UKIAH- On February 21, 2019, Anthony Jordan Billy, 28, of Hopland, was found guilty of driving a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol; driving a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol .08 or greater; and driving a motor vehicle on a suspended license due to a prior alcohol-related conviction, all as misdemeanors. A special allegation alleging the defendant drove with an excessive blood alcohol (.15 or greater) was also found true. The evidence at trial was that the defendant’s blood alcohol tested at .29.

After the jury was excused, in a separate court trial, it was found that the defendant had a prior DUI conviction in January 2016. The defendant’s blood alcohol in that 2015 case was .14/.15. The defendant was on court probation from the earlier 2016 conviction at the time of his most recent offenses.

The investigating law enforcement agencies were the Ukiah Police Department and the California Department of Justice forensic crime laboratory.

“Assisting local law enforcement departments and district attorneys’ offices with forensic work involving blood alcohol content levels is just one of the many important contributions that California Department of Justice criminalists make to public safety and criminal justice,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona.  “Without the vital work of DOJ criminalists in forensic labs throughout the state, many cases would remain unsolved or not prosecuted.  They may not wear a badge, but they are critical to public safety in California.”