Charges dropped against former LAPD commander accused of being drunk in public
LOS ANGELES - Criminal charges have been dropped against a former LAPD commander accused of being drunk in public during a traffic incident in Glendale in 2018.
FOX 11 obtained exclusive video of Nicole Mehringer's arrest, which led to her firing from the Los Angeles Police Department, a decision she is suing the department for.
Mehringer's attorney, Bradley Gage, says the District Attorney made the right decision to drop criminal charges but he suspects the case was dropped in part because Mehringer has a lot of dirt on LAPD, including extremely salacious allegations going all the way to the top of the department.
The public intoxication arrest occurred in April 2018. The video shows her being carried by Glendale police after she was asleep in an unmarked car while off-duty and allegedly drunk. With her was her LAPD sergeant James Kelly who was found asleep in the same car. He was arrested for DUI and pled not guilty.
Gage and Mehringer are in the process of suing LAPD for gender discrimination. They allege that she was only fired because she's a woman. They point out that Sgt. Kelly still has his job despite being accused of the more serious crime of DUI, and that LAPD has a lengthy history of sweeping the serious misconduct of male officers under the rug.
As part of the legal process, Gage filed documents known as pitchess motions, which contain potentially explosive and salacious allegations that a number of high-ranking LAPD officers have been involved in major wrongdoing that was later covered up by the department and never made public. Gage says he has proof of a double standard.
Gage believes the salacious dirt Mehringer claims to have on LAPD was a major factor in the charges against her being dropped and says there are many who never want the allegations to see the light of day.
FOX 11 reached out to the District Attorney's Office to ask why Mehringer's charges were dropped. In a statement, they say:
"Our office agreed to dismiss one misdemeanor count of public intoxication against Ms. Mehringer if she completed a 30-day outpatient program. On August 12, her attorney showed proof that [she] completed the program. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Timothy Saito subsequently dismissed the case against the defendant.”
As for Kelly, his next hearing is set for Sept. 23.