A Texas police officer was drunk and speeding when he was pulled over on the evening of March 23, according to a report from the Department of Public Safety. The Abilene Police Department sergeant was stopped as he was allegedly driving 10 mph over the posted 45 mph speed limit on North Danville Drive at approximately 10:27 p.m. After being charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol, he was released from the Taylor County Jail after posting a $1,000 bond.
The trooper who made the traffic stop says that he suspected impairment when he noticed the smell of alcohol coming from the interior of the man’s truck. He says that the man also displayed other signs of intoxication and was unable or unprepared to answer questions about how much alcohol he had consumed before getting behind the wheel. He was taken into custody after allegedly failing to complete a series of standardized field sobriety exercises.
The man did not submit to a breath test at the scene, but a sample of his blood was drawn for toxicology testing after a search warrant was obtained by the DPS. Media accounts reveal that the man has served with the Abilene Police Department since 2004, was promoted to sergeant in 2012 and is a member of both the department’s bomb squad and SWAT team.
Experienced criminal defense attorneys may seek more lenient treatment for individuals accused of drunk driving by bringing mitigating factors to the attention of prosecutors. In the aforementioned case, mitigating factors could include more than a decade of exemplary public service, the impact that a DWI conviction could have on future career prospects and the fact that no accident occurred and no road users were injured.
