Former Merced County commissioner killed in early morning DUI crash

Ralph Cook, a retired Merced County commissioner who served more than 20 years, was killed early Wednesday after a bizarre series of events that began with a bar fight and ended hours later when the Mercedes he was riding in slammed into a guardrail on the outskirts of Merced.

The vehicle was driven by Jacqulin Calixtro, Cook’s girlfriend. The 38-year-old Atwater woman was arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter and drunken driving.

Cook’s identify was confirmed by the Merced County Coroner’s Office.

Cook, 68, died just before 5 a.m. while traveling south on Highway 99 near Franklin Road. With Calixtro at the wheel, his gray 2014 Mercedes crashed into a guardrail, which went through the windshield and struck Cook, according to Officer Moises Onsurez of the California Highway Patrol.

The crash came about five hours after Cook had been involved in an argument with Calixtro outside the Kewl Kats bar in Merced, Police Capt. Matt Williams confirmed.

Cook then got into a second argument with at least one other person, said Merced Detective-Sgt. Curt Gorman.

“It appears that one argument may have spun into the other argument,” Gorman told the Sun-Star.

During the second argument with the unidentified person, Cook suffered a head injury. Police were called. No arrests were made and Gorman said Calixtro was “uncooperative” with investigators who questioned her outside the bar.

Specific details of the violence were unclear Wednesday. City police detectives were searching for witnesses, reviewing surveillance footage and collecting statements late Wednesday.

A man at the Kewl Cats bar Wednesday, who declined to give his name, told the Sun-Star that Cook was not served the previous night and, in fact, had never entered the bar. He said the altercation took place outside, in the bar’s the parking lot. He said Cook was punched in the face by one person.

Paramedics ordered Cook flown to Memorial Hospital in Modesto to treat his head injury. Several hours later, police said, Cook was “released” from the hospital.

Authorities believe Calixtro may have been driving Cook home from the hospital at the time of the crash.

The fight outside the Kewl Cats bar is being investigated by Merced police. The CHP is investigating the traffic collision.

Calixtro was booked into the Merced County Jail on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol, both felonies. Her bail was set at $300,000. She remained in custody Wednesday evening, according to booking records.

Cook, a longtime family law attorney, was hired in 1987 as a Merced County prosecutor by then-District Attorney Frank Dougherty.

“He was an excellent attorney, an excellent deputy district attorney; very hard-working man,” Dougherty told the Sun-Star.

Dougherty went on to become the county’s presiding judge and, in 1991, he appointed Cook as a judicial commissioner. Cook served as commissioner until his retirement in 2012.

“He was always highly regarded by his fellow judicial officers and the attorneys,” Dougherty said. “It’s just terrible what happened. Shocking.”

Friends and colleagues described Cook as thoughtful, dedicated, colorful, fastidious and passionate about the law.

“He was always striving to be the very best he could be as a commissioner,” Sheriff Vern Warnke said. “I’m very sorry to hear that his life came to an end in such a manner.”

Brian L. McCabe, the court’s current presiding judge, said he was “truly saddened” by Cook’s death. District Attorney Larry Morse II described Cook’s death as “an incredible tragedy.”

“His work for more than 20 years is a testament to his talents and abilities as a commissioner,” Morse said. “He was highly dedicated, highly ethical and completely committed to getting each decision right.”

Chris Loethen, a Merced County deputy public defender, said Cook “had a big heart.”

“He believed in people and treated them as individuals,” Loethen told the Sun-Star.

Matt Serratto, deputy district attorney, described Cook as “friendly, thoughtful, old-fashioned and down-to-Earth.”

“He really cared about defendants and always treated them with respect and listened to them,” Serratto said. “He was a good man. We’ll miss him.”

This story was originally published June 8, 2016 at 8:22 AM with the headline "Former Merced County commissioner killed in early morning DUI crash."