A UC Santa Barbara police lieutenant was arrested August 7 in Solvang on charges of driving under the influence and hit-and-run.
Bradley Prows, 60, who was not on duty at the time, was headed westbound on Highway 246 near the Solvang Brewing Company when the car in front of him slowed as it prepared to park, according to a report from the California Highway Patrol (CHP). Prows attempted to pass, but the right side of his truck collided with the left side of the other vehicle as he did so.
Prows failed to stop and kept driving, said the CHP, while the other vehicle followed and tried to flag him down. After about a mile, Prows pulled over, and he was soon after contacted by officers. No one was injured in the collision. CHP spokesperson Officer Michael Griffith said he could not disclose Prows’s blood-alcohol content, “but I can tell you he was over the legal limit.”
Prior to joining the UCSB Police Department in 2013, Prows was employed by the CHP for 32 years. His wife, who was with him at the time of the collision, is currently an office manager at its Buellton headquarters.
UCSB spokesperson Kiki Reyes said the university is cooperating with the CHP and that Prows has been placed on administrative leave.
The incident comes shortly after UCSB Chancellor Henry Yang was accused of hit-and-run for allegedly striking a skateboarder on campus with his car and leaving the scene. However, the CHP, which led the investigation, declined to charge Yang, citing a lack of evidence and corroborating witnesses. Records ultimately showed that Yang had refused to cooperate with investigators, despite an initial claim by the university that he had done so “professionally and appropriately.”
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