Two months after being stopped for suspicion of drunk driving, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department executive has been formally charged with California DUI. Division Chief Michael Aranda was arrested by California Highway Patrol last June during a traffic stop. The CHP officers were looking for the county-issued Chevrolet Impala being driven by Aranda after a witness called 911 to report erratic driving.
Aranda, 62, was off duty at the time. Since the arrest, the 40-year veteran of the police department agreed to resign.
A court arraignment date has been set for October 10, 2007. Aranda will remain on paid leave through his retirement date of October 16. Aranda is chief of the LA County police department’s Technical Services Division, which oversees the crime lab and computer systems.
