Judge Jailed for Drinking Cold Medicine

A former Santa Clara County judge was jailed for drinking over-the-counter medicine while serving his house arrest sentence.

Judge William Danser, who was convicted for fixing traffic tickets last year, was required to stay away from alcohol as a condition of his 90-day electronic monitoring.

But on March 4, seven days before the end of his sentence, Danser took Nyquil, which contains so much alcohol that it was specifically prohibited unless he notified authorities, his attorney said.

On the day Danser took the medicine, a probation officer made a surprise 9:30 p.m. visit to his Saratoga home. Danser’s wife told the officer her husband had a cold and was in bed. She was told to wake him up to provide a urine sample.

After test results showed traces of alcohol, Danser was ordered Wednesday to spend the rest of his sentence in jail. His sentence expired late Friday night.

A probation department spokeswoman, Delores Nnam, said Danser was clearly in violation of the rules.