From Frederick News Post
An 11-year veteran of the FrederickPolice Department pleaded guilty Friday to driving while impaired by alcohol.
Robert Wayne Pierce, 55, was charged in March with driving drunk after his patrol car was reported as traveling erratically on U.S. 15 near South JeffersonStreet, causing a single-vehicle crash.
Two other charges, driving under the influence of alcohol and failure of a driver to stop after a property damage accident, will be dropped as part of the plea agreement announced in court Friday.
After such an arrest, it is common practice for patrol officers to charge the person with both DUI and DWI, with the final offense to be decided by the court. DUI carries a heavier maximum penalty for conviction on the first offense — one year in jail, compared with six months for DWI — and requires a greater level of evidence for a conviction.
During Friday’s hearing, Pierce and his attorney, Dino E. Flores Jr., agreed to a statement of facts set out by a special prosecutor, Carroll County Assistant State’s Attorney Robert Daniels.
Daniels said police received reports that Pierce’s patrol car was seen moving erratically and had hit a guardrail, damaging a taillight.
When officers found Pierce and the car in Middletownmore than an hour later, his eyes appeared watery and glassy, and he had a slight injury to one of his forearms, Daniels said.
Pierce told police he had consumed alcohol and a sleeping pill. He refused to take a breath test. Officers noted what appeared to be vomit on Pierce’s shirt and in the car, Daniels said.
Pierce was placed on administrative duties with the department immediately after his arrest….MORE