MESQUITE, Texas — A police report released by the Dallas Police Department details the stop that led to a Dallas police officer being charged with driving while intoxicated in Mesquite.
The Dallas Police Department said in a Facebook post detective Joe Morin, who works for the department's public integrity unit, was arrested by Mesquite police. The public integrity unit investigates crimes committed by officers, firefighters and other city employees.
A Mesquite police officer stopped Morin around 1:26 a.m. July 18, after he saw Morin driving west on Scyene at a noticeably high speed. The officer began pursuing Morin's pick-up truck, the report details, but could not seem to catch up to the vehicle.
The report states Morin kept his speed while driving into a 30 mph zone and ran a red light at Main Street and Belt Line Road. At this point, the officer turned on his emergency lights to initiate the stop.
After pulling Morin over, the officer asked him why he was driving so fast and ran a red light. Morin responded by saying he didn't have a reason, the report states, and the officer wrote he heard Morin slurring his words.
After asking Morin how much he had to drink that night, Morin said he had "two in one hour," and clarifying after he was asked that he had two 8-ounce beers, the report states.
The officer had Morin and his passenger step out of his vehicle and again asked Morin how much he had to drink, the report details. At this time, Morin said he had "four or five" in addition to the two beers, adding that these drinks were Crown Royal mixed with Sprite.
Morin went through multiple standard field sobriety tests at this point, the report states, and failed two of them -- failing to walk a straight line and turn while keeping his balance and failing to stand on one leg multiple times.
The officer asked Morin to rate from 1 to 10, 1 representing completely sober and 10 being the most drunk he has ever been in his life, where he thought he was on that scale, the report details. The officer wrote that Morin told him he was at a 5. When asked if he had kids and if he would feel comfortable driving with them right now, Morin said he would, the report states.
Morin's passenger was also put through the sobriety tests, the report adds, and did not seem to be unimpaired. The passenger told the officer Morin drove him because he had previous brain surgery and felt it was safer, the report details.
It was at this point the officer arrested and charged Morin.
Morin is on administrative leave pending the outcome of an Internal Affairs administrative investigation, according to the DPD's Facebook post.
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