FALMOUTH, Mass. (AP) - A Massachusetts police officer has pleaded not guilty to a drunken driving charge while on leave for allegedly leaving a loaded gun in a restaurant bathroom.
The Cape Cod Times reports that Barnstable Sgt. Christopher Challies was released on personal recognizance after pleading not guilty at his arraignment Monday.
Barnstable police say Challies was identified as the driver of a vehicle that crashed into a utility pole on Oct. 16.
The responding officer says he didn’t detect the smell of alcohol on Challies and didn’t perform field sobriety tests, but another officer said Challies appeared drunk at the hospital.
Challies’ lawyer says his client “denies being under the influence.”
He is currently on paid leave after his loaded gun was found in a Bourne restaurant bathroom last year.
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Information from: Cape Cod (Mass.) Times, http://www.capecodtimes.com
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