A Minneapolis police officer has been charged with one count of driving while intoxicated and one count of careless driving, according to charges filed Thursday in Hennepin County District Court.
Jeffrey David Pennaz, a Minneapolis police officer since 2007, was stopped Tuesday afternoon by police from Medina and Plymouth after a motorist called authorities to report that a man was swerving while driving in the vicinity of Medina Road and County Road 101, then was slumped behind the wheel after stopping at a traffic light, the complaint said.
Two children were in the vehicle when officers approached Pennaz at 3:53 p.m. and instructed him to move his vehicle to a nearby church parking lot, according to a Plymouth police report.
Officers said that Pennaz's eyes were bloodshot, watery and glassy and that they detected a "strong odor of an alcohol beverage" when they questioned him. They also found 10 bottles of Blue Moon beer in the vehicle, the complaint said.
Pennaz, 36, identified himself as a Minneapolis police officer and told authorities he was taking his kids to a cabin to go hunting. He declined sobriety tests at the scene and was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. He was taken to the Plymouth Police Department, where he later submitted to a breath test. Two hours after his arrest, the test showed his blood alcohol content was .21 percent, more than 2 1/2 times the limit of .08 percent.
Pennaz, who was off duty at the time of the incident, was booked into the Hennepin County jail and later released.
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