Officer Patrick Beesley Charged with Drunk Driving

A Noblesville police officer has been placed on paid administrative leave after being charged with drunken driving.

Officer Patrick E. Beesley, 32, Noblesville, could face penalties ranging from a brief suspension to termination, based on the outcome of an internal investigation. He also faces up to a year in jail and $5,000 in fines if he is convicted.

Beesley could not be reached for comment.

"Obviously, this is a serious situation," Noblesville Police Chief Kevin Jowitt said Tuesday, his first day on the job.

Beesley caught the attention of a Hamilton County sheriff's deputy about 12:30 a.m. Sunday. His vehicle was swerving in its lane and was going off the road, said Vicky Dunbar, public information officer for the sheriff's office.

Deputy Paul Miller stopped Beesley on Greenfield Avenue, just west of Marilyn Road, Dunbar said.

Miller smelled alcohol when he talked to Beesley and noticed that Beesley's eyes were bloodshot, Dunbar said.

Beesley, who was not driving his squad car, identified himself as a Noblesville police officer, according to Dunbar.

Beesley failed field sobriety tests, authorities said, and a breath test registered his blood-alcohol level at 0.18, more than twice the level (0.08) at which a driver in Indiana is considered intoxicated.

The police report did not say where Beesley had been or where he was going, according to Dunbar, and Jowitt did not have that information.

Beesley was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a blood-alcohol level of 0.15 or greater, a Class A misdemeanor.

He posted bond and was released from the Hamilton County Jail at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, according to a news release.

Beesley has been with the Noblesville department for about 21/2 years, Jowitt said. Before that, he worked for the Chicago Police Department.

An Elkhart officer also was arrested on drunken-driving charges this past weekend.

Authorities said Cpl. Benjamin Kruszynski, 38, was off-duty Sunday night when he crashed his squad car into two fences and a tree.

His blood-alcohol level was 0.12, authorities said. He will be placed on administrative leave pending the result of the investigation, according to Elkhart Police Chief Dale Pflibsen.