Off-Duty Beverly Hills Police Officer Suspected of DUI

A Beverly Hills police officer was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence Tuesday night after he crashed a pickup truck into a telephone pole, a house and a retaining wall in Simi Valley. 

Jeffrey Sweet, 42, crashed the truck at 10:22 p.m. Tuesday on Royal Avenue near Blackstock Avenue, said Simi Valley police Sgt. Greg Dungan. Sweet is a Simi Valley resident.

The pickup came to rest on its roof atop the retaining wall, Dungan said. The crash caused the rupture of a natural gas line, prompting the evacuation of two homes until a fire crew shut the line off, he said.

Sweet was taken to a hospital after complaining of pain. He was later arrested after investigating officers spoke with him and suspected he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, Dungan said.

Sweet was booked into Ventura County Jail, according to Dungan, who said representatives from the  responded and assisted in the investigation.

"The [criminal] investigation is being conducted by Simi Valley police," BHPD spokesman Lt. Lincoln Hoshino told Patch. "Our Professional Standards Unit is conducting an administrative investigation for the DUI charge."

This report was compiled with information from City News Service.

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