A San Francisco police sergeant charged with driving under the influence and hit-and-run for an incident that occurred earlier this month had a blood-alcohol level of .28 percent -- more than three times the legal limit -- at the time of his arrest, prosecutors said.
Sgt. Thomas Haymond pleaded not guilty Thursday morning to misdemeanor DUI and hit-and-run charges, district attorney's office spokesman Alex Bastian said.
The sergeant was off-duty and driving near 12th Avenue and Lawton Street in the city's Inner Sunset neighborhood at about 8:35 p.m. on Oct. 8 when he allegedly crashed into a parked car that then struck a tree, police said.
Residents heard the crash, looked out the window and called police.
Officers followed a debris trail leading away from the crash site and found the alleged driver, Haymond, at a home in the 1100 block of Moraga Street, according to police.
No one was injured in the incident.
Haymond has since been released from custody and is on paid leave.
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When he returns to work, he will be reassigned to an administrative position, police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza said.
Haymond's defense attorney Matthew Sullivan said, "We're treating this as a medical issue."
He said his client "has been a police officer since 1991. He's been a good officer for over two decades."
Sullivan said, "If we determine he was at fault, he will resolve the case...but it's too early for us right now to make a clear statement about the facts."
The sergeant will return to court on Nov. 12 to set a date for the trial.
