DUI Arrest Is Officer's 4th This Year
12-16-08, 06:34 PM
#1
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DUI Arrest Is Officer's 4th This Year
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...=moreheadlines
A veteran Prince George's County police lieutenant was charged recently with driving under the influence of alcohol -- for the fourth time this year.
Two of the drunken driving charges against Lt. Kenneth W. Parrish were dropped by county prosecutors, one of them in a plea deal and the other when the arresting officer failed to appear for a court hearing.
Parrish, 44, was suspended with pay in February after he was charged with driving under the influence while operating a county police cruiser off-duty in Laurel. Acting county Police Chief Roberto Hylton said that police officials take Parrish's conduct seriously and that internal investigations are continuing.
"We understand this is a public safety issue," Hylton said.
In the most recent incident, Parrish was arrested Friday when Montgomery County police found him asleep behind the wheel of his Cadillac Escalade near a gas pump in Silver Spring, with the car in drive and his foot on the brake pedal, according to a charging document.
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A breath test showed that Parrish had a blood-alcohol level more than three times the legal limit for driving under the influence, the document says. Parrish was unable to stand on his own and admitted to drinking a half-pint of vodka that morning, the document says.
Efforts to reach Parrish this week were unsuccessful. A lawyer who represented him in some of the previous cases did not return a phone call. The president of the county police union said fellow officers have been attempting in recent days to reach Parrish, without success.
Hylton said Parrish, a 20-year member of the police force, had an exemplary record before the recent arrests. Hylton said Parrish has had a difficult year, struggling with the death of his mother and the breakup of his marriage, events that the chief said prompted the lieutenant to drink excessively.
"He's taken a downward spiral," Hylton said. "Everybody's shocked."
Under the auspices of the police department's employee assistance program, Parrish has been treated for alcohol dependence, and police officials and the police union are trying to reach out to the lieutenant to offer support, Hylton said.
"We are not giving up," Hylton said. "We have offered all sorts of help and counseling. We are going to continue to reach out to him."
Parrish is assigned to the 6th District in Beltsville. If the internal investigations into the four incidents find no wrongdoing, Parrish would still have to be cleared by a departmental medical board before he could return to duty.
Regarding the two drunken driving charges in Prince George's that were dismissed by prosecutors, State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey said in a statement that Parrish "has not received any special treatment because of his status on the police force."
Shortly after 2:30 p.m. Friday, Montgomery police were summoned to a Sunoco gas station in the 14000 block of Georgia Avenue. A paramedic tried repeatedly to wake Parrish, who was in the driver's seat, according to the charging document. Eventually, the paramedic shifted the car into park, and a police sergeant took the keys out of the ignition, the document says.
Parrish's speech was slurred, and his breath smelled of alcohol, according to the charging document. An initial breath test indicated that Parrish had a blood-alcohol level of 0.29, and a second breath test, administered at a police station, indicated a blood-alcohol level of 0.24.
In addition to driving under the influence, Parrish was charged with driving with a suspended license. He is scheduled to go to trial in March, according to court records.
On Feb. 13, in Laurel, Parrish was charged with leaving his vehicle -- a county police cruiser -- in an intersection and with driving while impaired by alcohol. The charges were dropped when the arresting officer did not appear for court.
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Laurel police officer Mark Schmidt, who made the arrest, was not aware of the court hearing until after he had missed it, Laurel police spokesman Jimmy Collins said.
Collins said the paperwork alerting Schmidt to the hearing was sent to the Laurel police station on a Saturday for a Monday court date. Schmidt was not in the office and did not get the paperwork until Tuesday, he said.
On July 27, also in Laurel, Parrish was charged with driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license, reckless driving and other traffic offenses.
He pleaded guilty to driving with a suspended license and was fined $142.50, according to court records. The other charges were dropped as part of a plea agreement.
On Sept. 9, also in Laurel, Parrish was charged with driving under the influence and failing to stop after a motor vehicle accident. That case is scheduled to go to trial in February.
A veteran Prince George's County police lieutenant was charged recently with driving under the influence of alcohol -- for the fourth time this year.
Two of the drunken driving charges against Lt. Kenneth W. Parrish were dropped by county prosecutors, one of them in a plea deal and the other when the arresting officer failed to appear for a court hearing.
Parrish, 44, was suspended with pay in February after he was charged with driving under the influence while operating a county police cruiser off-duty in Laurel. Acting county Police Chief Roberto Hylton said that police officials take Parrish's conduct seriously and that internal investigations are continuing.
"We understand this is a public safety issue," Hylton said.
In the most recent incident, Parrish was arrested Friday when Montgomery County police found him asleep behind the wheel of his Cadillac Escalade near a gas pump in Silver Spring, with the car in drive and his foot on the brake pedal, according to a charging document.
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A breath test showed that Parrish had a blood-alcohol level more than three times the legal limit for driving under the influence, the document says. Parrish was unable to stand on his own and admitted to drinking a half-pint of vodka that morning, the document says.
Efforts to reach Parrish this week were unsuccessful. A lawyer who represented him in some of the previous cases did not return a phone call. The president of the county police union said fellow officers have been attempting in recent days to reach Parrish, without success.
Hylton said Parrish, a 20-year member of the police force, had an exemplary record before the recent arrests. Hylton said Parrish has had a difficult year, struggling with the death of his mother and the breakup of his marriage, events that the chief said prompted the lieutenant to drink excessively.
"He's taken a downward spiral," Hylton said. "Everybody's shocked."
Under the auspices of the police department's employee assistance program, Parrish has been treated for alcohol dependence, and police officials and the police union are trying to reach out to the lieutenant to offer support, Hylton said.
"We are not giving up," Hylton said. "We have offered all sorts of help and counseling. We are going to continue to reach out to him."
Parrish is assigned to the 6th District in Beltsville. If the internal investigations into the four incidents find no wrongdoing, Parrish would still have to be cleared by a departmental medical board before he could return to duty.
Regarding the two drunken driving charges in Prince George's that were dismissed by prosecutors, State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey said in a statement that Parrish "has not received any special treatment because of his status on the police force."
Shortly after 2:30 p.m. Friday, Montgomery police were summoned to a Sunoco gas station in the 14000 block of Georgia Avenue. A paramedic tried repeatedly to wake Parrish, who was in the driver's seat, according to the charging document. Eventually, the paramedic shifted the car into park, and a police sergeant took the keys out of the ignition, the document says.
Parrish's speech was slurred, and his breath smelled of alcohol, according to the charging document. An initial breath test indicated that Parrish had a blood-alcohol level of 0.29, and a second breath test, administered at a police station, indicated a blood-alcohol level of 0.24.
In addition to driving under the influence, Parrish was charged with driving with a suspended license. He is scheduled to go to trial in March, according to court records.
On Feb. 13, in Laurel, Parrish was charged with leaving his vehicle -- a county police cruiser -- in an intersection and with driving while impaired by alcohol. The charges were dropped when the arresting officer did not appear for court.
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Laurel police officer Mark Schmidt, who made the arrest, was not aware of the court hearing until after he had missed it, Laurel police spokesman Jimmy Collins said.
Collins said the paperwork alerting Schmidt to the hearing was sent to the Laurel police station on a Saturday for a Monday court date. Schmidt was not in the office and did not get the paperwork until Tuesday, he said.
On July 27, also in Laurel, Parrish was charged with driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license, reckless driving and other traffic offenses.
He pleaded guilty to driving with a suspended license and was fined $142.50, according to court records. The other charges were dropped as part of a plea agreement.
On Sept. 9, also in Laurel, Parrish was charged with driving under the influence and failing to stop after a motor vehicle accident. That case is scheduled to go to trial in February.
12-16-08, 09:06 PM
#3
Yeah....right.
12-16-08, 09:39 PM
#4
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12-19-08, 09:01 AM
#8
This is one of those crimes that's completely 100% avoidable. There is simply NO excuse for getting a DUI....anyone who does is just stupid (and I'm willing to bet I insulted one or two people on this board with that statement...oh well).
My Shop Chief when I was in the military got a DUI coming back on base one night. When he told us about the next day, he actually stated (swear to GOD he said this) "I guess I didn't drink enough coffee before heading home.".
Seriously? Who goes to a bar to drink and doesn't realize that, at some point, he needs to GO HOME!
If you want to go out drinking, I don't care...but figure out how you're going to get home before you leave the house.
If you know you're going to have to drive home at the end of the evening, DON'T DRINK.
How complicated is this?
I personally know 3 people who, at some point in their lives, got a DUI. And every one of them is someone I'd categorize as a "moron".
What part of "Drinking and Driving KILLS INNOCENT PEOPLE" don't you understand?
If you get a DUI, I'll grant you one mulligan. Lose your license for a year and pay a hefty fine. Hopefully lesson learned.
Do it again, or give the ol' F-You to the law and drive anyway when your license has been suspended for a DUI...no mercy. 5 years in jail. Mandatory. None of this "counseling" crap, or "brethalizer-equipped car that won't start until you blow into a tube" for repeat offenders.
That's what needs to be done to get these idiots off our roads.
Oh yeah, and the cop that was getting his hair done and couldn't make it court to testify against the officer in the above article....fire his a$$ for dereliction of duty. He sure as heck wasn't "protecting and serving" the people of Prince Georges County MD with that Einsteinian move.
My Shop Chief when I was in the military got a DUI coming back on base one night. When he told us about the next day, he actually stated (swear to GOD he said this) "I guess I didn't drink enough coffee before heading home.".
Seriously? Who goes to a bar to drink and doesn't realize that, at some point, he needs to GO HOME!
If you want to go out drinking, I don't care...but figure out how you're going to get home before you leave the house.
If you know you're going to have to drive home at the end of the evening, DON'T DRINK.
How complicated is this?
I personally know 3 people who, at some point in their lives, got a DUI. And every one of them is someone I'd categorize as a "moron".
What part of "Drinking and Driving KILLS INNOCENT PEOPLE" don't you understand?
If you get a DUI, I'll grant you one mulligan. Lose your license for a year and pay a hefty fine. Hopefully lesson learned.
Do it again, or give the ol' F-You to the law and drive anyway when your license has been suspended for a DUI...no mercy. 5 years in jail. Mandatory. None of this "counseling" crap, or "brethalizer-equipped car that won't start until you blow into a tube" for repeat offenders.
That's what needs to be done to get these idiots off our roads.
Oh yeah, and the cop that was getting his hair done and couldn't make it court to testify against the officer in the above article....fire his a$$ for dereliction of duty. He sure as heck wasn't "protecting and serving" the people of Prince Georges County MD with that Einsteinian move.
12-19-08, 10:23 AM
#9
Some people don't know how to quit. Guy was probably already weak-willed and his marriage break-up and mother's death probably pushed him over the edge.
Yup, he got preferential treatment because he was a cop; but evidently he had a great record before all of this happened. Do I still feel bad for the guy? Yeah. A lot of people addicted to something or doing something drastic like this know that they're doing something wrong but can't help themselves.
Nevertheless, he shouldnt be a police officer. I'd discharge him from the force and give him an option to come back when he cleans up his act.
Yup, he got preferential treatment because he was a cop; but evidently he had a great record before all of this happened. Do I still feel bad for the guy? Yeah. A lot of people addicted to something or doing something drastic like this know that they're doing something wrong but can't help themselves.
Nevertheless, he shouldnt be a police officer. I'd discharge him from the force and give him an option to come back when he cleans up his act.
12-19-08, 10:25 AM
#10
Super Moderator
I can imagine this officer pulling someone over for DUI and the driver who's pulled over tells the officer, "how do you know I am DUI?" and the officer says, "takes one to know one."
12-19-08, 02:39 PM
#11
Lexus Test Driver
This is one of those crimes that's completely 100% avoidable. There is simply NO excuse for getting a DUI....anyone who does is just stupid (and I'm willing to bet I insulted one or two people on this board with that statement...oh well).
My Shop Chief when I was in the military got a DUI coming back on base one night. When he told us about the next day, he actually stated (swear to GOD he said this) "I guess I didn't drink enough coffee before heading home.".
Seriously? Who goes to a bar to drink and doesn't realize that, at some point, he needs to GO HOME!
If you want to go out drinking, I don't care...but figure out how you're going to get home before you leave the house.
If you know you're going to have to drive home at the end of the evening, DON'T DRINK.
How complicated is this?
I personally know 3 people who, at some point in their lives, got a DUI. And every one of them is someone I'd categorize as a "moron".
What part of "Drinking and Driving KILLS INNOCENT PEOPLE" don't you understand?
If you get a DUI, I'll grant you one mulligan. Lose your license for a year and pay a hefty fine. Hopefully lesson learned.
Do it again, or give the ol' F-You to the law and drive anyway when your license has been suspended for a DUI...no mercy. 5 years in jail. Mandatory. None of this "counseling" crap, or "brethalizer-equipped car that won't start until you blow into a tube" for repeat offenders.
That's what needs to be done to get these idiots off our roads.
Oh yeah, and the cop that was getting his hair done and couldn't make it court to testify against the officer in the above article....fire his a$$ for dereliction of duty. He sure as heck wasn't "protecting and serving" the people of Prince Georges County MD with that Einsteinian move.
My Shop Chief when I was in the military got a DUI coming back on base one night. When he told us about the next day, he actually stated (swear to GOD he said this) "I guess I didn't drink enough coffee before heading home.".
Seriously? Who goes to a bar to drink and doesn't realize that, at some point, he needs to GO HOME!
If you want to go out drinking, I don't care...but figure out how you're going to get home before you leave the house.
If you know you're going to have to drive home at the end of the evening, DON'T DRINK.
How complicated is this?
I personally know 3 people who, at some point in their lives, got a DUI. And every one of them is someone I'd categorize as a "moron".
What part of "Drinking and Driving KILLS INNOCENT PEOPLE" don't you understand?
If you get a DUI, I'll grant you one mulligan. Lose your license for a year and pay a hefty fine. Hopefully lesson learned.
Do it again, or give the ol' F-You to the law and drive anyway when your license has been suspended for a DUI...no mercy. 5 years in jail. Mandatory. None of this "counseling" crap, or "brethalizer-equipped car that won't start until you blow into a tube" for repeat offenders.
That's what needs to be done to get these idiots off our roads.
Oh yeah, and the cop that was getting his hair done and couldn't make it court to testify against the officer in the above article....fire his a$$ for dereliction of duty. He sure as heck wasn't "protecting and serving" the people of Prince Georges County MD with that Einsteinian move.
I will take this into consideration, however, when marijuana is legalized and taxed.
