BEAR VALLEY SPRINGS, Calif. — A Bear Valley police officer was under "extreme alcohol intoxication" when he accidentally shot himself in the leg at the Oak Tree Country Club, court records show.
Bear Valley police were called out to the country club around 10 p.m. on New Year's Eve. When they arrived they found the officer Chad Foss with a non-life threatening gun shot injury to his leg.
Police reported that Foss "had red watery eyes," and had "extreme difficulty carrying on a cohesive conversation, due to his level of intoxication," court records show.
According to the records, a blood sample was taken from Foss to test his blood alcohol concentration. Foss was taken to Kern Medical for treatment for his gunshot injury.
Chief Tim Melanson of the Bear Valley Police Department issued the following statement concerning the incident:
Last week, we reported on the accidental discharge of a firearm at the Oak Tree Country Club by an off-duty Bear Valley Police officer. The officer was treated for a single gunshot wound to his upper thigh and released from the hospital the following day. The officer has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation. I requested the Sheriff’s Office conduct that investigation.
I share in the community’s concern over this officer’s actions and recognize the danger the officer posed to the public. Such carelessness does not reflect the values and professional standards of this department. I want to assure Bear Valley residents that the Bear Valley Police Department is committed to a course of action that will prevent this type of incident from ever repeating itself.
