POLICE OFFICER CHARGED WITH INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER
In February 2016, Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey announced that he had charged Town of Paradise Police Officer Patrick Feaster with a charge of involuntary manslaughter. The charge arose from the accidental discharge of his duty weapon after a roll-over collision in the Town of Paradise on November 26, 2015.
On November 26, 2015, Officer Feaster was on a patrol duty assignment in the Town of Paradise. Andrew Nicholas Thomas, a recently released parolee, and his female companion, drove away from a local bar at a very high rate of speed. Officer Feaster began pursuit as the suspect accelerated away. The suspect ran a red light and continued to accelerate. The suspect lost control of the vehicle, hit the center median, flipping the vehicle, and causing a roll-over crash. Officer Feaster observed the female passenger being both ejected from the vehicle and then immediately rolled over by it during the crash. The suspect’s vehicle came to a rest on the driver’s side of the vehicle.  The suspect’s female companion lay critically injured in the middle of the street. Officer Feaster stopped his patrol vehicle, and as he exited his vehicle, the suspect began quickly climbing out of the passenger’s side window.  At the same time, the badly broken and bloody female passenger lay groaning in the street.  Officer Feaster pulled his Glock 45-caliber semi-automatic pistol from its holster and as he began raising it, there was an accidental discharge of the weapon.  The suspect retreated back inside the vehicle and Officer Feaster, as well as additional officers and paramedics arriving on the scene, began attending to the injured female passenger.  A short time later, the suspect began complaining that he had been shot. The paramedics were summoned to attend to the suspect.
The suspect was taken to a local hospital where he began recovering from various injuries, including being hit by a single gunshot from Officer Feaster. A number of weeks later the suspect died due to complications, including pneumonia and kidney failure.
District Attorney Mike Ramsey initially cleared Officer Feaster of any criminal misconduct but, several weeks later, after the suspect died, charged Officer Feaster with a violation of Penal Code section 192(b), felony involuntary manslaughter, and a special allegation of a firearm enhancement.
Officer Feaster is represented by the criminal defense trial team of Goyette & Associates lead by Paul Q. Goyette.