SAN FRANCISCO – The driver responsible for the death of California Highway Patrol Officer Brent Clearman pleaded guilty to felony hit-and-run charges before Oakland Superior Court Judge Morris Beatus on Tuesday, Sept. 26.

Russell Rodrigues, 47, of Oakland, Calif., said through his attorney that he entered the plea, which was not the result of a plea bargain, because he wanted to accept responsibility for his actions.

Clearman, 33, was born in Astoria and grew up on the Peninsula. He attended Ocean Park Elementary School and graduated from Ilwaco High School in 1991. While in high school, he volunteered for the beach patrol, a pre-shadowing of his dedicating his life to service. After graduation, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps where he served in various locations around the world, including two tours in the Middle East. In 2004 he joined the CHP.

A memorial was held for him on Aug. 20 at the Ilwaco High School gymnasium. His parents, William and Caroline Clearman, reside in Klipsan Beach. Clearman was buried at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland with full military honors and more than 20 CHP officers in attendance.

On Aug. 5, while stopped to investigate a minor traffic accident on the side of an onramp on Interstate 880, he was struck by a champagne-colored mid-90’s Buick LeSabre which then sped away. Clearman died later of his injuries the next morning. He was the seventh Highway Patrol officer to die while on duty since September the previous year.

Rodrigues was later arrested for the crime. If he receives the maximum sentence, he could spend four years in jail. According to an article in the Sept. 27 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, his defense lawyer, Deputy Public Defender Mark McGoldrick, will ask for five years’ probation and up to a year in county jail.

The prosecutor, Deputy District Attorney Greg Dolge, will reportedly press for the maximum sentence, citing the incident as an “aggravated example of hit-and-run causing death,” according to the article. Rodrigues was not charged with vehicular manslaughter because of an apparent lack of evidence.

Rodrigues has a history of traffic violations, including speeding, failure to stop at an intersection, driving without insurance and failure to appear in court. A 20-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Department, he resigned in 2004 under suspicious circumstances. The article reports officials indicated he was about to be fired from his position at the Glenn Dyer Detention Facility, but declined to give the reason.

After posting the $10,000 bail for the hit-and-run charges, Rodrigues was once again arrested, the second time on narcotics violation charges. Rodrigues now remains in custody in Oakland with $90,000 bail, awaiting trial on those charges.

Clearman’s widow, Cathy Jo, attended the plea hearing along with a number of CHP officers. Rodrigues will be sentenced on Oct. 25.