San Jose Police Department Investigating Cover-up of Former Officer's DUI
Sandra Woodall, a current district attorney investigator and former law enforcement officer with the San Jose Police Department, is accused of speeding and colliding with two vehicles while driving under the influence on March 25, 2008 in San Jose. She appeared in court this Thursday July 10, 2008 to face felony DUI charges. The collision in which Woodall was involved sent all three drivers to the hospital with minor injuries.
Responding to the scene of the accident, four San Jose Police Department officers wrote in their reports that Woodall did not smell of alcohol. However, witnesses including hospital staff and paramedics have since told investigators that Woodall appeared to be drunk. According to court documents, a paramedic said that Woodall smelled of alcohol, asked the same questions repeatedly, and seemed unable to concentrate. Nonetheless, the responding officers never charged her with driving under the influence.
The attorney general subsequently charged Woodall with felony DUI, stepping in to say that Woodall had been drunk, belligerent, and the cause of the collision. Law enforcement failed to test Woodall for her blood or breath alcohol level. The victims injured in the accident said that they believe Woodall was treated preferentially by the officers. Not only was she herself a law enforcement officer at the time of the accident, but her husband is also a sergeant in the department.
The San Jose Police Department is conducting an internal investigation into the conduct of the officers that responded to the collision in order to determine whether they should lose their badges or be disciplined. The two officers being closely investigated are on leave with pay.
The prosecution faces a difficult task of proving Woodall's intoxication without any chemical test results or field sobriety tests. Woodall's case is set for another hearing on August 28, 2008.
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