A California State Parks ranger was allegedly found drunk and asleep in his patrol car with a beer between his legs, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. He’s been placed on leave and his peace officer status has been revoked pending an investigation, the paper noted, citing the California Highway Patrol.
A passerby spotted the ranger, Tyson Young, in Humboldt Redwoods State Park on Aug. 15 and first tried to wake Young. “I shook him, really shook him,” the observer, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Lost Coast Outpost.
Then the man told the outlet he called 911 and took a photo of the ranger. The picture was Tweeted by the Lost Coast Outpost. California State Parks confirmed that Young is the man in the photo.
According to the outlets, Young eventually left the scene and was later pulled over and arrested on suspicion of drunk driving by the CHP. He reportedly faces a separate investigation by California State Parks.
Young carried a firearm as part of his job.
“We do not tolerate alcohol in the workplace,” a parks spokeswoman told The Huffington Post.
The Lost Coast Journal wrote that Young “has served as the supervising ranger for Humboldt Redwoods and Richardson Grove state parks.”