An off-duty intoxicated Boston
police officer almost killed a 22-year old woman while speeding through a stop
sign, yet he didn't face any punishment and still keeps his job.
Richard Jeanetti, 35, had a
blood alcohol content of .27 – more than three times the legal limit – and was
driving at 68 mph in a 25 mph zone.
“He smelled like liquor. You
could smell it right out of the car,” a witness
said, according to local TV station WBZ-TV.
The police officer crashed his
speeding Toyota Tundra into a young woman’s car in Hyde Park just before
midnight on May 24, nearly killing her.
Brianna O’Neill was found “bleeding
profusely from the face and right leg,” according to officers who responded
to the crash. Jeanetti’s truck was up on the sidewalk and rammed into a
retaining wall. Court records indicate the officer never applied his brakes as
he ran the stop sign.
The victim broke her tibia and
ankle, suffered a punctured artery and a C-1 fracture in her neck, and said she
might need surgery on her back.
But Jeanetti was not given a
Breathalyzer test, and his blood alcohol content was determined after he was
sent to the hospital that night.
While the seriously injured
woman now wears a neck brace and walks with a crutch, the cop is getting off
with hardly any punishment.
The police records from the
night of the incident make no mention of intoxication. Charges against the
officer, including driving under the influence, reckless and negligent
operation and failing to stop at a stop sign were not filed until the WBZ-TV
I-Team questioned the investigation.
In court on Friday, the
officer pled not guilty to drunk driving and speeding, and was subsequently
released on personal recognizance, without having to post bail.
“I just want him to be treated
the way any other normal civilian would be treated,” the victim said. “I don’t think [the police] handled
it properly at all.”
In the state of Massachusetts,
a first offense penalty for a DUI is up to two and a half years in jail and/or
a $500-$5,000 fine. Additionally, the offender could get his license suspended
for one year.
But even though Officer
Jeanetti almost killed a woman while intoxicated, he remains unpunished and
still holds his job working for the Boston Police Department. Jeanetti is
currently on desk duty, awaiting his September 11 pretrial hearing, while the
victim is recovering at home after being hospitalized for five days.