Post by WaTcHeR on May 23, 2006 9:14:26 GMT -5
Officer James O'Leary
05/22/2006 - An Austin police commander was arrested and charged with drunken driving Sunday night after he crashed his car into a ditch at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
Cmdr. James O'Leary, 61, who supervises the department's training division, was arrested about 8:30 p.m. Sunday and booked into the Travis County Jail about 90 minutes later, authorities said. He was released on bail Monday afternoon.
Assistant Police Chief David Carter said O'Leary has been placed on restricted duty pending the outcome of the criminal and internal investigations into the accident. O'Leary could not be reached for comment Monday.
Airport spokeswoman Leslie Schneiweiss said O'Leary crashed his white 1995 Lincoln Town Car into a ditch near a parking lot on Presidential Boulevard.
The car sustained minimal damage, and O'Leary was not injured, she said.
Schneiweiss said airport police arrived a short time later and performed a field sobriety test on O'Leary. She would not say whether a blood alcohol test was performed.
"He cooperated 100 percent," she said. "He never mentioned anything about his affiliation with APD. As far as our officers are concerned, it was a standard DWI arrest."
O'Leary, a former Army lieutenant colonel and a Vietnam veteran, has been with the department for 25 years and also worked on the department's crowd management team.
A federal jury ruled this year that he did not use excessive force when he used pepper spray during an anti-war demonstration on Congress Avenue the day after the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
"He's a highly decorated officer," Carter said. "We feel very sad this occurred."