A stretch of Highway 166 is now dedicated to a Guadalupe police officer killed decades ago by a drunk driver.
Officer Samuel Sanchez was killed April 13th, 1969, when his patrol car was struck head-on by another car between Guadalupe and Santa Maria. Two of the prisoners he was driving in his car also died.
Officer Sanchez was 25 years old at the time of his death and he had worked for the Guadalupe Police Department for about four years.
Police and dignitaries held a dedication ceremony on Friday. Sanchez’s daughter, Kristen, helped unveil the memorial sign along with Sanchez’s niece, Dora.
The ceremony was held on a day that would have been Sanchez’s 74th birthday.
