A Paradise Police Department detective sergeant was critically injured early Saturday, August 29, 2026, when a suspected drunk driver ran a stop sign and slammed into his patrol car at the intersection of Highway 99 and Rio Bonito Road, north of Gridley in unincorporated Butte County. Sgt. John Alvies was driving home after helping with an extra security detail at the Butte County Fair when a Dodge Journey struck the driver’s side of his vehicle at high speed. Alvies suffered two broken legs, broken ribs, a punctured lung and other injuries, and has undergone multiple surgeries. Two children and an adult male passenger riding in the other vehicle were also taken to area hospitals for treatment.
According to Action News Now, the driver was identified as Amie Elyse Kucera, 37, of Oroville, who allegedly blew through a stop sign on Rio Bonito Road before broadsiding Alvies’ patrol vehicle. The outlet reported that open containers were found inside Kucera’s vehicle and that none of her passengers were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash. Kucera was arrested and has been charged with felony DUI and child abuse; she appeared in Butte County Superior Court on September 2, 2026, where bail was denied, and her next hearing is scheduled for September 9. The California Highway Patrol’s Oroville Area Office continues to investigate the crash.
