A Paradise Police detective sergeant was critically hurt and two children were injured when an SUV allegedly ran a stop sign and slammed into his marked patrol car on State Route 99 at Rio Bonito Road, north of Gridley in Butte County. The collision happened shortly after midnight on Saturday, August 29, 2026, as the sergeant was driving home from an assignment at the Butte County Fair. The patrol vehicle was struck on the driver’s side at a high rate of speed, and the sergeant suffered two broken legs, broken ribs, a punctured lung and internal bleeding. The 37-year-old Oroville driver was taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence, and two children riding in her vehicle were hospitalized. The California Highway Patrol’s Oroville Area office is handling the investigation.
KRCR reported that the injured officer is Detective Sgt. John Alvies of the Paradise Police Department, who underwent multiple surgeries and was transferred to a specialized facility; his department later said his injuries are no longer considered life-threatening but that he faces a long recovery. According to KRCR, Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said the eastbound SUV ran the stop sign at Rio Bonito Road and that a blood draw taken about three hours after the crash showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.14 percent. The station reported that the driver, identified by prosecutors as Amie Elyse Kucera, 37, of Oroville, was charged with felony child abuse and DUI, was denied bail and is due back in court on September 9, 2026. KRCR also reported that her 6-year-old daughter suffered a severely broken leg requiring surgery and that her 9-year-old son was hospitalized and released the same morning, with both children reportedly unrestrained at the time. These allegations have not been proven in court, and the CHP investigation remains open.
