Woman Waives Preliminary Hearing in Felony DUI / Child Abuse Case Involving Collision with Paradise Police Sergeant
UPDATE:
"Woman Waives Preliminary Hearing in Felony DUI / Child Abuse Case Involving Collision with Paradise Police Sergeant"
09.23.2026 "Press Release" - Butte County District Attorney's Office
The Oroville mother accused of drunkenly colliding with a Paradise Police vehicle driven by a Paradise sergeant was in Butte County Superior Court today to face a preliminary hearing on charges of felony DUI with injury and felony child abuse.
Amie Elyse Kucera, 37, instead chose to waive her right to a preliminary hearing, thereby admitting that the prosecution had sufficient evidence to convince a judge to bind her over for a jury trial.
Kucera will next appear in court on October 14, 2026, to set her jury trial. She remains in Butte County Jail, with $340,000 bail set.
Paradise Police Sgt. John Alvies remains in the hospital recovering from his severe injuries.
Previous Press Release:
"Woman Charged with Felony DUI and Child Abuse in Collision Involving Police Sergeant"
An Oroville mother appeared in the Butte County Superior Court this afternoon to face multiple felony charges after she crashed her car into a Paradise Police vehicle, severely injuring her young daughter, who was in her car, and the Paradise Police Sergeant driving the police vehicle. It is alleged she was under the influence while driving.
Amie Elyse Kucera, 37, of Oroville, will return to court tomorrow morning for further arraignment on felony counts of child abuse and driving under the influence, resulting in severe injuries to her six-year-old daughter and Sgt. John Alvies.
Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said Kucera was driving her SUV eastbound on Rio Bonito Road toward State Route 99 at approximately 12:15 a.m. on Saturday, August 26, 2026, when witnesses said she ran a stop sign and struck the driver’s side of Sgt. Alvies’ fully marked patrol vehicle as he drove northbound on State Route 99. Both vehicles were traveling at highway speeds.
Sgt. Alvies, a longtime veteran officer with Paradise, had just finished a shift helping the Gridley Police with security at the Butte County Fair and was headed back to Paradise.
Several investigators from the County District Attorney’s Office and other officers arrived on scene within a minute, as they were leaving their shifts at the fair. Investigators immediately rendered aid to Sgt. Alvies and the occupants of Kucera’s car. One investigator found the six-year-old girl unsecured in the back seat. The girl was taken to a nearby hospital and underwent surgery for a severely broken leg.
Kucera’s nine-year-old son was also found unsecured in Kucera’s car, having been thrown into the rear of the SUV by the force of the collision as the vehicle spun out. He was transported to the hospital and released the same morning.
Both children are currently in the care of the Butte County Child Services Division and are placed with family members.
Kucera and an adult male passenger were largely unharmed in the collision. A blood draw approximately three hours after the collision showed her blood alcohol concentration was .14%.
Sgt. Alvies sustained life-threatening injuries and has undergone five separate surgeries. Although his injuries are no longer life-threatening, they remain significant, and he faces a long road to recovery.
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