BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Court documents obtained by 23ABC News are shedding light into the case involving a Bakersfield Police officer who fell asleep inside the Studio Movie Grill theater with a gun on his lap.
According to the documents, officer Douglas Barrier was watching "Frozen 2" on Dec. 19 when he was found "too intoxicated to care for his own safety," an officer reported.
The documents said that an employee of Studio Movie Grill had gone into the theater to check that it was empty when she found officer Barrier. The employee told officers the movie had ended and she had gone to check the theater for any other movie-goers when she came across the officer asleep. The employee saw the gun on the officer's lap and informed her manager, who then tried to wake officer Barrier three times, court document said.
Court records showed that employees seemed to believe Barrier was at the theater alone since there seem to be no one sitting with him during the movie.
Officers reported that the officer Barrier was asleep inside a "brightly lit" theater and had watery eyes, an unsteady gait and smelled of alcohol. Barrier told officers he drank at the theater inside the lobby and during the movie, however, employees told officers that Barrier did not place any orders during the movie, according to court records.
Employees told officers the theater Barrier was in was not crowded due to it being opening night for the new "Star Wars" movie, however, there were over 300 people at the theater that night, according to court records.
Barrier's gun was seized that evening and he was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
