Delgadillo Under The Influence
A SAD START TO MY DAY
It was with great sadness that I read Lauren Williams report in the Daily Pilot this morning, HERE, that told us that Costa Mesa police detective Mike Delgadillo had a blood alcohol level of 0.14 - nearly twice the legal limit - when he crashed his car into a pillar on Bristol Street the evening of March 5, 2013. An interesting bit of online editing placed Williams' story immediately adjacent to one about a program at Newport Harbor High School that was intended to make the kids aware of DUI accidents.
MORE PAIN FOR SURVIVORS
That accident that took his life was tragic enough, but this revelation rips the scab off this slow-healing wound and adds to the pain felt by his family, friends and co-workers. And, it's very likely that some will now use this news to denigrate this man, who placed his life on the line for the residents of our community for 32 years.
IRONY
And, of course, there is a tragic irony to this news, too. Delgadillo's compatriots on the CMPD have been leaders in apprehending drivers for DUI, with several officers totalling more than 100 such arrests for several years running and Officer Kha Bao leading the pack with more than 400 such arrests two years ago and 200 last year.
LOOKING FOR A SILVER LINING
Some will look for a silver lining to this tragic event - some kind of life lesson that can be learned from the passing of this man and the circumstances that took his life. Others may choose to attempt to dig deeper for some "good reason" for this event, including pillorying the establishment or establishments where he was drinking before his death, in an attempt to spread the blame.
SHOULD WE HAVE DONE MORE?
Others may try to look back and criticize themselves for not recognizing the circumstances that caused Delgadillo to drink and drive and for not doing more to help him.
SAD FACTS
None of that changes the facts. A distinguished officer, a man who served our community with honor for more than three decades, used bad judgment the last night of his life and died as a result. We continue to offer our condolences to his family and to his co-workers at the CMPD on the loss of this fine man.
It was with great sadness that I read Lauren Williams report in the Daily Pilot this morning, HERE, that told us that Costa Mesa police detective Mike Delgadillo had a blood alcohol level of 0.14 - nearly twice the legal limit - when he crashed his car into a pillar on Bristol Street the evening of March 5, 2013. An interesting bit of online editing placed Williams' story immediately adjacent to one about a program at Newport Harbor High School that was intended to make the kids aware of DUI accidents.MORE PAIN FOR SURVIVORS
That accident that took his life was tragic enough, but this revelation rips the scab off this slow-healing wound and adds to the pain felt by his family, friends and co-workers. And, it's very likely that some will now use this news to denigrate this man, who placed his life on the line for the residents of our community for 32 years.
And, of course, there is a tragic irony to this news, too. Delgadillo's compatriots on the CMPD have been leaders in apprehending drivers for DUI, with several officers totalling more than 100 such arrests for several years running and Officer Kha Bao leading the pack with more than 400 such arrests two years ago and 200 last year.
LOOKING FOR A SILVER LINING
Some will look for a silver lining to this tragic event - some kind of life lesson that can be learned from the passing of this man and the circumstances that took his life. Others may choose to attempt to dig deeper for some "good reason" for this event, including pillorying the establishment or establishments where he was drinking before his death, in an attempt to spread the blame.SHOULD WE HAVE DONE MORE?
Others may try to look back and criticize themselves for not recognizing the circumstances that caused Delgadillo to drink and drive and for not doing more to help him.
None of that changes the facts. A distinguished officer, a man who served our community with honor for more than three decades, used bad judgment the last night of his life and died as a result. We continue to offer our condolences to his family and to his co-workers at the CMPD on the loss of this fine man.
Labels: CMPD, DUI, Mike Delgadillo, Officer Kha Bao
posted by The Pot Stirrer at 4/10/2013 10:56:00 AM
5 Comments:
Geoff, this is very sad news.
It adds to the immense grief his family is going through.
It does not negate the fact that Officer Delgadillo was an outstanding detective and a good man.
Comfort and strength to his family and friends at this very difficult time.
Why did the reporter fail to mention that Delgadillo had just left Skosh's?
If the DP reporter finds it was important enough for the public to know Delgadillo then why is not important for us to know he WAS in factat Skosh's just prior to the accident????
If he was almost twice the legal limit, why was he continued to be served?
You can inquire about the validity of this post and will find it to be true. Please don't be like the Daily Pilot and omit essential facts.
Anonymous "Just the facts mam" and "OMG not again",
We can speculate all you want, but there is no information available to confirm that Mike Delgadillo was at Monahan's pub - or any other specifically-named bar - before he crashed his car that night. Monahan was at the council meeting, which ended almost simultaneously with the crash, so he likely wouldn't have first-person knowledge if Delgadillo was at his place. If either of you have personal, verifiable knowledge on the issue please contact me at the email address on my profile page.
The Newport Beach Police Department is handling the investigation and will produce a report when the time is right. In the meantime, you can continue to vent your collective spleens about how, why, etc.
What if he was at Skosh's? Or any bar in town? What is the penalty for serivng someone obviously over the limit?
Would Gary get a free pass because he is "connected"?
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