A San Francisco police sergeant charged with driving under the influence and hit-and-run for an incident that occurred earlier this month had a blood-alcohol level of .28 percent—more than three times the legal limit—at the time of his arrest, prosecutors said today.
Sgt. Thomas Haymond pleaded not guilty this morning to misdemeanor DUI and hit-and-run charges, district attorney’s office spokesman Alex Bastian said.
The sergeant was off-duty and driving near 12th Avenue and Lawton Street in the city’s Inner Sunset neighborhood at about 8:35 p.m. on Oct. 8 when he allegedly crashed into a parked car that then struck a tree, police said.
Residents heard the crash, looked out the window and called police.
Officers followed a debris trail leading away from the crash site and found the alleged driver, Haymond, at a home in the 1100 block of Moraga Street, according to police.
No one was injured in the incident.
Haymond has since been released from custody and is on paid leave.
When he returns to work, he will be reassigned to an administrative position, police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza said.
Haymond’s defense attorney Matthew Sullivan said, “We’re treating this as a medical issue.”
He said his client “has been a police officer since 1991. He’s been a good officer for over two decades.”
Sullivan said, “If we determine he was at fault, he will resolve the case … but it’s too early for us right now to make a clear statement about the facts.”
The sergeant will return to court on Nov. 12 to set a date for the trial.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
