Benicia cop may plead guilty to off-duty DUI charge
The 29-year-old officer is scheduled to attend a plea hearing next February.
A Benicia police officer who remained employed by the agency following a drunk driving arrest last year is likely to enter a guilty plea next year in connection with the case.
Alejandro Maraville, 29, of Vacaville was off-duty when he reportedly fled from a crash he caused in the parking lot of a Benicia bar in September 2019.
Maraville later returned to a nearby gas station where he met with a California Highway Patrol officer and agreed to a field sobriety test, according to court documents. He was arrested a short time later on suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol.
One week after the arrest, prosecutors with the Solano County District Attorney’s Office moved forward with a misdemeanor DUI charge.
Maravilla was not read his Miranda rights, which are required by law when an officer intends to question or otherwise interrogate a person in custody. It was not immediately clear from police reports and other court documents if Maravilla was question while in custody.
Maravilla entered a plea of not guilty when he was arranted on the misdemeanor DUI charge last year.
This week, an update to the court docket in Maravilla’s case revealed a plea hearing scheduled for February 4 at the courthouse in Vallejo. A plea hearing is typically arranged when a defendant intends to plead guilty to a charge, sometimes in exchange for a reduced sentence. News of the plea date was first reported Tuesday by the Vacaville Reporter newspaper.
An attorney representing Maravilla declined to provide specifics to the newspaper about the hearing, and representatives from the Solano County District Attorney’s Office refused to comment.
As the case proceeded through the court system, Maravilla remained on duty with the Benicia Police Department, though it was not immediately clear if he was assigned to a patrol beat or relegated to a clerical or administrative position.
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