Thread: Former Barstow CHP officer killed by suspected drunken drive

Monday, February 27, 2006
Former Barstow CHP officer killed by suspected drunken driver

http://www.desertdispatch.com/2006/114106033830713.html

By LEROY STANDISH/Staff Writer

A 10-year veteran of the California Highway Patrol, Iraqi war veteran, husband, father of four and resident of Adelanto, died late Saturday night in a fiery crash touched off by an alleged drunken driver.

Motorcycle officer Gregory Bailey, 36, was pronounced dead at 11:46 p.m. after he was caught in a spiral of debris created by a suspected drunken driver who veered off the shoulder of Interstate 15 north of Oak Hill Road.

Bailey was a sergeant first class in the Army National Guard. Just four months ago he had returned home from a 15-month tour of duty in Iraq. Bailey, who used to work out of the CHP's Barstow office, was assigned to the CHP's Rancho Cucamonga office, he was on his way home from work when the accident happened.

"He completed his assigned shift of that night, but because we all ride our motorcycles home we sometimes make stops," said one of Bailey's co-workers out of the CHP's Rancho Cucamonga office, Officer Tony Nguyen. "In this case it was a suspected drunk driver."

Bailey stopped a 1994 Ford Ranger Pickup on the northbound side of I-15 at 10:37 p.m. south of Ranchero Road.

"He was standing at the right front door making contact with the driver when a 1991 Honda Accord, which had driven on the right shoulder at approximately 65 mph, struck the (2004 BMW) Highway Patrol motorcycle," said long time friend Sgt. Kevin Eads, of the CHP's Victorville office. "The Honda continued forward and struck the rear of the Ford pickup causing the pickup to roll on its right side into the No. 4 lane. The CHP motorcycle and the Honda caught on fire."

The first officers on scene, from the CHP's Victorville office, attempted to stabilize Bailey before he was airlifted to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center.

"The officers that were on the scene knew him personally," said Eads, who had worked with Bailey when the two were assigned to the CHP's Barstow office.

Despite the efforts of officers, paramedics and doctors Bailey succumbed to his injuries an hour later at Arrowhead. "It is pretty tough on us right now. It is just tough because you are losing a family member," Eads said. "He was a great guy, a hard worker and real pleasant to be around."

Bailey is survived by his wife Teresa and four young children -- two daughters and two sons.

The driver of the Honda, which touched off the chain-reaction accident, is Domingo Esqueda, 20, of Adelanto, according to a press release issued by the CHP.

Esqueda had a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit, Eads said. He did not have a valid driver's license. What he did have was a fake identification card, a Mexican identification card and other identification all with different names and different variations of names, Eads said.

Esqueda was transported to Loma Linda Medical Center with minor injuries, Eads said. Once released from the hospital he will be booked into the West Valley Detention Center for suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and felony DUI, Eads said.

The driver of the pickup, Francisco Trujillo, 52, of Lucerne Valley, also suffered minor injuries and was transported to Arrowhead.

Nguyen said Bailey will be missed. "He was a good guy -- a good friend to have, a fellow motor rider -- he was just very relaxed and easy going," Nguyen said. "He was a good friend

basically."

Yet another one of George Bush's chosen people, killing good American citizens, just because they can.

This is the first, and as far as I know, the only version of this story to even mention the perp's questionable immigration status.

Esqueda had a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit, Eads said. He did not have a valid driver's license. What he did have was a fake identification card, a Mexican identification card and other identification all with different names and different variations of names, Eads said.

Just another of Bush's good folks with family values he thinks so much of.

I wish all news reports of any crime, would also state if the perp is an illegal.

Me, too, but for some reason most reporters don't give this little tidbit of information.

http://www.desertdispatch.com/2006/114113802245869.html

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Illegal immigrant said to be responsible for crash that fatally injured officer

By JUSTIN BOGGS

Staff Writer

The drunken motorist who fatally injured a California Highway Patrol officer Saturday night is a suspected illegal immigrant from Mexico who was driving without a license, officials said Monday.

Domingo Esqueda, 20, of Adelanto had a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit when he veered off northbound Interstate 15 near Oak Hill Road and crashed into CHP Officer

Gregory Bailey's motorcycle and a parked pickup truck, CHP officials said.

Esqueda is scheduled to be arraigned in Superior Court in Victorville today. He is being held at West Valley Detention Center with bail set at $100,000, according to the sheriff's booking log. He was arrested for vehicular manslaughter and drunken driving. At the time of his arrest, he was found in possession of multiple forms of identification with different names, officials said.

Bailey, 36, of Adelanto, was on his way home when he pulled over a pickup truck. He was talking with the pickup truck driver when Esqueda slammed into his motorcycle and the parked truck. Bailey was airlifted to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center where he died. Esqueda and the driver of the pickup, Francisco Trujillo, 52, of Lucerne Valley both suffered minor injuries.

Bailey's death -- the sixth death of a CHP officer since September -- sent shock waves throughout the CHP. The agency's commissioner, Mike L. Brown has ordered a "stand down" at all 108 CHP offices.

Commanders at each CHP station will be reviewing safety guidelines and allowing all officers the opportunity to vent their concerns about safety policies and procedures, said Capt. Doug Rich of the Victorville CHP office.

"We're going to look at the policies and procedures and make sure that we are keeping everybody as safe as we can," Rich said. "Over the next couple of days we will be conducting training sessions with a significant emphasis on our policies and procedures."

Rich noted that all of the officers who had been killed since September -- three of whom were killed by an alleged drunken driver -- were correctly following all safety procedures.

Though the agency is on stand down, there will be absolutely no interruptions to the services CHP provides, said Officer Rosa Ray, a spokeswoman for the CHP office in Rancho Cucamonga where Bailey was assigned.

Ray added that officers from other CHP stations had been called in to cover shifts so that officers at the Rancho Cucamonga station would be allowed the opportunity to grieve or attend a counseling session.

Officers at the Victorville station were feeling the impact of losing one of their own. Rich said that though Bailey's death was a terrible tragedy, his department was doing its best to stay focused on continuing to maintain the high quality of service that CHP has always provided.

"Obviously we're all taking it a little rough," said Sgt. Robert Grieve of the CHP office in Victorville. "But we have to continue doing our jobs to make sure this type of thing doesn't happen again."

Bailey was a 10-year veteran of the CHP and had previously been assigned to the Barstow station. He had recently returned from a 15-month tour of duty in Iraq with the Army National Guard. Bailey is survived by his wife and four young children.

Bailey's funeral services are scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m. at The Rock Church and World Outreach Center in San Bernardino, Ray said. The church is located at 2345 South Waterman Avenue.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printeditio ... california

Not-Guilty Plea in CHP Death
Driver accused of killing officer in weekend crash could get 16 years if convicted of charges involving intoxication.
By Ashley Powers
Times Staff Writer

March 1, 2006

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.