Placer County deputy arrested for DUI during service call, turned in by colleagues
PLACER COUNTY — During a call for service, deputies with the Placer County Sheriff's Office noticed one of their colleagues was possibly drunk.
The Placer County Sheriff's Office said deputies called on the California Highway Patrol for help. After a field sobriety test, the deputy blew a .18 and was booked into jail.
"There's actually cause for pride here," said John McGinness, a law enforcement consultant and retired Sacramento County sheriff.
Probationary Deputy Allahno Hughes, 35, less than a year into his service, responded to a 911 call in his marked patrol car. When he arrived on the scene, fellow deputies noticed something was off.
"Law enforcement agencies have vulnerability and imperfections," McGinness said.
McGinness said what happened next is a master class in police transparency.
"There are law enforcement critics that would assume they would circle the wagons and keep it a secret but they didn't," he said.
The Placer County Sheriff's Office took to social media to explain that deputies confronted Hughes and called in an outside agency. the California Highway Patrol, to run a field sobriety test. Hughes blew a .18
"There may have been a time when that would have been swept under the rug, but here's a profound illustration of how to do business right," McGinness said.
Hughes was fired, but what's next for the former deputy and his former department?
"I don't think the persons to whom the deputies responded would have any causes against the deputy or the department unless the officer did something which violated civil rights or caused them damage," said UC Hastings Law Professor John Myers.
Myers said the case is now in the hands of the Placer County district attorney and will include a DUI charge, but there may be grounds for additional charges.
"This is very serious misconduct for someone we trust with a badge and a gun," Myers said.
CBS13 did reach out to the district attorney and the sheriff's office for further comment on the case, including what type of call for service the officer was responding to and if any additional charges will be added. We did not immediately hear back.
