Local News in Brief : Ex-CHP Officer Guilty of Drunk Driving
Aformer California Highway Patrol officer who wrecked his car while traveling an estimated 105 m.p.h. along Ventura Boulevard was convicted Monday of felony drunk driving.
Richard Campbell, 35, who was fired by the CHP after the April, 1985, crash, could face up to three years in state prison when he is sentenced Aug. 19 by Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Richard G. Kolostian.
Campbell and two other CHP officers riding in the car were injured when the vehicle ran into a light pole near Ventura Boulevard and De Soto Avenue in Woodland Hills, witnesses testified. The car flipped over and slid about 150 feet, police said.
In reconstructing the accident, experts testified that Campbell was traveling about 105 m.p.h. in a 40-m.p.h. zone.
Campbell, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the vehicle. James Fields, 34, and Patrick Curran, 27, who were wearing seat belts, remained in the car. Fields and Curran are still employed at the Central Division of the CHP in Los Angeles, a spokeswoman said.
A blood-alcohol sample taken from Campbell about an hour after the crash registered .16, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Lisa Kahn. A reading of .10 is legal proof of driving under the influence.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
