The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office is grieving the loss of one of its emergency dispatchers who was killed Sunday in San Leandro by an alleged drunk driver.

At about 11:15 p.m., San Leandro police responded to the intersection of East 14th Street and 150th Avenue on a report of a rollover vehicle collision.

Officers arrived and found an unconscious driver suffering from significant injuries. An investigation revealed that her car was broadsided and then it rolled over as she crossed through the intersection. She was taken to the hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

The woman was identified as Antoinette Finau, an emergency services dispatcher with the Sheriff’s Office. The driver of the other vehicle was uninjured and was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

According to police, Finau was on her way to work when the collision occurred.

“The San Leandro Police Department offers our condolences to the family of the victim as well as the men and women of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office,” said Lt. Jeffrey Walton in a release sent out Monday. “This is a tragic loss of life and a painful reminder of the dangers of driving while impaired.”

The Sheriff’s Office posted about Finau on Facebook Monday.

“Last night, we lost a dedicated, energetic, loving Alameda County Sheriff’s Office family member,” reads the post, which said she loved being a dispatcher and took “pride in her work because helping others gave her joy.”

“She was born a star, and you escorted her to this place like a star. We are grateful.” Family of Antoinette Finau

The Sheriff’s Office said its agency, along with California Highway Patrol, San Leandro police and members of Finau’s family escorted her body to the coroner’s bureau in the early hours of Monday.

“Antoinette’s family said, ‘She was born a star, and you escorted her to this place like a star. We are grateful,’” said the Sheriff’s Office.

Finau was a loving mother, sister, daughter and friend, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.