FORMER FULLERTON CITY MANAGER CONVICTED OF RECKLESS DRIVING INVOLVING ALCOHOL ON ELECTION NIGHT

Case # 17NM03367       

Date: December 19, 2017

FORMER FULLERTON CITY MANAGER CONVICTED OF RECKLESS DRIVING INVOLVING ALCOHOL ON ELECTION NIGHT

FULLERTON, Calif. – The former city manager of Fullerton pleaded guilty today to reckless driving involving alcohol on election night in 2016.

Defendant	Charge	Sentence
Joseph Burt Felz, 58, Fullerton	Pleaded guilty today to: One misdemeanor count of reckless driving involving alcohol Counts as a prior conviction if the defendant is charged with driving under the influence within 10 years	40 hours of community service Three years of informal probation Must complete three month First Offender Alcohol Program and pay a $390 fine Restitution to the City of Fullerton

Circumstances of the Case

• In the early morning hours of Nov. 9, 2016, Felz recklessly drove a vehicle in a residential area of Fullerton after consuming alcohol.

• The defendant drove over a curb and struck a tree, and a witness to the incident called 911.

• The Fullerton Police Department (FPD) located Felz nearby and he unlawfully failed to stop his vehicle immediately.

• FPD administered field sobriety tests and drove Felz to his home in a police car. FPD transferred the case to the OCDA for further investigation and legal review. 

 Prosecutor: Senior Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Nichols, Special Prosecutions Unit

 The OCDA’s investigation and legal review of the conduct of FPD personnel in connection with this incident is still ongoing.