Two Denver Parking Agents Impaired On Job Crash Cars, Fired

DENVER (CBS4) - CBS4 has learned that two city of Denver parking enforcement agents crashed their city vehicles while on duty in September, and both were subsequently found to be impaired while on the job while handing out parking tickets to citizens.

"Never had anything like that at our organization," said Tina Scardina, Director of Right of Way Enforcement and Meter Operations for the City of Denver.

Scardina confirmed a CBS4 Investigation that found parking enforcement agent Robert Young crashed his city Jeep while on duty Sept. 12 at the intersection of Larimer and 22nd streets.

"Turned on the heat in the vehicle and the windows fogged up. I truly couldn't see anything at that point," said Young. He collided with another car in the intersection. Police cited Young for running a red light. Due to the severity of the accident, Young was immediately ordered to undergo drug and alcohol screening. Within hours, the test showed Young was positive for marijuana.

"I never went to the job high," Young told CBS4. "I wasn't under the influence at work. No way would I come to work like that." He blamed the positive test on his smoking marijuana two to three weeks earlier.

"I didn't smoke at all that night," said Young, who took responsibility for the accident.

Three days later, another parking enforcement agent, Steve Hartwig, got into a fender bender at 17th and Champa streets, backing his city Jeep into another car as he was handing out tickets.

"As I backed up, I bumped vehicle behind me," wrote Hartwig in an internal report. On his next work shift, supervisors said they smelled alcohol and noticed Hartwig's eyes were glassy. He underwent drug and alcohol screening, which showed him positive for alcohol.

"The supervisor that observed Hartwig observed something and had reasonable suspicion and took him down to take a test and confirm it one way or the other. He was clearly over the limit," said Scardina. By email, Hartwig declined to discuss the accident or his firing.

"I am no longer an employee. I have no comment. Thank you," wrote Hartwig.

The department fired Hartwig and Young on Sept. 16.

Scardina said the two incidents were not directly connected but the timing, circumstances and proximity of the scenarios are notable.

"I don't know what's going on," said Scardina, who said she does not believe there is a widespread problem of parking enforcement agents showing up for work drunk or high. "I think the system worked."

However, CBS4 also learned another parking agent, Antonious Kelley, was fired in August 2013 after he showed up at work under the influence of alcohol. Nancy Kuhn, a spokesperson for Denver Public Works, confirmed Kelley's alcohol-related termination, saying it came "following reasonable suspicion testing -- a matter that was handled expeditiously and per city rules/policies."

Scardina told CBS4 the impairment of agents does not have an impact on parking citations they wrote.

"I think their tickets are legitimate. I don't have any doubt, no," said Scardina.