Channel 9 News, from Goshen County, Wyoming, has reported that two police officers were arrested for DUI related charges on the evening of August 10, 2011, while they were allegedly driving a patrol car to a funeral for two police officers from another department.
The officers arrested - employed with the Aurora Police department - were seen speeding, throwing trash from the vehicle, erratically swerving in and out of lanes to pass other vehicles and using their emergency lights.
A volunteer firefighter, who witnessed the patrol car, reported it to dispatch.
Captain B.M., from the Goshen County Sheriff's Department, made the arrest at approximately 6:30 p.m.
When Capt. B.M. stopped the police vehicle, he reported smelling alcohol emanating from the car and saw beer in a cooler.
Aurora Police Officer B.B. was arrested at the scene. B.B. failed both the roadside
sobriety test and a breathalyzer test - he blew a .07 on the latter.
He was then cited for misdemeanor DWUI-alcohol.
He was also charged with careless driving and speeding 57 mph in a 40 mph zone.
Cassidee Carlson, for the Aurora Police Department said, "It is a great embarrassment to not only our department, but to law enforcement across the board. The feeling here at the Aurora Police Department is disbelief again."
B.B. was in jail by 6:51 p.m. that evening and released the next day at 12:46 a.m. into the custody of an Aurora Police Department Commander. B.B. had to have a BAC of .00 before he was allowed to be released.
The other Aurora police officer in the vehicle, and the only passenger, G.K., was cited for littering.
Carlson continued, "Our chief extended a phone call to their sheriff to apologize for the actions of our officers and additionally to thank him and his deputies for their professionalism and action in the matter."
At the time that the volunteer firefighter reported seeing the patrol car's irregular behavior, his statement included witnessing the car nearly run into two motorcycles. The volunteer told news media that, in reporting the event, his concern was for others on the road.
B.M. said that neither officer arrested was in uniform and that both were cooperative during the incident.
Carlson said, "These officers will be placed in a non-uniform role when they arrive back to work next week, where they won't have contact with the public until this serious discipline is reviewed. We have more than 600 officers that come here every day and do a great service for the City of Aurora.
Unfortunately, these officers made very poor decisions that now are causing us to get in front of the camera and [address] the embarrassment that they've caused."
Charges related to DUI, DWI, OUI, or OWI can be managed best when you contact a DUI attorney that specializes in this type of defense. Loss of driving privileges, jail time, probation and fines don't have to be the outcome.