DA questioned, tested by police

Local authorities sought out Del Norte County District Attorney Mike Riese and gave him a field sobriety test Tuesday evening after the Crescent City Police Department received an anonymous tip that he might be driving under the influence.

Riese was at Burtschells’ Floor Covering on U.S. Hwy. 101 when authorities found him, and while he was not arrested, Crescent City Police Chief Doug Plack urged him not to drive and instead had someone else take him and his vehicle home.

The district attorney blamed the incident on the next year's election season, and said the report to police was probably based on rumors started by “would-be political opponents” who are looking to unseat him.

“That’s why this is all coming up. Do you think this wou­­­ld come up if I wasn’t run­ning? It wouldn’t,” Riese said not long after his encounter with law enforcement Tuesday. “I’ve got people nipping at my heels again in an election year.”

When the Crescent City Police Department first received the tip about Riese, the caller also gave information that indicated he had been involved in a hit-and-run accident the previous day with a courthouse employee’s vehicle.

“I was pulling in, and my truck is bigger sometimes than I want it to be,” Riese said.

On Wednesday, Plack said that despite the erroneous information about the hit-and-run, he took the call about the district attorney’s alleged  behavior seriously.

“Just like any call for service we’re going to respond to it,” Plack said. “There was a concern that Mr. Riese may not have been in a condition to be driving.”

Both the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol were notified about the situation, and were asked to be on the lookout for Riese. Sheriff’s deputies and a CHP officer were the first to find him at Burtschells’ Floor Covering, and waited until Plack and Crescent City Police Officer Dominic Mello arrived at the scene.

Plack said the reason for his presence was two-fold. The first was that his department was shorthanded at the time, and the second was because he wanted to give his officer support considering Riese’s position as the district attorney.

“When a suspicion is placed over an individual that is the pillar of the community, it places everybody in a difficult position because no one is above the law,” Plack said. “A situation like this is very difficult for anybody, and (Riese) was treated the same way as anybody under those circumstances.”

Even though Riese was not seen driving and was inside the business when law enforcement arrived, Mello gave him a sobriety test. Riese was asked to perform several maneuvers, including touching his fingers to his nose, standing on one leg, walking in a straight line and turning around.

Plack said Riese passed the test and noted the district attorney had a leg injury that could have made him seem more impaired than he appeared. He also said the threshold for a sobriety test is different for a person who was seen driving a car erratically or, in Riese’s case, if he is stopped while not operating a vehicle.

“At that point, I’m just looking at, can this guy take care of himself right now,” Plack said. “That’s the way the laws are written and we have to abide by them.”

Riese told authorities he was tired from working all night and that he  hadn’t been drinking or taking any medication. When Plack spoke with the district attorney, he said he didn’t smell any alcohol on him, but he did notice the district attorney’s speech was relaxed and he had a “withdrawn look,” that didn’t match his normal day-to-day demeanor.

Based on these observations and the district attorney’s recent bout with pneumonia, Plack suggested Riese have someone else drive him home.

“He did show signs of things that needed to be taken into consideration,” Plack said. “It was a public safety issue.”

On Wednesday, Riese reiterated that he was not under the influence of any substances, and said that if he had been then he probably would have been arrested on Tuesday.

“They did their job,” he said of the Crescent City Police Department.

“If they had concerns they were quelled.”

Tuesday night’s incident also drew the attention of Del Norte County Administrative Officer Jeannine Galatioto.

She said she was aware of “some concerns” regarding the district attorney’s behavior over the past couple months, in particular referring to an episode in September in which he was taken to Sutter Coast Hospital by some of his employees after becoming overheated from what he called pneumonia and pleurisy-related health problems.

That incident was described as an outburst by some who claimed to have seen it.

While she said there have been no recent written complaints about Riese, she wants to speak with some of the county employees in the District Attorney’s Office to determine if there are any issues that need to be addressed.

“I have his assurance that we’ll work together,” Galatioto said about Riese. “If there is a problem then we’re going to resolve it.”

Galatioto spoke with Riese on Wednesday and said she has already had some conversations with some of his employees but could not divulge any information about what was discussed.

Given that Riese is an elected official, she said the county has limited options should any policy or other violations be found. If that were to happen, though, she said the Board of Supervisors would likely take some sort of formal action, up to and including contacting the California Attorney General’s Office if it is warranted.

“If there is a complaint this office will investigate it,” Galatioto said. “We will do what we can to ensure that our employees feel that they work in a safe environment.”