Peoria police Officer Joseph A. Gray pleaded guilty Friday to driving under the influence of alcohol and causing criminal damage to government property for breaking the window of a Metamora Police Department cruiser.
A separate charge of failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident was dropped.
By pleading guilty, Gray, who appeared before Woodford County Circuit Judge John Huschen, waived his right to a jury trial.
Gray, 33, who has been with the Peoria Police Department since September 1999, has been on unpaid leave since March, after the charges were filed. On Friday, Doug Burgess, the spokesman for Peoria police, said Gray's status remains unchanged.
"Until we see the court ruling and receive all the paperwork, he is still on unpaid leave." Burgess said. "We'll address it after that."
Gray, a Metamora resident, was arrested in March for driving under the influence after a single-vehicle rollover accident on Hickory Point Road near Santa Fe Trail in Metamora.
In a statement after the incident, Woodford County State's Attorney Mike Stroh said police found Gray alone in his car after the crash and arrested him for DUI based on their observations.
While being transported to the county jail, Gray apparently began hitting and kicking the rear passenger-side window of the Metamora squad car, which resulted in a broken window and trim.
Kicking out the window of a Metamora squad car, which is government-supported property, is a Class 4 felony, which carries maximum penalties of three years in prison and a $25,000 fine. A convicted felon cannot legally carry a weapon. Gray is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 28.
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