East Fork Fire Marshal cleared of California DUI

The East Fork Fire Protection District is reporting that Deputy Fire Chief Amy Ray will not be charged in a suspected DUI arrest that occurred on Sept. 5 in Calaveras County, Calif.

District Chief Tod Carlini said the matter has been under a continual investigation since it was brought to his and the district’s attention in late September.

Calaveras County District Attorney Barbara M. York said that her office will not be pursuing any prosecution and that essentially there were no charges being filed, in correspondence received by the district.

According to California Highway Patrol Officer Tobias Hutzler, the CHP and sheriff’s office received a report of a suspicious vehicle parked on Ottawa Drive off Highway 4 around midnight Sept. 5. A field sobriety test was conducted and officers took her into custody.

Ray was hired by the District in September 2019, replacing longtime Fire Marshal Steve Eisele, who had retired.

"The district takes these types of matters very seriously and does conduct internal investigations apart from any potential outside investigations or criminal investigations," Carlini said.

In this case, Ray was afforded due process and was kept on the job throughout the investigation. Not a single charge was filed during the District’s investigation and continual follow-up with officials in Calaveras County.

“I am pleased with the correspondence from the District Attorney, which will conclude our investigatory effort as well," East Fork Chief Tod Carlini said. on Friday. "Deputy Chief Ray is a quality individual and professional in her field. She has worked exceptionally hard over the past year, dealing with an unprecedented number of fire and life safety plan reviews, and under all the limitations and conditions that the COVID-19 Pandemic has brought.”

East Fork most recently, under Ray’s direction, implemented a digital plan submission and review process which allows for a “paperless” review process and has expedited review time. Funding was provided by the CARES act.