It’s been a bad year for Seaside Police Cpl. Alex Sakhrani: On Feb. 19, the police department put him on paid administrative leave while it conducted a personnel investigation for matters the city will not disclose.
While on leave, in April, Sakhrani committed a hit-and-run when he drove out of the Elks Lodge parking lot in Monterey, went over a nearby curb and hit the retaining wall on the property of a home, then reversed his pickup and drove away.
Sakhrani pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor hit-and-run crime on Sept. 2, and was sentenced to 10 days in jail and one year of probation, during which time he is prohibited from consuming alcohol. (Monterey County Assistant District Attorney Doug Matheson says there was insufficient evidence to charge him with driving under the influence in that incident.)
However, DUI charges might be coming, but in a separate incident in San Luis Obispo County. On Sept. 26, while riding with a female passenger, Sakhrani crashed his motorcycle in Grover Beach in what that city’s police department characterized as a “major injury traffic accident” in a statement. On Sept. 29, Grover Beach PD announced it had determined Sakhrani, a 43-year-old Seaside resident, was driving his motorcycle under the influence of alcohol, and that it had referred the case to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney for potential criminal charges.
San Luis Obispo County Assistant District Attorney Eric Dobroth says a decision as to whether to bring criminal charges is still pending.
Seaside Acting Police Chief Nick Borges says he hasn’t talked to Sakhrani and doesn’t know the extent of the injuries he or his passenger sustained. Foremost, he says he is thankful no one was killed. Borges adds the department’s investigation into Sakhrani is still ongoing, and that he is still being paid. “All I can say is there is a process, and I’m following it to a tee,” Borges says of personnel investigations.
Sakhrani’s attorney did not wish to comment.