, “By anybody's standards, that's a lot of alcohol on board.”
Chief M.M., in answer as to why it took 8 weeks to charge E.B. said, “The nature of the evidence, plus the follow-up work necessary, plus (a) change of command (at OSPA) I think all added up to making this case take a little bit longer to get through the system.”
R.G., the Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety, said that E.B. was on the job the day of the incidents, but not during the incidents.
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