Not-Guilty Plea in CHP Death

The alleged drunk driver accused of killing a California Highway Patrol officer last weekend pleaded not guilty Tuesday to vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, authorities said.

Domingo Esqueda, 20, who was arraigned in San Bernardino County Superior Court in Victorville, could face up to 16 years in prison if convicted.

Motorcycle Officer John Bailey, 36, was driving home to Adelanto on Saturday night when he pulled over another motorist, Francisco J. Trujillo, on suspicion of drunk driving on Interstate 15 near Hesperia.

Bailey was talking with Trujillo on the side of the road when, authorities said, Esqueda veered off the road. His car smashed into the officer’s motorcycle and Trujillo’s pickup, then struck Bailey, authorities said.

Esqueda was being held at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga; bail was set at $1 million. Along with vehicular manslaughter, he faces two felonies related to causing injury while driving under the influence. His next hearing is scheduled for March 7.

Immigration authorities have placed a “hold” on Esqueda, a Mexican national, because they believe he may be in the country illegally, said Lori Haley, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman. He will be turned over to immigration officials after his criminal proceedings.

There have been no charges filed against Trujillo, 52, of Lucerne Valley.

Bailey, who had recently returned from a 14-month tour in Iraq as part of the California National Guard, was the sixth CHP officer in the last five months to die in the line of duty. There are about 7,200 uniformed CHP officers, with about two-thirds patrolling state roads.

The string of deaths prompted CHP Commissioner Michael Brown on Monday to order that the state’s patrol officers be debriefed to see if immediate changes in department policies were needed.

CHP sources told The Times the review would probably examine whether it was safer to make traffic stops at offramps rather than on freeway shoulders; whether CHP cars needed better emergency warning lighting; and whether officers should drive solo or in teams of two.

Brown sent a memo to CHP offices Tuesday in which he said grief counselors would continue to “check the blood pressure” of employees in mourning. Supervisors in the Rancho Cucamonga station, where Bailey was based, met Tuesday with counselors.

“It’s still a solemn mood,” said the CHP station’s spokesman, Tony Nguyen. “It happened in our own household.”

Nguyen said viewing hours for Bailey would be from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Mt. View Mortuary and Cemetery in San Bernardino. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at the Rock Church and World Outreach Center in San Bernardino.