Monroe police officer charged with DWI

A Monroe police officer was charged with misdemeanor driving while impaired on Thursday night.

Officer Darren Lee Nash, 34, has been placed on administrative leave, and an internal investigation is ongoing, city spokesman Pete Hovanec said Friday.

About 6:50 p.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to 2200 W. Roosevelt Blvd. in reference to a possible medical call for a person in a vehicle. Police saw Nash behind the wheel and determined he was impaired. The vehicle was not a police car, Hovanec said.

Nash was taken to the Union County Jail, where he refused to submit to an Intoxylizer test, Hovanec said. Nash was then charged. He was released under a written promise to appear in court on May 11.

Nash is the son of former City Council member Dottie Nash.

In 2013, he was among nine police officers suspended without pay for a week over their handling of cases that led the district attorney to dismiss charges against 39 people.

The officers failed to provide files that the Union County district attorney’s office needed to prosecute cases, the city said. Sometimes, they also did not submit drugs to a lab for analysis, which also hampered prosecution.

Nash has been a Monroe police officer since Nov. 17, 2008.

In response to Nash’s arrest on the DWI charge, Monroe Police Chief Bryan Gilliard issued this statement:

“As police officers, we are all human, but we are held to higher standards than those we serve. This is an unfortunate incident that is not a direct reflection of our department and the level of service we provide. We will not treat this investigation any differently and are committed to ensuring justice is served.”

Staff Writer Adam Bell contributed.

This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 3:08 PM with the headline "Monroe police officer charged with DWI."