KTLA

Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Arrested After Allegedly Crashing Vehicle While Driving Under the Influence

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An off-duty Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s lieutenant was arrested after allegedly crashing his vehicle while driving under the influence over the weekend.

The crash occurred Saturday evening along Highway 154 near Lake Cachuma, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

An investigation by the California Highway Patrol revealed that Javier Antunez was driving one of the vehicles involved in the crash and he was arrested on suspicion of DUI and causing injury.

Authorities did not provide any details about the other car involved, but described the incident as a “serious injury crash.”

Antunez was described as a custody lieutenant assigned to the department’s main jail. He has been with the agency since 1999 and was placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation, officials said.