FLINT, MI – A Genesee County Sheriff’s sergeant accused of crashing her county-issued vehicle while allegedly super drunk will be required to take part in a series of alcohol-related classes as part of her sentence after pleading guilty to a reduced charge.
Sgt. Demetta Reeves pleaded guilty Thursday, June 23, to an amended count of operating while impaired. A second count of possessing a firearm while under the influence was dismissed.
Upon pleading guilty, Reeves was sentenced by Genesee District Court Judge David Guinn to one year probation with requirements that she partakes in a series of courses relating to alcohol abuse. There’s also a requirement for alcoholics anonymous meetings, counseling and that she pay more than $1,300 in fines and costs.
There also is an optional 10-day jail term.
A show cause hearing is scheduled for June 23, 2023, in which Reeves will return to court for the judge to review her case and to ensure she has paid the fines and costs and is abiding by the terms of her probation.
A message for Reeves’ attorney, Jessica Mainprize-Hajek, was not immediately returned Tuesday, June 28.
Related: Officer who responded to Genesee County sergeant’s crash didn’t have body, dash cams: Sheriff
Reeves crashed into a median on I-475 in the area of Massachusetts Avenue in Flint during the early morning hours of Jan. 8.
She was charged with misdemeanors of driving while super drunk and possessing a weapon while under the influence. Michigan’s “super drunk” law that applies in drunk driving cases in which the driver has a BAC of .17 or higher.
Michigan law makes driving with a BAC of .08 or higher a crime.
Reeves, a 14-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, crashed her vehicle – a 2019 black Chevrolet Impala – while driving after a night of drinks at 501 Bar and Grill in downtown Flint, according to a statement she gave to police following the crash.
Deputies from the sheriff’s office responded to the crash, which was reported around 1 a.m., and found front-end damage to the vehicle. Reeves told the responding officer she was driving the vehicle and hit a patch of ice, losing control of the vehicle and striking a median wall, according to the statement.
She admitted to consuming alcohol prior to the crash – four apple martinis and a drink of another alcoholic beverage – prior to driving, according to her statement.
Reeves told officers she had her county-issued, .40-caliber Glock handgun in the trunk of her car as she drove home from the bar and had her .38-caliber handgun inside her purse while drinking at the bar.
The responding officer had Reeves partake in several field sobriety tests, which she said she failed in her official statement to the police. She consented to a portable breath test and registered a .226 blood-alcohol level, according to the statement.
Reeves, who initially denied medical treatment, was taken to Hurley Medical Center in Flint for a blood draw. A lab report later revealed Reeves’ blood draw showed .253 grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, the statement said.
She later participated in an official interview with authorities on Jan. 11.
No dash camera or body camera video of the incident exists because not all department vehicles had operating dash cameras in January, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson said previously.
The video system went live on March 19, Swanson previously told the Journal in a text message, and while some vehicles had recordings earlier as the department tested its new system, the vehicle used by Sgt. Brian Johnson – the responding officer to Reeves’ crash – had its first recording on March 21.
The sheriff’s sergeant returned to work when her 160-hour unpaid suspension ended, although she was reassigned to the jail and does not have access to county vehicles.
A message to the sheriff’s office asking whether her conviction has changed the parameters of her status with the department was not immediately returned Tuesday morning.
Read more on The Flint Journal:
Genesee County sheriff’s sergeant crashes car, facing possible super drunk driving, gun charges
Genesee County sergeant’s BAC was three times drunk driving limit after crash, prosecutor says
Ad Choices