Veteran David Garcia stopped by
fellow LPD officer
Keith Carls,
An off-duty veteran Lompoc
Police officer is facing driving under the influence charges after being
stopped by a fellow officer.
It happened early in the morning
last Friday on "H" Street.
Lompoc Police say Officer David
Garcia was off-duty, driving his own car when he hit a tree in the median along
the 200 block of North H Street, a Lompoc Police officer on-duty and on patrol
saw it happen and watched Garcia keep driving northbound
Garcia was eventually pulled
over several blocks away with the arresting officer believing Garcia may have
been driving under the influence.
A decision was then made to have
the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department come in and handle on the on-scene
investigation of the off-duty Garcia.
In a statement to Central Coast
News, Lompoc Police says the Sheriff's Department briefly took officer Garcia
into custody and then released him with a citation for DUI.
Garcia has been with LPD for
about 15 years.
Lompoc Police say they cannot
comment on whether Garcia has been allowed to return to active duty because
it's a personnel matter.
Garcia was not booked into Santa
Barbara County Jail.
The County District Attorney's
Office will decide what charges he'll face.