Original Article Victim's kin: DUI killer has an 'in' with city cops By Alexis Huicochea ARIZONA DAILY STAR Tucson police are reviewing their handling of a fatal crash after a family's complaint that the suspected drunken driver may have received preferential treatment because he's the brother of a retired officer. Court records show the July 14 crash was the second DUI incident in nine months for Douglas Scott Perrin. He has not been charged in the crash that resulted in the death of Charles Darnell Parker. Parker's family said, and police reports show, that Perrin was not booked into jail the night of the crash and was released to a family member after being cited on charges of DUI and causing a crash. Parker's family believes Perrin, 38, is getting preferential treatment because his brother, Gregory Perrin, is a recently retired and decorated Tucson police officer injured in a hit-and-run crash on duty in 2004. "All I want is justice for my brother," said Anita Erhardt in a phone interview from her Florida home. "I haven't stopped crying. Charlie didn't die of natural causes. His life was taken." The family has complained to police about how the incident was handled by officers, which has resulted in an internal-affairs review, said Lt. James McShea, commander of the office of internal affairs. Parker, 61, was stopped at a red light on the Southeast Side when his car was struck from behind by a car driven by Perrin, according to police reports. Parker suffered a broken neck and died three weeks later. "Other drunk drivers in similar situations have been arrested and put in jail immediately," Erhardt said. Tucson police traffic Sgt. Tim Beam said there was no preferential treatment. "I can understand the family's perception, but how the case is being handled has nothing to do with the fact that the arrestee is a retired officer's brother," he said. Beam said he did not know if the officers who handled the crash even knew that Perrin was related to a police officer. Douglas Perrin and his attorney, Anna Dennis, would not comment for this story. Gregory Perrin also would not comment. He released a statement to the Star that said his connection to the department should not influence any decisions in his brother's case. "My family and I are very sorry for the Parker family's loss," he wrote. "I am confident the Tucson Police Department and the Pima County Attorney's Office will make a fair decision regarding Doug's involvement in this tragedy. I have not and will not exert any personal influence in that process." Police have concluded their probe and have sent the case to the Attorney's Office, which is responsible for bringing charges, Beam said. Breath test result is 0.169 In the previous DUI incident, Perrin was stopped last October near Davis-Monthan Air Force Base by a Pima County sheriff's deputy who said he saw him swerving in traffic, according to a Sheriff's Department report. His 16-year-old daughter and another girl were in the pickup with him. No one was hurt. Perrin was given a breath test, which gave a reading of 0.169 percent - more than twice the state's legal limit, according to court records. He was cited on charges of DUI, extreme DUI, DUI with blood-alcohol content of 0.08 percent or above and unsafe lane change. Perrin was released to his wife. Perrin pleaded guilty to the DUI charge, and the other charges were dismissed. He spent one night in jail; was placed on a year of unsupervised probation; ordered to pay $975 in fines; get alcohol treatment; and attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving victim-impact panel, a two-hour course on the consequences of drinking and driving. Nine months later, Perrin's and Parker's lives collided at a Southeast Side intersection. "Minding his own business" "Charlie was on his way to the grocery store, sitting at a red light, minding his own business," Erhardt said. Perrin was traveling at 40 mph, the posted speed limit, when he struck Parker's car on South Kolb Road near East Stella Road about 4:45 p.m., according to Tucson police reports. When police arrived, Parker was unconscious and Perrin was gone, police reports state. A witness told the responding officer that Perrin drove his car about a block away. Officer Michael Ryan found Perrin in his car, backed into a cul de sac. "He told me he was the driver of the car and he hit the car in front of him," Ryan wrote. "He said he was not trying to leave the scene, but 'This is where I ended up.' " The results of Perrin's breath tests were 0.125 percent and 0.123 percent. In Arizona, 0.08 percent and higher is considered intoxicated. Perrin was cited on charges of DUI, DUI with blood-alcohol level of 0.08 or above and failure to reduce or control speed to avoid an accident. He was released that night to another brother, David Perrin. Parker was taken to University Medical Center. He died of complications of a broken neck, according to an autopsy report. Perrin was scheduled to go to court July 26 on the charges related to the Parker crash. But that was canceled when the charges were dismissed and the case was referred to the Pima County attorney, who will pursue more serious charges, records from Tucson City Court state. The County Attorney's Office does not comment on pending cases, said spokeswoman Marcia Nugent. As of Friday, no charges had been filed. Tucsonan since 1969 Parker lived in Tucson since 1969, when he moved here to be closer to his brother, William Parker. He worked in collections and repossession businesses, William Parker said. Charles Parker left an adult son, Alex, Erhardt said. After his death, Parker's siblings learned about hobbies that Parker had picked up to be closer to his son, including hunting. "Alex said that they had gone hunting twice," William Parker said. "We like to joke that the deer were pretty safe on those days." To this day, Erhardt often calls the Tucson home of her "precious baby brother," simply to hear Charles Parker's voice on the answering machine. Circumstances dictate jailing Whether a person who has been drinking and driving will be cited and released or booked into jail depends on the circumstances, Beam said. When there is a crash in which a person is intoxicated or someone is seriously injured, traffic detectives will be called out and could book a person into jail on aggravated-assault charges, Beam said. In Perrin's case, traffic detectives were not called out because paramedics said Parker's injuries were not life-threatening, Beam said. The Tucson Fire Department would not release reports on this incident, citing medical privacy laws. There were three officers who worked the crash, Beam said. New crash, different result A similar crash that occurred about a month after the one involving Perrin and Parker has progressed in a different manner for the driver police suspect was drunk. On Aug. 24, police said Julie Ann Lagergren was driving a Volvo station wagon south on Country Club Road near East Arroyo Chico when she crashed into a northbound Kia. The driver of the Kia suffered minor injuries, according to a police report. But the passenger, Evan Zarate, 22, died a week later. Lagergren's blood-alcohol content was 0.241 percent. She was booked into jail on the day of the crash on two counts of aggravated assault and one count of criminal damage. Eight days after Zarate's death, Tucson police announced that Lagergren, 34, would be charged with second-degree murder. Court records do not show any previous DUI convictions for Lagergren. Still waiting for answers two months after his death, Parker's family has remained in contact with Tucson police. "My brother was most loving," Erhardt said. "We are in distress about this. Doug Perrin should be in jail. What do they want him to do? Go out and hit another person? Devastate another family like he has ours? We will fight this to the end." Contact reporter Alexis Huicochea at 629-9412 or ahuicochea@azstarnet.com.