Drunk Police Officers Wanted In the City of Napa, California

March 07, 2014 5:04 pm  •  KERANA TODOROV

A Napa Police sergeant has been ordered to spend 10 days in jail in connection with a drunken-driving incident reported last summer, according to court records.

Ryan Cole, 42, on Thursday entered a no-contest plea for a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of alcohol and admitted a special allegation for having more than 0.15 percent blood alcohol content in his system, according to court records. A no-contest plea carries the same weight as a guilty plea at sentencing.

Court Commissioner Victoria Wood ordered Cole, a Napa resident, to spend 10 days in jail, pay a $2,174 fine and perform 40 hours of community service or county work program duty, according to court records.

Wood ordered Cole to report to the Napa County jail on April 6. As part of the plea agreement, Wood placed Cole on probation for five years.

Napa Police Capt. Jeff Troendly said Cole, who remains on the force, has been on medical leave since last fall. An internal affairs investigation is underway.

The court action stems from a crash reported last August in downtown Napa. At about 2:45 a.m. on Aug. 24, Cole was driving his pickup truck when he allegedly sideswiped a parked vehicle in the 2200 block of Second Street and then drove to a city-owned parking lot near Second and Seminary streets, according to court records.

A resident heard the collision and called 911, Troendly said in December. A Napa County sheriff’s deputy in the area contacted Cole in the parking lot, according to Troendly.

Cole’s blood alcohol content level was 0.17 percent — more than twice the legal limit, according to court records.

In exchange for his plea, the Napa County District Attorney’s Office dismissed two misdemeanors: driving while having a .08 percent or higher blood alcohol content with special allegation, and hit-and-run, according to court records.


Mervin Lernhart Jr., Cole’s attorney, could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.

May 05, 2014 5:04 pm  •  JANELLE WETZSTEIN

An off-duty Napa police officer was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and hit and run Saturday night, after he allegedly lost control of his Ford F250 truck on Monticello Road, struck a large tree, rolled his vehicle over and hit a parked car that was pushed into a home.

According to the California Highway Patrol, driver Sean Ulitin, 37, of Napa, registered more than three times the legal blood alcohol limit on two breathalyzer tests that were administered by the CHP at the scene.

CHP Sgt. William Bradshaw said Ulitin blew a 0.26 and a 0.28 blood alcohol level shortly after the crash. The legal limit is 0.08.

Ulitin reportedly sustained minor injuries at the scene and was arrested on charges of hit and run and DUI. No one else was injured in the crash.

Ulitin was then reportedly helped out of his truck by residents who witnessed the crash. While they attempted to check on Ulitin’s welfare, he allegedly refused to stay until authorities arrived, fleeing northbound on Monticello Road on foot. One of the residents followed Ulitin and alerted officers to his location, just north of the scene, said the CHP. Upon finding Ulitin, officers took him into custody and arrested him for DUI and hit and run.
According to a Monticello Road resident who witnessed others trying to detain Ulitin, he was visibly intoxicated and obviously trying to flee the scene.

“A couple of guys were trying to stop him from leaving after they helped him out of the car,” said the neighbor, who asked not to be named. “They told him he needed to sit down because he could be hurt, but he refused to listen. The neighbors eventually let him go and he ran northbound on Monticello.”

Napa Police Capt. Jeff Troendly confirmed that a Napa police officer was involved in an alleged DUI collision on Saturday, but refused to discuss the incident further, citing personnel and privacy constraints. He referred further questions to the CHP.

Bradshaw said the investigation is ongoing and that the final incident report has yet to be completed. He declined to comment further on the case until the final report is completed.
Napa Mayor Jill Techel said Monday afternoon that while she couldn't comment on the specifics of the incident -- also citing personnel matters -- she wondered if the city could do more to educate people on how to keep themselves safe.

"Knowing the signs of when you need to stay home and not go out is something we need to educate people on," she said.

The Register attempted to determine Ulitin's status as a city employee. Police Chief Rich Melton could not be reached for comment.