An off-duty New Orleans police officer was arrested this week and charged with driving while intoxicated on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.
James Crespo III, 52, was headed northbound Monday around 2:30 a.m. when a Causeway police officer spotted him speeding on the bridge a few miles from the north shore, said Causeway Police Chief Nick Congemi.
The officer, who was using radar equipment, pulled Crespo over at the north toll plaza in Mandeville, Congemi said.
He asked for Crespo's information and that he step out of his vehicle, he said. It is unclear whether Crespo, who lives in New Orleans, was driving an unmarked squad car or his own personal vehicle.
Crespo, an administrative sergeant who has been with the NOPD since 1978, appeared unsteady as he walked to the rear of his vehicle, then upon reaching the rear of the vehicle, leaned against the rear for balance, Congemi said.
He removed his wallet, which contained his New Orleans police commission, and handed the officer his driver's license, he said. However, Crespo refused the officer's request that he submit to a field sobriety test, Congemi said.
The officer asked whether Crespo was carrying a weapon, and Crespo said that he had a gun and that it was in the vehicle, he said.
He then retrieved Crespo's gun, which apparently was his personal weapon, as opposed to his service revolver, Congemi said.
The officer then handcuffed Crespo and arrested him before taking him to Louisiana State Police Troop L, he said. Crespo refused to take a breathalyzer test at Troop L.
In addition to DWI, Crespo is charged with driving 77 mph in a 65-mph zone, Congemi said.
Crespo's age and address were not immediately available from Causeway police.
Congemi said he expects the charges to be filed Monday with the St. Tammany Parish district attorney's office.
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