More than twice the legal limit, on-duty Frontier employee arrested for DUI in Burney

November 6, 2021 Trevor Montgomery

BURNEY, Calif., — Authorities say a drunk driver, who multiple 911 callers and witnesses reported was nearly involved in numerous collisions with both vehicles and pedestrians, was arrested after a traffic stop in the Intermountain area town of Burney yesterday afternoon, Friday, Nov. 5.

The man who was arrested was on duty and working for Frontier Internet when he was stopped and arrested, and later told CHP he was drinking because he hated his job and that the customers he served hated him “because of the bad Internet service.”

LEADING THE SCNS HEADLINES:
Search continuing for driver who struck Anderson woman on mobility scooter, fled scene
UPDATE: More details emerge after shots fired in Redding leads to felon’s arrest, weapons seized
Federal fugitive and Anderson man arrested after Redding stolen vehicle pursuit and crash
Fatally run over by garbage truck while sleeping in dark alley, Redding woman, 56, ID’d
24 Shasta County sex offenders targeted during county-wide “Operation BOO”

CHP was alerted to the possible intoxicated motorist around 2 p.m. after several witnesses called 911 to report the driver of a Frontier truck was driving all over the road in the Old Station area, about 30 miles south of Burney, CHP Officer Chris Ogden told SCNS this morning.

Callers who were concerned for the safety of the driver – as well as other motorists – decided to follow the driver and told CHP emergency dispatchers that the pickup truck was swerving all over the road. He was seen crossing both the double yellow lines and driving onto the dirt shoulder adjacent the highway and appeared to have little control over his work truck, Ogden explained.

As the vehicle approached the 4 Corners area where Hwy 89 meets Hwy 299, 911 callers reported that the vehicle drove off the roadway at highway speeds and nearly plowed into several parked vehicles. The near collision caused several people who were standing near the stopped vehicles to scramble for safety, according to Ogden.

After that near collision, several other motorists began following the vehicle, while calling 911 to report the man’s dangerous driving actions. With a caravan of concerned motorists following behind him, callers told dispatchers that the vehicle had turned west onto Hwy 299E and was headed toward the small town of Burney.

Already in Burney and investigating a serious injury, vehicle versus pedestrian accident at Precision Lube Express that broke both of the business owner’s legs when he was physically run over by an elderly driver, Ogden was able to position his marked patrol vehicle just outside the town limits and ultimately stopped the driver near Les Schwab on the town’s east end.

Upon contacting the Frontier employee, identified as Paul Elmore, a 32-year-old resident of Lake California, Ogden observed that the man appeared to be heavily intoxicated. He subsequently failed a series of standardized field sobriety tests and later blew a .18 BAC on a Preliminary Alcohol Screening device.

Elmore reportedly told Ogden he had been drinking vodka and was drunk on duty because he hated his job and has to drink just to get through each work day.

“I work for Frontier and everybody hates me because of the bad service up here,” Elmore reportedly told Ogden.

SEE RELATED: Burney business owner seriously injured after run over by car

Based on his investigation Ogden arrested Elmore, who was later booked into the Shasta County Jail in Redding on suspicion of DUI. Prior to being booked, Elmore submitted to a blood test to determine his actually level of intoxication at the time of the traffic stop and arrest.

Online jail records indicate Elmore has since been released from custody.

No accidents or injuries were reported as a result of the alleged drunk driving and near collisions.

native advertising

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.