A law enforcement officer is facing a potentially damning charge following his arrest around 4 a.m. on Feb. 1, according to local news sources. A Nevada undercover police detective has been charged with DUI and will appear before a court in the near future. The almost 15-year veteran of the force could see his career destroyed if he is found guilty of these serious charges.
Details of the officer’s arrest are incomplete as of this report, but it has been confirmed that witnesses reported him asleep at the wheel of an unidentified vehicle. It is unclear if the vehicle was police property. The officer was summarily arrested, though it was not mentioned in the report if the attending officers administered a blood or breath test to determine the man’s level of sobriety.
In fact, no evidence whatsoever has been mentioned in the report, only that he had been arrested and charged with a misdemeanor. It remains to be seen what evidence, if any, the prosecution is able to offer up in this case. The court date has not been publicly announced, but is expected to come up soon.
A DUI charge, even a misdemeanor, has the capacity to ruin the career of a law enforcement officer. The seriousness of the infraction, even simply the accusation thereof, is enough to cast doubt on his integrity and his ability to do his job. Nevada prosecutors will need to provide compelling evidence that the man was indeed drunk at the time of his arrest, and that he constituted a danger to himself and/or others.
Source: knpr.org, “Las Vegas Police Detective Due Before Judge On DUI Charge“, April 14, 2015