CENTERVILLE, MI (WTVB) – An off-duty St. Joseph County corrections deputy has been formally charged following a suspected drunk driving hit-and-run crash last month.
48-year-old Brandy Sue Renee Galarza of Centreville was arraigned August 27 on charges of operating while intoxicated (OWI) and leaving the scene of an accident.
The charges stem from an August 4 incident where Three Rivers police responded to a midday rear-end collision near South Main and River streets. Galarza allegedly struck a pickup truck with her car and fled the scene. According to police reports, a preliminary breath test later revealed her blood alcohol content to be .294, which is more than three times Michigan’s legal driving limit.
The investigation unfolded after a sheriff’s office sergeant alerted authorities that an off-duty colleague confessed to being in a crash. Police reports and body camera footage indicate Galarza told officers she drank two shooter bottles of liquor while waiting for a prescription.
Because Galarza is employed by the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office, local judges recused themselves, transferring the case to Calhoun County 10th District Judge Tracie Tomak to avoid a conflict of interest.
To further ensure fairness, Galarza was booked into the Kalamazoo County Jail rather than the facility where she works.
She was initially placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal review, and the Three Rivers City Attorney emphasized she is being treated like any other citizen.
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