Ex-Cop Pleads Guilty for Drinking on Duty in Baltimore City
On April 19th, a former Baltimore Police Department (BPD) officer was sentenced for misconduct and driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol, according to an article by CBS Baltimore.
In terms of background information, this case dates back to October 2, 2018. At approximately 1 p.m. on that day, the officer was on duty and operating a BPD patrol car. He parked the patrol car in the 700 block of Washington Boulevard.
Around 1:30 p.m., several bystanders noticed that the patrol car had not moved, and the officer remained in the vehicle. This seemed strange to the onlookers, as the top-mounted lights on the patrol car had been flashing for some time.
When the bystanders approached the vehicle, it seemed like the BPD officer was asleep in the driver’s seat. The bystanders tried to wake the officer from outside the vehicle. After several attempts, the officer eventually responded and rolled down the window.
According to their official statements, that is when the bystanders detected a strong smell of alcohol coming from the officer and the patrol car. The officer stated that he was ok. So the bystanders retreated, but also noticed that the officer seemed to go back to sleep.
Shortly thereafter, a BPD sergeant arrived at the scene. Upon further investigation, the sergeant observed several signs of intoxication, including the smell of alcohol, slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, and imbalanced walking. As a result, the sergeant took the officer to a nearby police station for official testing.
At the police station, the BPD officer registered a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.22. That is almost three times the legal limit of 0.08 under Maryland state law. Furthermore, a police search of the officer’s patrol car yielded an empty wine bottle.
In light of the BAC test and empty wine bottle, the authorities filed legal charges against the BPD officer. After reaching an agreement with prosecutors and entering his recent guilty plea, this officer may face two concurrent sentences of 12 months each. Though outside of 30 days, those sentences will be suspended.
This officer may also face up to 18 months of supervised probation and the standard penalties for DUI under Maryland law. Depending on the number of previous offenses, a DUI conviction usually results in a jail sentence between 12 and 36 months and fines between $1,000 and $3,000. Additionally, a DUI conviction typically leads to driver’s license suspension for a certain amount of time.
Having entered into a plea agreement, this officer now awaits his official sentencing hearing. That is scheduled to occur on August 9, 2019.
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If you need legal help with a police misconduct situation in Maryland, it can be incredibly practical to speak with a skilled Baltimore police misconduct lawyer. The lawyers at Iamele & Iamele, LLP in Baltimore, Maryland, feature established credentials in matters of police misconduct and other aspects of the law, including criminal defense and personal injury. If you need legal help, contact us today for a free initial consultation.
Resource:
baltimore.cbslocal.com/2019/04/19/former-bpd-officer-pleads-guilty-to-dui-and-misconduct-in-office/
