MADD honors offices and prosecutors fighting drunken driving

Kern County Probation Department Award: Deputy Probation Officer Luis Gomez

Gomez supervisors felony probationers to ensure they are not consuming alcohol and that they comply with court orders, MADD said.

Through Office of Transportation and Safety funding, Gomez supervises 75 high-risk, felony and repeat DUI offenders. In 2016 he made 947 home calls and held 855 office conferences with these people. He conducted 522 urinalysis tests by ETG device and 1,125 Breathalyzer tests.

"Officer Gomez’s diligence in supervising these high-risk worst of the worst DUI offenders is commendable and has gone a long way to help keep our streets safer for the citizens of Kern County," MADD said.

Top Prosecutor 187 Award: Supervising Deputy District Attorney Michael Yraceburn

Yraceburn prosecuted the nation’s first successful murder conviction for driving while impaired by marijuana, MADD said. In that March 2014 crash, the suspect was driving at about 80 miles per hour before losing control, killing David Aggio. The suspect was sentenced to 20 years to life.

Top Law Enforcement: Bakersfield Police Officer Louis James

Since James was reassigned to the Bakersfield Police Department’s Traffic Section in July 2015, he has primarily worked the graveyard shift, MADD said. He has proved to be "one of the most, if not the most, productive traffic officer in regards to DUI enforcement. Though he was assigned to the traffic section for only a year and a half, he maintained his aggressive DUI enforcement to make the citizens of Bakersfield safer."

In 2015, MADD California honored him. The next year he arrested 247 DUI drivers, the most of all traffic units within the department and one of the highest in California.

Below are all the honorees:

Arvin Police Department

Officer Bryan Arthurs

Officer Daniel Bravo

Officer Jorge Gonzalez

Bakersfield Police Department

Officer Kameron Bailey 

Senior Officer Dean Barthelmes

Officer Chad Ott

Officer Jennifer Bassett 

Officer Victor Swall

Officer Robert Lane 

Officer Santos Luevano 

Officer Johnny Moreno 

Officer Marco Vazquez 

Officer Thomas Wahl

Officer David Hamma 

Detective Andrew Tipton

Officer Nicholas Childers

Officer Anthony Herron

Officer Michael Crowe

Officer Eli Brown 

Officer Brandon Carey

Officer Richard Robles

Officer Louis James

CHP Mojave

Officer Paul Vue 

Officer Sean A. Galloway

Officer Alejandro Zuniga 

Officer Michael R. Stevens 

Officer Bryan D. Lombardi

Officer Nathan J. Moffatt

Officer Jason P. Carroll

Officer Don F. Mulligan Jr.

CHP-Bakersfield #420

Officer Francisco Chavez

Officer Rodney Black 

Officer Rosalva Archer 

Officer David Avis 

Officer Victor Valadez  

Officer Jose Bravo

Officer Jaime Cervantes 

Officer Jeff Anderson 

Officer Ryan Grant  

Officer Arturo Aldrete 

Officer Michael Galvez 

Officer Jessi Velasquez 

Officer Eric Medrano 

Officer Daniel Dinsing 

Officer Matthew Iturriria 

CHP-Buttonwillow #426

Officer Larry Reiswig 

Officer John Wilson 

Officer Daniel Pence 

Officer Constantino Mendoza

Officer Enrique Ramos 

CHP-Fort Tejon Area #430

Officer Ron Pomeroy 

Officer Kelley Walker 

CHP-Grapevine (C.V.E.F.) #424

Officer Robert Schlosser 

Kern County District Attorney's Office

Deputy District Attorney OTS Garrett Rice 

Deputy District Attorney OTS Kim Richardson 

Deputy District Attorney OTS Brad Taconi

Supervising District Attorney Michael Yraceburn

Kern County Probation Department

Officer Luis Gomez

Kern County Sheriff's Office

Wasco City Substation Deputy Juan Maldonado 

Wasco City Substation Deputy James Jackson

Wasco City Substation Deputy Steve Davis

Wasco City Substation Deputy Mario Rojas 

Wasco City Substation Senior Deputy Steve Vasquez

McFarland Police Department

Officer Laurence Keegan 

Corporal Roberto Moita 

Ridgecrest Police Department

Officer Michael Compito 

Officer Jason Storms 

Officer Cory Huard

Sgt. Justin Dampier 

Shafter Police Department

Officer Anthony Erwin

Officer Maira Puente