MUSCATINE, Iowa
A police sergeant facing a charge of operating while intoxicated was fired Friday from the Muscatine Police Department.
However, city officials say the termination wasn’t specifically related to the incident.
On Nov. 8, another officer from the department arrested Arthur Anderson, 40, for allegedly driving his private vehicle to the Public Safety Building around 6:30 a.m.
He registered a 0.092 blood-alcohol level, according to court documents. The legal limit in Iowa is 0.08.
Stephanie Romagnoli, the city’s human resources manager, confirmed Monday that Anderson’s employment was terminated after about 17 years with the department.
“It was not specifically related to the arrest itself,” Romagnoli said. “It had to do with other personnel matters and a review of his file.”
Anderson was demoted in June from a lieutenant to a sergeant. Police Chief Gary Coderoni said the cause for the demotion was a personnel matter and that Iowa Code prevented him from discussing it further.
He said the department conducted an internal professional standards investigation of the alleged operating while intoxicated incident to determine if Anderson had violated city or department procedures.
The investigation is separate from the criminal court case, which will be prosecuted by the Johnson County Attorney’s Office.
Assistant Muscatine County Attorney Dana Christiansen said in a motion that Johnson County’s assistance was enlisted because a conflict of interest existed due to because Anderson’s employment with the police department.
A message seeking comment from Anderson was not returned by press time this morning.
He made his initial court appearance Friday in Muscatine County District Court. A judge continued his release from jail on his own recognizance, and ordered Anderson to schedule a substance abuse evaluation within five days.
A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 11.
Coderoni said the department has not started the process of choosing a replacement for Anderson.
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