FRESNO, Calif. (KNX) — A sergeant with the Fresno Police Department has been criminally charged after allegedly robbing a drug suspect, taking the drugs while on duty, then driving and crashing his patrol car while under the influence, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Sgt. Donald Dinnell, a 19-year veteran of the department, was arrested after crashing his patrol car in December when a drug test found he had consumed fentanyl.
Officers who responded to the crash site initially believed Dinnell was in the midst of a heart attack. After learning he had responded to a drug-related call earlier in the day, they theorized he may have been exposed to fentanyl and administered Narcan, a medication used on those suffering overdoses, Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama said.
In a follow-up investigation, officers found Dinnell had “by force or fear” taken drugs from a female drug suspect earlier in the day, then ingested them, Balderrama told KTLA. The drugs he took were methamphetamine laced with fentanyl.
Dinnell now faces charges for drug possession, second-degree robbery, and driving under the influence. His bail was set at $31,000.
The sergeant has been placed on paid administrative leave since Jan. 11. Balderrama said the department was taking steps to fire him.
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