CHP officer’s DUI case headed to trial
November 27, 2012
A California Highway Patrol officer who crashed his 2004 Ford Explorer in Arroyo Grande while allegedly under the influence of drugs may be headed to trial. [Noozhawk]
Michael Mallory, 37, who was acting as the public information officer for the CHP’s Santa Maria office at the time, was on his way to work at about 6:30 a.m. on Aug. 8 when he crashed his Ford Explorer into two parked cars. Police officers responding to the crash said Mallory seemed impaired and they conducted a field sobriety test. The test eliminated alcohol and drug use was suspected.
Mallory’s attorney, William Aron, told Noozhawk last month that his client’s blood screening — which originally came back negative for both drugs and alcohol — was positive for Ambien, a sedative and popular sleep aid.
Aron said that he and the San Luis Obispo County’s District Attorney’s Office have not been able to reach a settlement in the case, which he had hoped could be dropped. Both sides appeared in San Luis Obispo Superior Court last week.
“We did not resolve the case in court,” Aron told Noozhawk. “The DA’s office has not made an offer that is acceptable to my client.”
The prosecution hasn’t offered anything less than a DUI, Aron told Noozhawk.
The Santa Maria CHP did not place Mallory on administrative leave, though he is no longer the agency’s public information officer.
A trial setting conference has been set for Dec. 27 with a tentative trial date of Jan. 28.
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