We’re all aware that police officers don’t always follow the law, but most people at the very least would expect law enforcement officers to act responsibly. Yet it appears that this is also, not always the case.
FOX News reports that Phoenix Police Sergeant John Flanagan is now facing felony charges for allegedly driving under the influence while his kids were in the car with him. The officer was arrested in March near Valley Vista High in Surprise, but the felony DUI charges were not filed against him until the county attorney’s office completed their investigation last week.
We wrote in an earlier blog post that Flanagan would have faced some severe penalties for a DUI conviction because a breath test revealed that he had a blood-alcohol content of .178 percent at the time of his arrest, which is more than twice the legal BAC limit in Arizona. However, the county attorney's office and police now confirm that the Sergeant had his two kids in the car with him at the time of his arrest, which makes him eligible for felony charges and thus even more severe penalties that what was once previously thought. It's possible that Flanagan could be spending a great deal of time behind bars.
Maybe Phoenix residents will learn a lesson from the fact that Sergeant John Flanagan is now on administrative leave with the Phoenix Police Department. His initial court appearance has reportedly been scheduled for the end of this month, when both his job and his freedom will be in jepoardy.
Related Resources:
- Find a Phoenix DUI Attorney (FindLaw)
- Felony DUI (FindLaw)
- What Makes A DUI An Aggravated DUI In Arizona? (Phoenix DUI Blog)
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