In brief: Two cops accused of drunken ride

DENVER – Authorities say two Colorado police officers took a wild, drunken ride through Wyoming on their way to a funeral in South Dakota.

KUSA-TV reports that a volunteer firefighter on Wednesday spotted a police car from Aurora, Colo., driving erratically down a Goshen County roadway. The car reportedly was speeding, using emergency lights to pass other vehicles and trash was flying out of its window.

Goshen County sheriff’s Capt. Brian Morehouse said the two men were heading to the funeral of two police officers recently killed in South Dakota.

Officer Bradley B. Bickett was charged with driving while intoxicated, careless driving and speeding. Bickett’s passenger, officer Gerald Kirby, was charged with littering.

Marine crash victims found in ocean

SAN DIEGO – Two Marines who ejected from their crashing fighter jet spent four harrowing hours in the chilly Pacific Ocean, yelling and blowing a whistle in the inky night before a Coast Guard crew spotted them Thursday 85 miles southwest of San Diego.

The men, whose names have not been released, were in serious but stable condition at Naval Medical Center. Details of their injuries were not released, and officials said they had not had the chance to speak to the men yet about what happened.

The Marines were aboard an F/A-18 Hornet flying with another jet when it went down late Wednesday, kicking off a nighttime air-and-sea search by the Navy and U.S. Coast Guard that included dropping a flare to illuminate the area.

They were found together around 2:30 a.m. Thursday, drifting along in their flight suits outfitted with inflatable life vests. A rescue swimmer dropped from a helicopter and plucked them from the ocean.

“They were just basically floating in the water,” said Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Henry G. Dunphy.