An off-duty intoxicated Boston police officer almost killed a 22-year old woman while speeding through a stop sign, yet he didn't face any punishment and still keeps his job.
Richard Jeanetti, 35, had a blood alcohol content of .27 – more than three times the legal limit – and was driving at 68 mph in a 25 mph zone.“He smelled like liquor. You could smell it right out of the car,” a witness said, according to local TV station WBZ-TV.The police officer crashed his speeding Toyota Tundra into a young woman’s car in Hyde Park just before midnight on May 24, nearly killing her.Brianna O’Neill was found “bleeding profusely from the face and right leg,” according to officers who responded to the crash. Jeanetti’s truck was up on the sidewalk and rammed into a retaining wall. Court records indicate the officer never applied his brakes as he ran the stop sign.The victim broke her tibia and ankle, suffered a punctured artery and a C-1 fracture in her neck, and said she might need surgery on her back.But Jeanetti was not given a Breathalyzer test, and his blood alcohol content was determined after he was sent to the hospital that night.While the seriously injured woman now wears a neck brace and walks with a crutch, the cop is getting off with hardly any punishment.The police records from the night of the incident make no mention of intoxication. Charges against the officer, including driving under the influence, reckless and negligent operation and failing to stop at a stop sign were not filed until the WBZ-TV I-Team questioned the investigation.In court on Friday, the officer pled not guilty to drunk driving and speeding, and was subsequently released on personal recognizance, without having to post bail.“I just want him to be treated the way any other normal civilian would be treated,” the victim said. “I don’t think [the police] handled it properly at all.”In the state of Massachusetts, a first offense penalty for a DUI is up to two and a half years in jail and/or a $500-$5,000 fine. Additionally, the offender could get his license suspended for one year.But even though Officer Jeanetti almost killed a woman while intoxicated, he remains unpunished and still holds his job working for the Boston Police Department. Jeanetti is currently on desk duty, awaiting his September 11 pretrial hearing, while the victim is recovering at home after being hospitalized for five days.