John Moreland was initially stopped by a DPD officer Monday afternoon for failing to drive in a single lane, DPD said.
AURORA, Colo. — An Aurora Police (APD) officer was arrested for suspected drunk driving after a traffic stop in Denver Monday afternoon, according to a probable cause (PC) statement for his arrest from the Denver Police Department (DPD).
John Moreland, 41, was contacted by a DPD officer just after 3 p.m. on July 5 at 4270 Tower Rd. for failing to drive in a single lane, the PC statement says.
That’s just south of the intersection of Tower Road and Green Valley Ranch Boulevard in northeast Denver.
>The video above is about efforts to increase trust and accountability within APD.
According to the PC statement, the DPD officer noticed several indicators of impairment including slurred speech, a strong odor of alcohol and bloodshot eyes.
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Moreland initially fled from the scene on foot, but returned a few minutes later, according to the PC statement. Due to the fact that he left the scene, the document says Moreland was not offered voluntary field sobriety tests and was immediately taken into custody.
APD said Moreland is on paid administrative leave.
He declined a chemical test, the PC statement says. 9NEWS asked for a picture of Moreland, but they said they do not provide departmental pictures.
APD has been under scrutiny in recent years after several high-profile incidents involving officers. One of the most high-profile incidents happened in early 2019 and involved an officer who was found passed out in an APD vehicle in the middle of the road.
News of that incident wasn’t reported until months later and prosecutors concluded at that time they couldn’t charge the officer, in part because of the way fellow APD officers handled the case.
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That incident happened before current Chief Vanessa Wilson began her tenure. Since taking over, she’s promised more oversight and accountability within the department.
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