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Vermont Chief Charged With On-Duty DUI

Posted: Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Updated: July 15th, 2009 10:13 AM GMT-05:00

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Story by wptz.com

VERGENNES, Vt. --

Vermont State Police said Tuesday they are charging Vergennes Police Chief Michael Lowe with driving under the influence after he drove his cruiser into a parked car last month.

"The results of the toxicology tests confirmed the presence of prescription medication in Chief Lowe's blood system. Chief Lowe has been cited into court for Driving Under the Influence of Drugs and is to appear in Addison District Court on August 10, 2009," an e-mail from Vermont State Police Station Commander Bruce Melendy says.

Lowe was under investigation by the Vermont State Police for his involvement in an automobile accident in June in which the cruiser he was driving struck a parked car on School Street in Vergennes, police said.

In a press conference last month, state police said Lowe was showing signs of impairment at the time of the accident and admitted to police he was taking prescription drugs that were prescribed to him.

Vergennes Police Chief May Be Charged With DUI

"We have the statements that he was taking prescription medication, he showed signs of impairment and he was evaluated by a drug recognition expert," said Capt. Donald Patch, of the Vermont State Police, at the June press conference.

Police said they processed Lowe for DUI at the time, but did not charge him pending toxicology results. Police said they wanted to know if Lowe was taking the drugs within prescribed limits.

Lowe was off duty and turning onto Park Street from Maple Street when his cruiser hit the left rear end of the parked car, police said. The parked car was unoccupied, and Lowe was uninjured.

Lowe acknowledged in May that there were shortcomings in his department's record-keeping regarding whether he and other members of his department had completed the firearms and first aid training courses needed to stay certified as law enforcement officers.

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Posted by vamcdenver

(07/15/09 - 02:21 PM)

Being "on call" and especially a chief puts him at risk for this kind of incident.

Most employees can call in sick, take their meds and recuperate.

Not sure what size department he heads, could be he was required to come to work, any various duties.

He may not of had the luxury of taking a sick day, may have had to come in for half a day etc.

If that was the case, he could have been on duty for a brief time, then "on call".

I have seen agencies put their people on thousands of man hours "on call", just to avoid paying thousands of hours mandatory overtime.

Headline makes it sound like he was drunk driving.

Hope this is not a witch hunt over a feud between the tar guards and a small department.

If this was a small department, he may have not had a choice of having a driver "on call" too.

Or, could have made the same mistake we cite citizens for; getting behind the wheel at less than full capability.

Posted by Mike in Seattle, WA

(07/15/09 - 03:45 PM)

Quote from Sjanc;

"Cops will constantly cry nobody knows what's it like to be a cop, but I don't think too many of them know what it is like to be the guy who pays for all that crap."

Newsflash for you bud - we ARE the "guy who pays for all that crap", just like everyone else. I did not get any special exemptions from paying my fair share of taxes or a special discount on things like car and homeowner's insurance when I became a cop.

And as far as having to pay fines for things like getting pinched for DUI, whatever happened to being mature enough NOT to get behind the wheel of a car after you have been drinking? I don't give a tinker's damn about any of the excuses you come up with, a ride home with a friend or the cost of a cab is a lot less expensive than risking lives driving drunk or whining about being caught and convicted of DUI. If you don't have an alternative way home, then don't drink! Seems pretty simple to me.

And just for your fund of general information the vast majority of cops I know of who have been popped for DUI got treated like any other irresponsible drunk driver, meaning they got hooked, booked and found guilty. They paid their fines and many of them even lost their jobs to boot.

Posted by Road Rules in Upstate NY

(07/15/09 - 05:43 PM)

Professional Courtesy is for Professionals

When someone does these types things the courtesy is out the window. These are not the good old days when things were swept under the rug. You drink/drug You drive You lose...in this day and age it's almost impossible to keep things under the radar...if someone is hurt or property damage occurs all bets are off. In this situation it's clear someone's career was already on the rocks...no need to jump on someone's sinking ship. Help those that can be helped...I'm gonna go out on a limb and take a guess this is not the chief's first blunder and people are tired of cleaning up his messes.