Officer punished for drunken driving

A Denver police officer served two weeks suspension without pay after he pleaded guilty to driving drunk while off duty.

Officer Ryan Barnes’ bloodalcohol content was 0.163% — more than twice the legal limit — when he was stopped June 14 by a Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy, according to a disciplinary letter from the Denver Department of Public Safety obtained by The Denver Post through an open-records request.

The deputy stopped Barnes’ vehicle after he saw it weave and fail to use a turn signal. The deputy arrested Barnes because he smelled of alcohol and his speech was slurred when he spoke, the letters states.

Barnes pleaded guilty Oct. 29 to driving while impaired and was sentenced to 14 months of probation, which requires that he attend an alcohol education program. Although Barnes enrolled himself in alcohol education classes before his sentence, he faced a higher level of discipline because his bloodalcohol content was so high.

“Officer Barnes committed a serious offense of driving while ability impaired,” Deputy Director of Safety Mary Dulacki wrote in the disciplinary letter. “However, because Officer Barnes accepted responsibility for his misconduct as evidence by the steps he took on his own, prior to appearing in court to address it, he has evidenced his commitment to receiving help and preventing a reoccurrence.” Barnes served his suspension in February.