In just the last three weeks, two officers with the Denver Police Department (DPD) have been arrested on suspicions of driving under the influence.
NBC 9 News reports that the first arrest occurred last month in Castle Rock on Valentine's Day, when DPD Officer Eric Sellers was pulled over by Colorado State Patrol (CSP) troopers. Sellers was charged with DUI, careless driving and carrying a weapon "while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or a controlled substance." While no sentence has been made yet, Sellers had previously been put on a 40-day suspension in 2010 for misconduct in the arrest of a Brighton volunteer firefighter the year before.
The second arrest occurred just this week, early in the morning of Tuesday, March 4. According to the news source, off-duty Officer Jean Keita had failed to yield while taking a left turn, crashing his car into another's. When police responded to the accident, they determined that Keita was intoxicated and arrested him suspicion of DUI. His blood alcohol content (BAC) levels at the time of crash were not released at the time of the report.
DPD Cmdr. Matt Murray tells CBS4 that the department is aware of both officers' DUI charges and has consequently placed both Sellers and Keita on desk duty for the time being. Sellers is a 20-year veteran of the DPD, and Keita has served with the department for 10 years.
Being charged with a DUI in Colorado is no small offense. Depending on the nature of the charge, sentencing can run the gamut from harsh fines to years served in prison. To make sure you can minimize such an outcome on your own case, arm yourself with the best Colorado DUI lawyers from The Orr Law Firm.