Post by KC on Aug 4, 2006 21:41:59 GMT -5
August 06, 2006 - PRESTONSBURG - An off-duty Kentucky State Police trooper was charged with drunken driving early today after he wrecked an unmarked cruiser on U.S. 23 near Prestonsburg, authorities said.
Trooper Michael F. Pennington of London, who was in Floyd County as part of a law enforcement marijuana-eradication team, was southbound on U.S. 23 at 12:50 a.m. when his 2003 Ford cruiser ran off the road and crashed in a single-car accident, according to a state-police citation issued by Sgt. Todd Kidd at the Pikeville post.
Pennington, 29, was not injured, but his vehicle received "moderate" damage, said Sgt. Phil Crumpton, a spokesman for state police in Frankfort.
"I don't know where he was headed; he was not on duty," Crumpton said, indicating the incident could have been worse. "He could have gotten hurt or someone else could have been hurt."
Crumpton said Pennington, a state policeman since 2001, has been suspended with pay pending an internal investigation.
Records at the Floyd County Jail show Pennington was arrested at 2:12 a.m. after he registered .114 on a Breathalyzer test. Under Kentucky law, any driver registering .08 or above is considered intoxicated.
According to the citation, Pennington had red eyes, slurred speech and smelled strongly of alcohol. Pennington allegedly said he had earlier consumed alcohol. In a field sobriety test, he missed his nose twice in the finger-to-nose-touch test.
Records at the jail also show that Pennington was released from custody at 3 p.m. after he called Floyd District Judge Eric Hall at home. In some circumstances, persons arrested for DUI are required to be held in custody for at least 12 hours.
Hall could not be reached for comment today, but Crumpton said it was not unprecedented for suspects to be allowed to call judges after being arrested.
"I can't speak for the judge," Crumpton said, "but I've heard of cases where police officers were RORed (released on their own recognizance) after being arrested because of potential danger from other inmates. If you think about it, you can't put them in with the general population, for their own safety."
Pennington is scheduled for a court hearing Monday in Floyd District Court before District Judge James Allen.
www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/15201139.htm
Trooper Michael F. Pennington of London, who was in Floyd County as part of a law enforcement marijuana-eradication team, was southbound on U.S. 23 at 12:50 a.m. when his 2003 Ford cruiser ran off the road and crashed in a single-car accident, according to a state-police citation issued by Sgt. Todd Kidd at the Pikeville post.
Pennington, 29, was not injured, but his vehicle received "moderate" damage, said Sgt. Phil Crumpton, a spokesman for state police in Frankfort.
"I don't know where he was headed; he was not on duty," Crumpton said, indicating the incident could have been worse. "He could have gotten hurt or someone else could have been hurt."
Crumpton said Pennington, a state policeman since 2001, has been suspended with pay pending an internal investigation.
Records at the Floyd County Jail show Pennington was arrested at 2:12 a.m. after he registered .114 on a Breathalyzer test. Under Kentucky law, any driver registering .08 or above is considered intoxicated.
According to the citation, Pennington had red eyes, slurred speech and smelled strongly of alcohol. Pennington allegedly said he had earlier consumed alcohol. In a field sobriety test, he missed his nose twice in the finger-to-nose-touch test.
Records at the jail also show that Pennington was released from custody at 3 p.m. after he called Floyd District Judge Eric Hall at home. In some circumstances, persons arrested for DUI are required to be held in custody for at least 12 hours.
Hall could not be reached for comment today, but Crumpton said it was not unprecedented for suspects to be allowed to call judges after being arrested.
"I can't speak for the judge," Crumpton said, "but I've heard of cases where police officers were RORed (released on their own recognizance) after being arrested because of potential danger from other inmates. If you think about it, you can't put them in with the general population, for their own safety."
Pennington is scheduled for a court hearing Monday in Floyd District Court before District Judge James Allen.
www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/15201139.htm