Deputy remains employed after DUI, child cruelty convictions
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A woman who pleaded no contest to driving drunk with her children in the vehicle in a crash last year remains employed as a Kern County sheriff’s deputy, county officials say.
Earlier this week, Deputy Ana Christina Alvarez pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count each of driving under the influence and child cruelty in connection to crashing her minivan into a Bakersfield Police Department vehicle.
In taking the plea bargain, Alvarez did not admit guilt but accepted criminal convictions on the two counts.
Four other counts — one for DUI and three others for child cruelty — were dismissed.
After the hearing, sheriff’s spokeswoman Lori Meza refused to say whether Alvarez was still a sheriff’s office employee.
“KCSO does not comment on personnel issues and employment status per the peace officer bill of rights,” Meza wrote in an email to 17 News.
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A California Public Records Act request was made to the county; officials confirmed Alvarez’s employment status on Friday.
Alvarez told police she drank two Modelo beers and had a few sips of wine at a birthday party the night of Oct. 21, according to court documents. She was off duty.
She left with her children — ages 7, 6, 4 and 3 — in a Honda Odyssey that hit a BPD vehicle stopped at a red light on Stockdale Highway at Village Lane, the documents say. No one was injured.
Alvarez displayed symptoms of being under the influence and performed poorly on field sobriety tests, according to the documents. She refused to provide a breath sample, the documents say, and a warrant was obtained to draw her blood — which registered a blood-alcohol content more than 0.15%.
A judge has ordered Alvarez to complete the following: 12 days in jail, which she can serve through work release; four years’ probation; eight hours of community service; a 26-week parenting class; and 10 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
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